Sanjay - Boston - 30th April 2016

[bilahari]

Sanjay Subrahmanyam - Vocal
S. Varadarajan - Violin
Neyveli Venkatesh - Mrudangam

Chinmaya Mission, Andover, MA
4 h

Approximate List:

varNam - balahamsa - aTa - Patnam
sAmagIta priyan - gowLai - Adi - Ramalinga Adigalar [S @ pallavi]
evarIkai - dEvamanOhari - miSra cApu - T
nE pogaDa - varALi - khaNDa cApu - T [R, N @ nIrajanayana srI tyAgarAjanuta, S]
kamala pada malar - harikAmbOji - Adi [2] - Sivan [R, N @ tirumAl maruganE, S]
nIrajAkSi kAmAkSi - hindOLam - rUpakam - MD
viDajAladura - janaranjani - Adi - T [S @ pallavi]
RTP - bhairavi - miSra aTa [eDuppu +0.5]
tAnam in chalanATTai, mOhanam, dhanyAsi, kEdAram
mAlai pozhudu pOcchudu en Asai kaNNALanE Asai kaNNALanE kaNNALanE

hari vAsarada - sindhu bhairavi - Adi - PD
kalilO hari smaraNa - kApi - Adi - HMB
tIrta karaiyinilE (vruttam) followed by ninnaiyE rati enRu - bAgESri - rUpakam - Bharati
haridAsulu veDalE - yamunAkalyANi - Adi - T
malADa mazhuvAda (vruttam) in kAmbOji, kIravANi, sahAna, hamsAnandi, nATTaikurinji, and jOnpuri, followed by
eppo varuvArO - jOnpuri - Adi - Bharati
A song in khamAs [stepped out]
tillAna - tODi - Adi (charaNam had nIrajAsanAdi...) - Puchi Srinivasa Iyengar
mangaLam

It was a cracker of a concert. Many years ago my thatha told me he admired this young singer called Sanjay for his absolute sincerity in singing, and I didn't understand what he meant. Over the years, I have come to understand. When Sanjay sings, he pours himself into the music, experiencing it as much as he seeks for all of us experience it with him, having fun with it, experimenting, and giving his very best in every concert. Today, all of that sincerity was readily evident as Sanjay kept a full house audience completely absorbed for four hours. Who says audiences won't sit still for that long anymore!

I knew the concert was going to be special when he began with a rare but immensely beautiful varNam in balahamsa, which somehow did not dramatize the MRMGS prayOgams but still delivered the full import of the ragam. In a Sanjay concert, one can always expect to hear rare compositions, and I've never even heard of the gowLai kriti that came next, and can't find any information about it online either. Who composed it? It was a nice composition, decorated with several rounds of sedate swarams to the pallavi. Sanjay then sang varALi very concisely and with great verve, and his phrases about the tAra shadjam (including shadjam-less phrases) were very well conceived. The kriti was sung briskly, and after a a few rounds of neraval, he sang mostly mEl kAla swaras. Honestly, a lot of the mEl kAla neraval and swaras just sounded like shouting to me, but it was evident Sanjay had worked up a lot of enthusiasm by now.

The submain was harikAmbOji. I thought Sanjay's alapanai was worth its weight in gold. HarikAmbOji is one of those unfortunate mElakartas - like naTabhairavi - that has been supplanted by its more famous offspring, and ragas like these always sound a little amorphous to me, without the array of canonised sangatis that immediately make us sit up and take notice. So what a musician does with the likes of harikAmbOji is always interesting. Sanjay did a really good job squeezing all the melody from this scale, I thought. Especially in the upper octave, he restricted himself to short MMI-like sangatis, building beautiful patterns about the gandharam. Here, he sang a very long kArvai before embarking on the cascades of sangatis, and it is a trick he used to wonderful effect throughout the evening, drawing in the audience with a kArvai, raising our anticipation, and then building beautifully around the note. Sanjay's breath control is something to be admired. Sivan's composition that followed was really beautiful, and Sanjay did the composition full justice, with a patient neraval and his usual playful brand of swarams, progressively compressing the words 'saravaNa bhava guhanE' in the tALa cycle.

