Sanjay, Music Academy

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 27 Dec 2006, 00:31

Sanjay Subrahmanian - Nagai R Muralidharan - Guruvayur Durai - Neyveli Venkatesh

Music Academy, 26th December 2006. 7:30 pm

caraNAgata vatsalE - kadanakudukalam - Adi - KS Krishnamurthy
parvatarAjakumAri - srIranjani - Adi - MD
anudinamunu - bEgaDa - rUpakam - PSI (RNS)
ennaDu jUtunu - kalAvati - Adi - T
kapAli - mOhanam - Adi - PS (RS)
tani Avarththanam
ohO kalamE - sahAnA - Adi - Vedanayakam Pillai
RTP - brindAvana sAranA - tisra tripuTa (kaNDa naDai) 1 akshara eDuppu 5 akshara aridi
'nAdanai thinam ninai manamE brindavana sAranga ranga'
porumaiyuDan - ramalinga aDigaL tiruvartupA - kAmbhOji, sAvEri, shanmukhapriya, kApi
nI nAma rUpamulaku - saurAshTRam - Adi - T

The concert began with the varNam in kadanakudukalam. Sri Sanjay's throat was rather not-so-co-operative when he began, however, it picked up, as the concert proceeded. The srIranjani kriti was nice.

As he began the bEgaDa AlApanai, his throat started to settle down and then it was just too good to listen to him, phrase after phrase. The kriti was rendered well with nice round of neraval and svarams. The kalAvati kriti was rendered soulfully.

The main mOhanam AlApanai and the kriti were good and reminded of MMI in many occasions. The svarams were good.

The sahAna short sketch and the kriti were good. The brindAvana sArangA AlApanai was awesome. It was very beautiful elaboration and the tAnam was built well. The pallavi, set by Sri Durai, was rendered well with anulOma, pratilOma and also singing in tisra naDai. It was rendered very well with nice set of svarams and a short tani. The rAgamAlikA viruttam and the subsequent rendering of the same in kApi were good. It was yet another concert to proove, why sanjay concerts keep the cash registers ringing.

Sri Muralidharan on the violin was good all over. He played in accordance to the kritis and gave fitting replies to Sanjay all thro' the concert. Sri Durai took proper care of the percussion department. He played well for all the kriti and also according to the sangatis. The tani was very nicely structured. Sri Venkatesh was good in parts.

bharath

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 27 Dec 2006, 15:15

This is probably the best concert I will hear at the Academy this year but that isnâ€™t such a big deal â€“ after all, there has to be one every season. What is less certain is being witness to that brief phase in every great personâ€™s life when that thick black line separating mankind from divinity threatens to dissolve into uncertain shades of grey - the sort of performance that spawns legends at the impressionable bedsides of toddlersâ€¦.the Ariyakudis and GNBs were bequeathed to us this way, as were Sobers, Rod Laver and Pandit Nehruâ€¦If and when I have grandchildren, I think I will be telling them a lot about Sanjay Subrahmanyam â€“ about the unkempt, ridiculously hennaed hair, the lines on his face dancing to the tune of his notes, the brash swagger doubly compounded by the haughty awareness of being completely in control, the angst-ridden tara sthayi explorations struggling to break out of the gurgles emerging from his recalcitrant lungs, the stunned silence of an audience that had collectively forgotten about the last bus home.

But who would want to go home with Kapaleeswararâ€™s Thandavam and the Kalinga Nardhanam unfolding on the stage? Not many musicians would get away with Mohanam and Brindavana Saranga as the main pieces at the Academyâ€¦but if weight is more a function of the musicianâ€™s aptitude than the choice of ragas, Sanjay came down on the TTK Auditorium like a ton of bricks! The beginning was somewhat pedestrian and the varnam is worth mentioning only for its obscurity but it would be ungracious to grudge this Pavan-puthra a couple of trial jumps before his leap across the musical ocean! And what a magnificent flight it was â€“ from the sustained karvais of Begada to the sprints across Mohanamâ€™s pliable scale to the playful coddling of Brindavana Sarangaâ€™s twin Nishadas, it was a tour de force from a man, indisputably at the top and perfectly aware of it.

Bharathâ€™s outline of the technical details makes any contribution from my side superfluous. I am unworthy of even talking about such a high-quality performance in anything but strictly layman-ish termsâ€¦ I suspect that, for some time to come, Sanjay will only be competing against himself â€“ I hope he can live up to that challenge!

