Sanjay BSU 2014

[grsastrigal]

Sanjay subramanyan
Varadarajan
Neyveli Venkatesh
Gopalakrishnan- Kanjira

I was wondering why no one reviewed the "most important" concert of BSU 2014. At last, I thought I can end BSU review with SS. His concert was the only concert started at 6.30 PM and he took 2.45 minutes.

I wanted to write this concert review as bhaaskaran19/bharathy- (who wrote "Sanjay's concert elsewhere here) But..
Ok. let us see the list first.

• VarNam- vachaspathi-Tiger varadhAcharyar. This was bit lengthy for almost 10 minutes. But a very good start
• Sama – ShantamU lekhA sowkhyamU lEdU – Thyagarajar. (S)
• Kamalamanohari 4 minutes followed by “narasimhudu budhakinja”… Mysore Sadashiva rao krit. Before understanding what was this kriti, it all ended. Raga’s beauty was not truly followed in this kriti.
• Raga alApana-mukhAri for 5 minutes- sivakAma sundari- pApanAsam sivan kriti with neraval in “kelAyo en”. No swaram.
• Main-CharukEsi -12 minutes followed by “ondE mansali” –Purandadasar kriti (S)
• RTP- Simmendramadhyamam- Ragam & Talam for 27 minutes was a real treat for the rasikas. Brilliant rendering. Pallavi- “mAyA vAmananE madhusootha nee arulAi”
• Tani
• Mukti alikkum tillai- ChenjUti- GKB
• Vetta veLi tannil- kudambai chittar
• BehAg- samayamidhE rA rA – Patnam subrahmanya Iyer- behAg
• iduvO tillai chidambara kshEtram- sindu bairavi-GKB

May be Trinities (except Thyagarajar was treated as tukkada for 6 mins) or other eminent composers' kritis were not covered. May be selection of kritis overall. Main rAgam not covered well. The concert was not that “brilliant”. I could not count much on my “besh”/”aha” in this concert except RTP. Even in RTP, except rAgam and talam, the pallavi was very ordinary.

I could not get the point of rendering that kriti “narasimhudu”. What he wanted to convey, - whether he can render the kriti faster without even pronouncing the words properly.. or a customary filler between two kritis or to allow the mridangam and kanjir to become ecstasic and making the "decibel" situation worse.

CharukEsi was a surprise for me. As a main item, I was expecting “Adamodi” or “kurpayA” as I have not heard this from Sanjay. His “dAsar padagalu” was a sort of mixed reaction. Even “vidyAbhooshana”, authority in rendering dasar kritis would have dared to take this as main.

For me, giving a concert in the centre of the music hub, NGS, his selection of kritis should have been better.

Good kriti interlude with a rAgA is …..always…. better.. for a good rasikA.

None of the kritis stood out in this concert. I was unfortunate. Even nAda sudhA list, reviewed here, was better.

Varadarajan is always vArAdarAjan (kAlai), sort of leg pulling which means "he never makes mistake". ani (duo) excelled in their respective departments.

[sureshvv]

1. The Vachaspathi varnam was a very rocky start. It is an MDR composition (Sanskrit?) about Rukmani Devi Arundale. I heard the word Kalakshetra was in the lyrics.

2. #3 was Kamala manohari. The raga alapana was very nice. The Mysore Sadashiva Rao kriti was a bit bombastic in contrast to the alapana. It may grow on you if listen to it more:

http://sanjaysub.blogspot.in/2014/11/na ... ohari.html

3. Great concert from Sanjay in traditional mood.

[arasi]

Narasimha is so far removed from kanja dalAyadAkshi that had I not seen it in the list, I would have been buzzing around mmgowLa too.

However, when I heard it on Sanjay's blog, I thought it was like an energy pill, yes, speedy, but for me, the subject matter being the lion-headed Vishnu, it seemed very appropriate--indicative of the action involved in that avathAra. Sadashiva Rao might have been amused and would have approved of it, is my guess

Yes, Suresh, we will like it even more as we get familiar with it. kalilO (kApi, HMB) was like that.

We make it difficult for the singers. Unknown songs, varied composers ought to please us, their getting away a bit from only the tested and tried ones.

The pithAmahA's songs are well worth treating as mains. Just that we are not used to it. High time we did. krishnA nI bEganE bArO! to this day is a favorite of mine, but how many times do I want to hear it, from youngsters and veterans in a concert to dance performances!

PDs songs are easy to sing and to emote, because for some reason (at least to me), they do not speak of kaNakku vazhakku but just have fluidity and feeling. nambik keTTavarilavO in kalyANi was the only other one I've heard of PD sung by non-kannaDa speaking vocalists as a main or sub main...

[Jigyaasa]

• MayamAlavagowla (I think)– 4 minutes followed by “narasimhudu budhakinja”… before understanding what was this kriti, it all ended. Raga’s beauty was not truly followed in this kriti.

I could not get the point of rendering that kriti “narasimhudu”. What he wanted to convey, - whether he can render the kriti faster without even pronouncing the words properly.. or a customary filler between two kritis or to allow the mridangam and kanjir to become ecstasic and making the "decibel" situation worse.

I like the version in this album http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/amrutha- ... /narasimha. The lyrics are delivered with surprisingly good clarity considering how dense they are. I can also 'hear' the emergence of Lord Narasimha from the pillar through the strident gait of the song and the choice of the rAga. I love this composition. There's even a story about it that had been discussed somewhere here earlier.

[arasi]

Yes, Jigyasa! And I didn't know of Amritha's version of it until now!

I can visualize a kuchipudi dancer getting to the heart of it (pun intended)

[sanjaysubfan]

The varnam in vaachaspathi is by Tiger Varadaachaariyaar.

[grsastrigal]

Varnam - Is the composition of Tiger or Tiger personafied (MDR) ?

After Arasi's "thought process" of relating to Narasimha avatAram and the composition's pace in relation with avatAram- was a beautiful one. I could understand the "speed" of the kriti.

[sureshvv]

http://sangeethapriya.gotdns.org:8080/s ... ta-MDR.MP3

@arasi: You meant to say Sadashiva Rao

[arasi]

Thanks, Suresh. Let me go correct it

[vasanthakokilam]

I like the version in this album http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/amrutha- ... /narasimha. The lyrics are delivered with surprisingly good clarity considering how dense they are. I can also 'hear' the emergence of Lord Narasimha from the pillar through the strident gait of the song and the choice of the rAga. I love this composition. There's even a story about it that had been discussed somewhere here earlier.

This concept album 'Narasimha' by Amrutha Venkatesh is available on Spotify . There are some other rare songs on Narasimha there.(I also found her entire Charsur catalogue going back to 2008 there!)

[Lakshman]

If the vAcaspati varNa started with vandana, it is by Tiger.
vandana monarinciti (tv). rAgA: vAcaspati. k/aTa tALA. Composer: Tiger Varadachari.

P: vandana monarinciti vElakOla atI sASTAngampun mA bharata lakSmI vANiI cin-
A: mantharadhara purAri virincyAdulu tOSita carita mAvara vasantamOdini shrI rumiNi kincarAyuvu nosagumu
C: andamuna kalAkSEtrAdhyakSiNi

[sureshvv]

Thanks Laksmanan ji. Seems sangeethapriya needs to be corrected.

[ganeshkant]

Pt.venkatesh kumAr who sang in the previous slot sat and listened for some time.soon after he left sanjay started singing with perfect shruti alignment.VK could have sit for some more time, sigh....