NIrajAkSi kAmAkSi was sung slowly and with great bhAvam. Immediately followed a lightning fast janaranjani with some rapidfire swaras. I had been hoping for a bhairavi this evening, and as luck would have it, Sanjay took it up for RTP. His alapanai was another highlight of the evening, dripping with rAga bhAvam yet staying away from the hackneyed formula. Sanjay's kArvai and phrases about the panchamam in the MPDP region were so contemplative. Another special kArvai came in the tAra stAyi before a slew of fast sangatis. Throughout the alapanai, Sanjay used gamakams to great effect. The tAnam was an elaborate affair, and Sanjay's S-P-S phrase mischief was delightful. Of the ragamaliga, I thought the kEdAram was especially fantastic. The pallavi was beautiful and in a rarely heard tAnam, so I was excited. Unfortunately, the neraval itself was rather brief before an extensive trikAlam exercise that was handled well. The swarams in two speeds were to the point.

Of the concluding items, I really enjoyed the bAgESri, vruttams, and eppO varuvArO. It's striking how timeless some compositions can be. There are recordings where the audience bursts into applause the moment MMI begins eppO varuvArO, and today the hall burst into applause when Sanjay launched into it too. It is certainly a powerful composition.

The accompanists, of course, form a well-oiled machine ever approaching Carnot efficiency. Varadarajan was in sublime form tonight. Limpid bowing, crystal clear sangatis. He has one of the neatest techniques in the business right now. It is no easy task to accompany Sanjay, with such a high quotient of the unknown, having to be facile with rakti ragas, vivAdis, Hindustani ragas, laya gymnastics, playing for a slew of rare compositions... Yet Varadarajan, in every instance I have heard him, has been more than up to the task. Tonight, I thought his alapanais were all top class and classical - I loved his juxtaposition of the madhyamam and nishAdam in varALi; his harikAmbOji filled in the gaps, covering ground Sanjay had sauntered past; his bhairavi was filled with elongated glides, bringing out the beauty of the gandharam and nishAdam. His bhairavi tAnam returns - especially in response to Sanjay's S-P-S phrases - were impeccable. His kEdAram drew applause aplenty. His trikAlam efforts were spot on. It was just astounding stuff. Neyveli Venkatesh weaved some of his own magic too. His sarvalaghu playing has got to be one of the most calming things to listen to. His accompaniment for the gowLai swaras was so beautiful - he'd play pure sarvalaghu when Sanjay sang, and then customize when Varadarajan replied, the two accompanists perfectly recapitulating Sanjay's passages. His accompaniment during the kritis was also noteworthy, and I loved his left sided play. The tani was succinct, interesting, engaging, and the kOrvai at the end was very nice.

All in all it was a great team effort and a concert with many great moments right from the gowLai to the harikAmbOji to the hindOLam to the RTP to the vruttam and eppO varuvArO. Sanjay impressed me today with his imagination, his ability to peer out of the ancestral box of sangatis for where beauty might be found, untouched. Of course, the rare compositions we heard today were also something to cherish. Above all I enjoyed the roller coaster ride that is a Sanjay concert - one minute deep in the mandra stAyi, contemplating the beauty of a single note, and the next drenched in cascades of brighas, now a well known Tyagaraja kriti, and then a composition neither I nor the interwebs have seemingly heard of, now seriously exploring the variety of sangatis around the panchamam of bhairavi, and then a few minutes later singing a variety of S-P-S phrases to mirth amidst the audience and musicians onstage. It is an experience that is irreverent and something bigger than the music itself. Of course, the concert was not without its negatives. I did think that Sanjay's mEl kAla singing often degenerated into shouting. His brighas did occasionally come at the expense of shruti shuddam. He does have strange vocal articulations, especially the puffed mouth variety where the lyrics become unintelligible. But for a musician who loves his music so much and loves sharing it with us, we couldn't help but be swept along on this four hour-long voyage with him tonight. And we are better for it.