Apologies in advance for the hyperbole!

sraja · Post by **sraja** » 27 Dec 2006, 16:34

I think both of you have covered the conert perfectly. As Bharath said, once his voice settled after the intial difficulty he was unstoppable. And as Vijay said he was joyful and gave off the same to the huge crowd that had gsathered.All of us left with a heady feeling. I am glad I will be able to say I WAS THERE when this concert is dicussed.

rajeshnat · Post by **rajeshnat** » 27 Dec 2006, 16:53

bharath
You heard the thiruvarutpA as pOrumaiyudan, just as I heard it in IFA. But someone corrected it as Orumaiyudan ninadu tirumalaradi

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 27 Dec 2006, 20:39

Vijay, we all know about your writing and reviewing skills on the forum. That you can wax poetry to perfection is a revelation. Hyperbole? No! It was a great performance by the master and he deserves the accolade. My only grouse with you is that you join those who spell 'Subrahmanyan' incorrectly

Back to the concert: I found the kadana kuthUhalam varnam a delight. It was equally pleasing as the hindOLam one he sang in one of the several

concerts we attended of Sanjay. The Academy concert was not a stand out performance. It was on par with some other quality performances he has given so far this season. nAgai's brindAvana sArangA, GuruvAyUr's singing mridangam and Neyveli's subtle support added to the magic of the moment. Other concerts stood out too, even though the supporting players weren't sometimes that inspiring. Arun Prakash, an exception. He knows, neyveli too, as to how to gently ride along side samurai Sanjay in his quest.
We are not talking about our preferences in musicians here, but about the very dynamism we need in keeping CM alive and well. It is also about exploring the unknown territories in this great art form. Sanjay is not only growing in stature but he seems to nurture and explore CM with such commitment and intensity...

nadhasudha · Post by **nadhasudha** » 27 Dec 2006, 21:22

Vijay,
Your review of Sanjay's concert is exceptionally well written!!Both you and Bharath have transported people like us living thousands of miles away to the hallowed halls of the Academy. Now, we can't wait for this concert album to be available in Audio from charsur.

Ananth · Post by **Ananth** » 27 Dec 2006, 21:33

nadhasudha wrote:we can't wait for this concert album to be available in Audio from charsur.

I noticed AIR's microphone too... they must have recorded.

mahavishnu · Post by **mahavishnu** » 27 Dec 2006, 21:46

Vijay, that was the review of the season! Thank you for your brilliant writing.
My only regret is that I was not there to witness this event.

>>We can't wait for this concert album to be available in Audio from charsur.

I heard that Coimbatore based Rajalakshmi audio has bagged the rights to all of the Academy's archive concerts. I wish they had more of an online presence like Charsur (which is available through itunes, emusic etc).

>>I noticed AIR's microphone too... they must have recorded.

Look forward to hearing it.

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 27 Dec 2006, 23:15

Arasi - my apologies for the spelling - like Shakespeare, "Subrahmanyan" lends itself to several permutations and combinations! And I agree with you about this concert being only one of the many quality performances from him this season - I've been to 3 myself and they would all rank in my top 5 this year. In fact, his performance for Kartik Fine Arts might just have been marginally better than yesterday's. My reference is more to this phase of his career than this concert in particular.

Mahavishnu and Nadhasudha, thanks for your kind words.

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 27 Dec 2006, 23:46

vijay, felt very nice reading ur write-up.

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 28 Dec 2006, 14:32

Thanks Bharath...raja as well...

vsnatarajan · Post by **vsnatarajan** » 28 Dec 2006, 15:39

vijay wrote:the Ariyakudis and GNBs were bequeathed to us this way, as were Sobers, Rod Laver and Pandit Nehruâ€¦If and when I have grandchildren, !

well, pandit Nehru in that list.?.
umm, not to my child

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 28 Dec 2006, 17:07

Vijay,
We were in the same venues several times but couldn't greet each other!
Please don't apologize about calling the rose by any other name. It was in jest. When we know a name well, it is nice to pay attention in spelling it right too. It is difficult with the multi-spellings of our names, I know--though Rajesh did not like my calling him Rajeshnath once!

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 28 Dec 2006, 23:50

arasi wrote:Vijay,
We were in the same venues several times but couldn't greet each other!

Uhhh...do I give myself away that easily?! Or do you base that on the concerts I've been talking endlessly about...anyway, next time look out for the most inept time keeper in the audience!

Please don't apologize about calling the rose by any other name. It was in jest. When we know a name well, it is nice to pay attention to spelling it right too. It is difficult with the multi-spellings of our names, I know--though Rajesh did not like my calling him Rajeshnath once!

I was never any good with spellings and the even the indispensable spell-check comes a cropper when it comes to Subrahmanyan - but you're right - we realize the importance of spelling names correctly only when our own names get mangled. I can't remember the number of times I've had to correct my own - "Sarma without the h" - it is a pain, especially over the phone.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 29 Dec 2006, 00:09

Vijay,
I know I am concert-lagged still, but did I really write your second quote? I don't remember! If I didn't, that makes you a clairvoyant...

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 29 Dec 2006, 00:13

No that was written by me but got sandwiched b/w 2 of yours!

Ananth · Post by **Ananth** » 29 Dec 2006, 14:44

The song 'OhO kAlamE unpOl evarkundindrajAlamE'... was different.
I was waiting for the name of some god or the other in the charanam, but none appeared... (or I missed it)
A secular song

PS: I thought it was in Sahana, not Khamas.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 29 Dec 2006, 16:39

Yes, Ananth. OhO kAlamE! is in sahAnA. Though vEdanAyakam piLLai was a christian, his songs, as far as I know, did not mention any particular god--not even the son of God (Christ).

raja · Post by **raja** » 29 Dec 2006, 20:52

Vijay, Bharath, Arasi and others,
thanks for all the detailed reviews.
Vijay, your review is so well written it is almost a distraction from the concert!

