Sanjay at Nadasurabhi

[kvchellappa]

It was a downpour. Last year it was wet weather when Sanjay sang and the attendance was thinner. This year it was overflowing. Sanjay justified it.
Learned reviews must appear soon, but it is irresistible to share the ‘high’ soottodu soodaa.
As usual, it was business on the dot. In no other concert, I have seen such total absence of fuss with the preliminaries. There was no call for more sharp, less volume, feedback inadequate and so on. In no concert of Sanjay such problems are seen.
It was a new varnam (new for me) in Ahiri, a raga that is normally heard towards the end. It was sung briskly. The last beat of Mrdangam for the song must have been just over when one heard Swaminatha paripalaya. GNB might have popularized it, but SS has taken it to a different world with mesmerizing swaras.
Bilahari alapana was followed by Inthakannanadamemi. SS was perhaps immodest. He seemed to be describing the concert.
Kalyani alapana followed. It was rather short, but the way he swung between the lower and upper ocataves looked like a frolicsome child going up and down the stairs enticingly. To add to the limitless Ananda, SS now offered Kallu sakkarai with a broad smile perhaps sensing the surprise of choice of krithi. It was left with no embellishments.
Then came thodi. Stalwarts of yesteryears used to take these two ragas, that are quite different from each other, in succession. ‘Kadakikkan’ was the song. SS pleaded in neraval with Ambal so movingly. The raga was dancing with each rasika like Krishna with each gopi. The essay stopped with neraval.
Then came Dharini Telisu, another krithi on Ambal. Here the swara sanchara was a renewed Deepavali. He forgot ban on Chinese crackers by fanatics! The myriad ways he brought the raga in innumerable patterns was Sanjay stuff. There was never a moment one felt it was kanakku. The raga was delivered whole and sweet at every phrase. A fantastic thani followed. Luckily, the auditorium was strong to withstand it. The applause at the end looked like another thani.
A gentle Chetasri followed.
Then SS launched into Shanmukhapriya. He went from one climax to another. The energy he put into it drained me, but not SS. Thanam was another marvel. Predictably, it was Saravana Bhava enum thitu mandiram for pallavi. This is Skanda sashti week. He sang RM, sahana, ?. Bageswari – HM artists might have been put to shame the way he sang this. Trikalam (I do not know how many times) was done. He then went on to complete the song. There was a flash of SSI.
Somu showed up in a few places.
A Purandaradasa krithi followed and I left after that reluctantly.
I find no one giving the well proportioned and high quality concert that Sanjay does. That is my problem.

[Rsachi]

Your review is our gain, Sri KVC! a gem of a review, coming about a gem of a concert I had to miss.
Is this the Thodi song?=
http://www.karnatik.com/c1526.shtml
Thanks!

[kvchellappa]

Yes, Sri RSachi. Sorry, it is on Kapaleeswara. I heard Iraiva clearly and Kapali also. But, the pleading that SS did brought ambal to my mind.

[arvenky]

Very well written Sir ! SS was in sublime form. The RTP really lifted the concert to a different level. Pallavi lines were apt as yesterday was Soorasamharam day of Skanda Sashti. If things go well might attend two of his upcoming concerts at Madras & Coimbatore.

[arasi]

Chellappa,
Sweetly sung--your review, I mean

Michigan to Koramangala--shaNmukhapriya this weekend (Bombay Jayshree in Michigan and Abhishek in his Lalgudi's trirAga pallavi at Bengaluru), and here I am, waiting to hear one live in the rAgA . Has been a long time.

Ahiri varNam is another one I want to listen to. Sanjay might sing it in the Chennai season. The odds of my hearing it? Let me wait and see.

kaDaikkaN nOkki appearing again after many years in a concert--at least for me.

There was no kEdAragauLa, but vENugAna lOluDu appeared in tODi AlApane, you say. kaDaikkaN (Ora gannu) of gOpis (tyAgarAjA),followed by Sivan's kapAli. Ah, soul-satisfying tODi...