*A special note of thanks to the organizers, who seriously impressed with their professionalism in the brief opening remarks, the license given to musicians, the punctual starts of the concerts, and the ambience at the Chinmaya Mission auditorium. Kudos.

[Rsachi]

Picked this up from a rasikas.org 2013 post:
sAmagItapriyan - gaulai - Adi - rAmalinga aDigalAr

[kvchellappa]

I was waiting impatiently for the review like those days people would wait for the Kalki serial. It has been a treat.
The song list from FB:
Song List
1. Balahamsa Varnam
2. Saamageethapriyan - Gowlai
3. Evarikkai - Devamanohari
4. Varaali - Nee Pogada Kunte
5. Harikaambhoji - Short Virutham - Vizhikku Thunai followed by Kamalaa Padamalar
6. Vidajaa - Janaranjani
7. Towering Bhairavi RTP - Thanam in Chalanaatai, Mohanam, Dhanyaai and Kedaram - Pallavi "Maalai Pozhuthu Poochuthe, Kannalane, En Kannalane, Aasai Kannalane" (1 hr and 12 min) followed by a staggering Thani by Neyveli B Venkatesh that culminates in a standing ovation.
8. Harivaasara - Sindhubhairavi
9. kalilo - Kaapi
10. Theertha Karaiyinile followed by Ninaye Rathi - Baageshree
11. Haridaasulu - Yamunaa Kalyaani
12. Virutham Maanada - Kaambhoji, Keeravaani, Sahaanaa, Hamsaanandi, Naatakurunji and Jonpuri followed by Eppo Varuvaaro
13. Thiruvalar - Khamaas
14. Thillana in Thodi
15. Mangalam and Vaazhiya Senthamizh

[vsarmaiitm]

nI pogaDa - varALi - khaNDa cApu - T [R, N @ nIrajanayana srI tyAgarAjanuta, S]

It is "nE pogada kuntE nIkEmi kodavO

[kedharam]

Thanks bilahari for a wonderful review and the song list.

My favs and thoghts:

The concert had an astute juxtaposition of compositions, the bounty we have come to expect from Sanjay that spoke to his wide repertory. An eager audience packed the Chinmaya auditorium and Sanjay opened the concert with an entrancing rendition of Varnam in balahamsa hinting at what was to come.

Harikambhoji - Sanjay, steeped in his musical idiom, probed harikambhoji like a master clinician with unfaltering breath control, giving full scope with traces of masters permeating yet unique on its own merits and Varadarajan, proved a willing partner, flexed his might and traced it with abundant flourishes, giving the composition, ‘kamala pada malarinai maravade‘ its footing.
One of Sivan’s most poetic creations with affected reverence opened up, with a meditative approach, that is often treated as lighter fare, favoring subtlety in which melody and pathos comingle to heighten the composer’s anguish and enlivening the work to a masterpiece as Varadarajan and Venkatesh played with subdued sound, perfect foils for Sanjay’s finesse.

Then he instinctively dove into the phrase, ‘thirumal marugane sharavana bhavane’ and deconstructed it with narrative clarity, elaborately embellishing the phrase by shimmying along the border between abject yearning and rhythm with strong enunciation of lyrics in making the composer’s desperate plea grow in ardor with Varadarajan and Venkatesh playing with pliancy in a braided loop with him in bringing the work to life. Then he wove together swarams with disconcerting virtuosity, pulling the notes along new territories and Venkatesh and Venkatesh were in their elements in following his interpretive insights.

Then the musical narrative, ‘Neerajakshi kamakshi‘, unfolded with grace, gliding at its own pace. Taking a somewhat spacious tempo, he brought to life the soaring melody endowing it with a lilt and exuberance in admirable measure.

Without pause, Sanjay went right into the evening’s most compelling work, RTP in Bhairavi-
With graceful abandon, Sanjay seized the melody, nudging his long-breathed karvais into graceful swirls with every note given its due, at once embracing and transforming traditional phrases giving his all, the cornerstone of his skills. This was beautifully seconded by Varadarajan as notes rippled out from his strings effortlessly that dissolved into tanam.