Technical question for Bharath:

"RTP - brindAvana sArangA - tisra tripuTa (kaNDa naDai) 1 akshara eDuppu 5 akshara aridi
'nAdanai thinam ninai manamE brindavana sAranga ranga'"

I am wondering how the aridhi for tisra-jAthi tripuTa tAlam can take place after 5 aksharams. Shouldn't it come after 3 aksharams - that is, on the clap of the first drutham?
(Aridhi would come after 5 aksharams if it was kandha tripuTa tAlam.)
Also, I assume the pUrvangam of the pallavi ended at "manamE" ?

Clarification is appreciated.

Thanks!
Raja..

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 30 Dec 2006, 00:43

Ananth wrote:I was waiting for the name of some god or the other in the charanam, but none appeared... (or I missed it) A secular song

OTOH, Arunachala Kavi's first composition in the rAmanATakam begins with Vishnu asking the different gods to appear on earth to help him take care of rAvaNa (avatAram sheidiDuvIr), where he describes nAnmukhan brahma as the time keeper, so 'kAlam' could refer to brahmA...

Lakshman · Post by **Lakshman** » 30 Dec 2006, 03:41

Here is the complete text of OhO kAlamE:

OhO kAlamE. rAgA: darbAr / shahAnA. Adi tALA.

P: OhO kAlamE unpOl evarkku uNDu indrajAlamE
A: bhOgamAghavE aNDap-pUvellAm mEivAi pUnai pOl irundu nI puliyaip-pOl pAivAi
C: Ur ellAm tUnginum unakkillai tUkkam OyAmal OduvAi unakkuNDO tEkkam
Ar keTTAl unakkenna ariyAi nI nOghak-kadhika vaTTi koDuppavarkku unmEl Ekkam
2: bAlaraik-kizhavarAip-paNNiyE keDuppAi paghai mathan jpam naDavAmalE taDuppAi
kAl iraNDuDaiyArkkuk-kOl onru koDuppAi kAlanukku uyirellAm kATTiyE viDuppAi
3: Ayudam illAmal yAvaiyum aruppAi azhudAlum tozhudlum aghanru emmai veruppAi
shAyum tarAshu pOlE sakalamum niruppAi sakala uyiraiyum caTTiyil iTTu varuppAi
4: kallaip-pOl uDambaiyum villaip-pOl vaLaippAi kaNam dinam adhikAram ANDEnak-kiLaippAi
villaip-pOl vadanattai shellaippOl tuLaippAi vIngu azhagiyarkkut-tEvAngu uru viLaippAi
5: dukkham uTravarkku nI tolaiyAmal kiDappAi sukham uLLa pErkku nI duritamAi naDappAi
vikkalum irumalum vEdaiyum koDuppAi minjum karu mayiraip-panju pOl keDuppAi
6: malaigaL maNTapangaLai valimaiyAi iDippAi vAri ezhu kaDalum vaTriDak-kuDippAi
talai taDumAra nI tAn koLLai aDippAi tani vEdanAyakan dayayAlE naDippAi

Ananth · Post by **Ananth** » 30 Dec 2006, 10:58

Thanks Lakshman-ji.
So kAlam here refers to the abstraction, not to brhmA, not even to kAlan (yamadharman), to whom there is a reference in the second charanam.
Sanjay chose to sing only the 4th charanam - the kal - vil - sel one.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 30 Dec 2006, 12:47

kAlam here is Father Time. He speaks here on the effects of Time upon humans as they advance in age. The underlying theme: how fleeting human existence is and how we should look beyond our own temporary existence on earth and see the bigger picture. In another song, he uses the same word indira jAlam (illusion): indira jAlam, ulaga vaibhOgam, inRaikkiruppathu Or sandEham, andara minnal pOl azhiyum iddEham, andO, adanuDan unakkenna snEham! The pallavi line is: nityAnandaththai nADu, para nirmala sugam thanaith thEDu, manamE. The theme is the same. Seek eternal bliss...

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 30 Dec 2006, 19:38

Arasi...isn't is indra jAlam (mAyA) and not indira jAlam...indirA is lakshmI...
Even the comics in India way back when were Indrajal Comics...

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 30 Dec 2006, 20:39

Ravi,
You write indiran, chandiran in tamizh for indran and chandran. Musically too, indira jalam fits in that particular song. Our man says 'chandiran oLiyil avaLaikkaNDEn'...

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 31 Dec 2006, 19:00

I must clarify about the pallavi. It was not rendered in tisra naDai after the tani but Sri Sanjay sang the pallavi in mEl kAlam which is at 2.5 svarams per beat. and subsequently did tisram in that pace.

About the aridi, the uttarAngam started one aksharam after the veechu of the drutam. and the pUrvAngam ended on the first aksharam of the beat in the first drutam.