A teeming fifteen-minute stretch unfolded, infused with expressive tension and afire with fitful rhythm as he fired the first notes softly. This reserved approach changed as the incremental shifts came with intensity building to grandeur followed by a palette of ragas in chalanatta, mohanam and kedaram, and dhanyasi and Varadarajan met the challenge head-on in capturing it with precision, establishing a meditative environment. This led, beautifully, to the pallavi.

The nearly 20- minute yearning anthem, ‘malai pozhudhu pochudhe en asai kannalane asai kannalane kannalane’, a vehicle for Sanjay’s impressive technical skill enfolded with the rhythm of mishra /ata and the melodic grace of bhairavi, ineffably deepened in the iterations in teasing out the rhythmic gait with unrelenting intensity and Varadarajan and Venkatesh embraced every note by playing in sync with him all the way, drawing infectious energy from each other. Then he unleashed swarams with deliberation and command as Varadarajan and Venkatesh played with captivating spontaneity while following Sanjay’s every expressive turn followed by thani in which Venkatesh brought infectious vitality to his playing with full command and rhythmic complexities, matching his high spirited singing rewarded with a standing ovation .

Then he toyed with the biting cry of romantic despondence in the paean to love in the gem of the piece, 'Ninnaye rathi’ of Bharathi suffused with arresting imagery, echoing the protagonist’s desperation as if consumed by longing from within - emotionally harrowing yet vocally elegant…

Viruttam – manada mazhuvada - Sanjay unspooled the compelling poetry eloquently by caressing the phrases in kambhoji, keeravani, sahana, hamsanandhi, nattakurinji, jonpuri and enshrouding them with flair with the text getting plenty of playful tweaks to tell the story. …
And the thodi tillana and ‘thiruvalar mayilayin’ with its jumpy rhythm were his parting gifts, ending the evening on a blissful note and the final ovation was tremendous and well deserved.

[rshankar]

Vignesh and Kedharam: wonderful reviews- you made us live through it vicariously and between the two of you, I hope you've satisfied the folks who are addicted to reviews from the likes of Sri Aravindan Mudalyar!

Kedharam, while the pallavi of the RTP may have expressed the yearnings of a virahOtkaNThita nAyika (a secular pallavi if ever there was one - may the champions of secularism take note), the mahAkavi's paean was not to another mortal, but to parASakti herself!!!

[kvchellappa]

Yes, a feast of two reviews as exquisite as the concert ought to have been, has been a boon. Hope Kedaram hears some more and writes again ad he has done last year.

[matterwaves]

Is there a FB group or something which has CM schedules in the area ? I have been in New England Area for two years but the only concert i got to attend was one featuring RK Padmanabha a few days ago

[arasi]

TillAnA: Puchi Srinivasa Iyengar, if I recollect correctly. Remember Ari singing it often.

[bilahari]

Sachi, vasarmaiitm, and arasi: Thanks for the information and corrections.

Kedharam - I didn't realise you would be there. Thank you for your lyrical take on the proceedings!

Matterwaves - I don't know of any unified source of information. I found out about the Chinmaya double header by pure accident following a link on Facebook. MITHAS is probably the most prolific organizer in the greater Boston area, and you can sign up for their mailing list: http://www.mithas.org/S16_Index.html

[arasi]

Bilahari, Kedharam,
Why try to gild the lily I thought, when I spent time in a fragrant garden where rAgAs bloomed in traditional splendor, embellished by hues of imagination in every aspect of the performance--neraval, svarAs, tAnam and virutham. Choice of compostions. Above all, the bhAvA!

Wrong...

Bilahari and Kedharam,
You both echo the response of listeners at this concert admirably.
I forgot for a minute how much we like to share our concert experiences at Rasikas. How we look forward to reading about concerts all around the globe.

What fitting reviews!

There is so much in your posts worth repeating:

Bilahari says that he realized what his grandfather (who was a super rasikA) had said to him about Sanjay's absolute sincerity in singing. He adds, "when Sanjay sings, he pours himself into the music, experiencing it as much as he seeks for all of us to experience it with him, having fun with it, experimenting and giving his very best in each concert.Today, all that sincerity was readily evident as Sanjay kept a full house audience completely absorbed for four hours..."

As for harikAmbhoji, Bilahari says, "I thought his AlApanA was worth its weight in gold. Bhairavi dripping with rAga bhAvA, yet staying away from the hackneyed formula.

(Yes, Bilahari, the pallavi was awesome. The pallavi line, a beauty, lending itself perfectly to the rAga bhAvA. The words melted like butter, no 'aDi' taDi there. It was a mellifluous stream of words).

Yes, enough can't be said about Varadu and Venkatesh in their skills in accompanying the master.

I love viuthams, Sanjay's viruthams particularly, and his chosen ones were absolute delights.

Kedharam,
What can I say about your reviews! Your unique style of writing sets you apart. Since Bilahari dealt with the review in detail, I suppose you wrote a short one.

You say: Sanjay, steeped in his musical idiom, probed H KhAmbOji like a master clinician with unfaultering breath control.

What you say about the whole piece is to be reread, your description true to every phase of the exposition! And about nIrajAkshi..."taking a somewhat spacious tempo, he brought to life the soaring melody."

What you say about the pallavi has to be reread too.

Bilahari and Kedharam, like KVC, we all look forward to further reviews on this tour.

My only regret is that both Bilahari (Vignesh) and I missed each other at the concert

As luck would have it, I did meet Kedharam after a spell, and elusive as he is, all that I could gather was that he would be at NJ today, folks--which means, we are in for another review? Keeping my fingers crossed to hear about another concert of "astute juxtaposition of compositions"...

As for myself, a wait until the end of the year, if all goes well...

[kvchellappa]

Arasi, it was somewhat like reading Bharathi after Kamban. With two concerts at Ganjam and SRSM to recall, the reviews have brought the concert alive as it were. Thanks for the info that Kedaram will provide one more review at least.

[rshankar]

I really think that there's a conspiracy- CM concerts seem to happen in New Jersey only when I travel!
Glad Kedharam is on another road trip!
Arasi - interesting that you attended the concert in Boston- you've been traveling as well.

[arasi]

Ravi,
Not again
I was hoping you were going to be there...

Well, my daughter took me there, and the music energized me to fly back home, figuratively speaking

[bilahari]

Arasi! Can't believe we missed each other. Darn. I was looking out for you thinking you might be there. And you sat through more than an hour of bhairavi! Granted, it was Sanjay's bhairavi. And you said you've been coming around to it.

[arasi]

Bilahari,
I still can't figure it out. I'm small. You could have missed me. How did I miss someone tall and big built like you? Was there early, stuck around a wee bit at the end. Was it those dual stairs leading to the auditorium--our taking different ones at the same time?

As for bhairavi, you are right. I have grown (uh?) to like it more and more, thanks to Sanjay. I think adding a tamizh line or two makes it even better

[matterwaves]

Matterwaves - I don't know of any unified source of information. I found out about the Chinmaya double header by pure accident following a link on Facebook. MITHAS is probably the most prolific organizer in the greater Boston area, and you can sign up for their mailing list: http://www.mithas.org/S16_Index.html

Thank you Bilahari!

[kedharam]

“Kedharam, while the pallavi of the RTP may have expressed the yearnings of a virahOtkaNThita nAyika (a secular pallavi if ever there was one - may the champions of secularism take note), the mahAkavi's paean was not to another mortal, but to parASakti herself!!!”

rshankar, i tend to interpret this poem in a different way I strongly feel that Bharathi must have been a fine romantic 
Well, this interpretation feeds my guilty pleasure indulgence

[rshankar]

rshankar, i tend to interpret this poem in a different way I strongly feel that Bharathi must have been a fine romantic 

You, and many others feel that way, but IIRC, he himself classified this and others like this (e.g., kATRu veLiyiDai kaNNammA) as poems in which he considered parASakti as his lover (parASaktiyai kAdaliyAi karudi)