Sanjay Subrahmanyan @ MFAC, Chennai

tylerconscious · Post by **tylerconscious** » 25 Jun 2007, 10:47

Sanjay presented a concert for YACD as a part of their 'Epadi Padinaro' series, in connection with Krishna Sweets, at Mylapore fine arts, Chennai. The following are the details,

Sanjay-Pakkala Ramdas-Neyveli Venkatesh

1. Vande mataram-kedaram-adi-Subramania Bharathi(s)
2. Sivaloka nadanai kandu-mayamalavagowlai-rupakam-Gopalakrishna Bharathi
3. Attharunam-bhairavi-adi-??(r)
4. Sri venugopala-durbar-kanda chapu-Koteeswara Iyer(r, s)
5. Pullum silambinakkaan-sankarabharanam-misra chapu-andal tiruppavai
6. Ika param-simmhendramadhyamam-adi-Papanasam Sivan(r, n, s)
7. Tiruvadi Charanam-kambhoji-adi-Gopalakrishna Bharathi(r, n, s, t)
8. Chinnanchirukiliye - ragamalikai - rupakam - Subramania Bharathi
9. Tillana-dwijavanti-adi-Tanjavur S Kalyanaraman
10. Teruvinil nadava madava-surutti-tirupugazh

As it appears here, it was an all Tamil Compositions concert.

kmrasika · Post by **kmrasika** » 25 Jun 2007, 11:24

attaruNam is a rarely heard song of pApanASham Shivan. Good to read about artists rendering these in concerts.

annapoorne · Post by **annapoorne** » 25 Jun 2007, 12:07

Vetta veli tannil - Kudambai siddar was another piece rendered by Sanjay in the concert.

Sathej · Post by **Sathej** » 25 Jun 2007, 12:52

Yes, it was rendered before the Thillana. Could anyone mention the Ragam?It sounded like Jonpuri to me initially. I have Shri Vijay Siva sing it in Mukhari.
Sathej

tylerconscious · Post by **tylerconscious** » 25 Jun 2007, 15:22

thanks for pointing out that miss in my song list. vetta veli tannil is a mix of harikambhoji and karaharapriya.

108talas · Post by **108talas** » 25 Jun 2007, 18:33

mix of harikambhoji and karaharapriya means...

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 26 Jun 2007, 08:01

kmrasika,
You are right. Haven't heard 'attaruNam abayam koDuttANDaruL' in ages. Was there a neraval, I wonder. If so, was it at 'bhakta paripAlanE'?

Nice to note that the concert started with bhArathi's national hymn.

tylerconscious · Post by **tylerconscious** » 26 Jun 2007, 10:20

arasi, there was no neraval in attaruNam. I was expecting a neraval in the same line you mentioned, but guess sanjay thought otherwise. The concert began and ended with vande mataram. the last lines of the tamil mangalam-'vazhiya senthamizh' were vande mataram.

i am not sure what the ragam of vetta veli tannil can be called. it has a folkish tune with traces of karaharapriya and harikambhoji.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 28 Jun 2007, 02:20

I have this reputation that I am not keen on bhairavi, and justifiably so. I have confessed to it myself. However, it seems to me that it is an RTP that gets to be too much for me. I love it with words though. yArO, ivar yArO? raksha beTTarE, the 'other' upacAramu (jEsEvarunnArani) and so on. Elaborate swarams make me wish that the performer had chosen mukhAri instead of bhairavi. I realize now that as a child, I really liked attaruNam (may be didn't know it was in bhairavi!). Likes and dislikes aside, it is a mega rAgA, no doubt, and a grand vehicle for a good performer...

shripathi_g · Post by **shripathi_g** » 28 Jun 2007, 02:23

tyAgarAja yOga vaibhavam is in Anandabhairavi, no? I think I have the same feelings about Kalyani. But I think a lot of people don't like Kalyani either.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 28 Jun 2007, 02:26

Oops! You can put it down to my fading memory! Let me delete it.

Sundara Rajan · Post by **Sundara Rajan** » 28 Jun 2007, 03:00

That's why the old saying "lokO binna ruchi:" ( Tastes differ ), for no rhyme or reason ! I can't stand extended AlApana in panthuvarALi or her cousins, but do like some compositions in the raga, whereas my elder brother LOVES the raga !

shripathi_g · Post by **shripathi_g** » 28 Jun 2007, 05:10

Yes, even I suffer from that. Can't listen to long-winding Panthuvarali alapanas though I like krithis and swaraprastharas. Not very keen on Lathangi too.

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 28 Jun 2007, 06:28

Poor lathangi! It lost one more person from its fan-atorium!

Vocalist · Post by **Vocalist** » 28 Jun 2007, 07:36

Bhairavi comp. is by Papanasam Sivan.

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 28 Jun 2007, 07:45

Poor lathangi! It lost one more person from its fan-atorium!

Not yet .Not until I make Sripathi listen to something I am working on !!!

I have this reputation that I am not keen on bhairavi, and justifiably so....

My My !!!!
I could as well cross my two fingers in a swish and say Katti , Tooo..

And that too in favour of Mukhari ? A raga which , like Nutan hiding behind the door in Anupama and smiling to herself .....
A less privileged girl at home hoping for the tides of fortune to swing her way .
As compared to Bhairavi - As bold and beautiful as a Madhubala -richly aware of her own beauty and not shying to show it of.

In fact the opening lines of a Bhairavi alapana(by anybody) is one of my most treasured experiences in CM.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/9npo6s

Here is a magnificent track by KVN-Thirupparkadal-Raghu
Three magicians at Work.Fast forward to minute 13, if you are in a haste.

Vocalist · Post by **Vocalist** » 28 Jun 2007, 07:50

DKP has a strong reputation built around bhairavi - she won 1st prize for her rendition of raksha bettare at a very young age. she herself also gave a full concert in bhairavi. i know almost all of the songs rendered in that concert, but i envy anyone who has the audio for it.

mahesh_narayan · Post by **mahesh_narayan** » 28 Jun 2007, 09:19

Thanks for the bounty Coolkarni Sir. The best Bhairavi ever - Balagopala. The best Bhairavi line ever - nIla nIradha sharIra dhIratara. What a brillant composition by Dikshitar, and who better than KVN Sir to sing it !!.

Could you please upload the tani if there is one after this song?

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 28 Jun 2007, 10:06

Unfortunately I dont have this track with a Thani.The only other krithi sung along with this one was Balakrishna Padamalar in Dhanyasi- again a brilliant rendering.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 28 Jun 2007, 10:34

Cool,
Along with latangi, Arasi too is getting booed
by brothers.
Nutan and Madhubala! Both roses of different varieties...

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 28 Jun 2007, 10:46

Don't like Kalyani, Pantuarali, Lathangi? Sripathi, that's a familiar pattern!

I don't have an "anti-pratimadhyama" bias myself (both Kalyani and Shuba Pantuvarali are among my favourites) but in general, it takes some time for the ear to get used to Pratimadhyamas.

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 28 Jun 2007, 12:01

awesome bhairavi, my fav ragam, my fav kriti. superb neraval... thanks cool

saravanan · Post by **saravanan** » 28 Jun 2007, 12:21

Coolji.It was Sharmila Tagore behind door in Anupama not Nutan

shripathi_g · Post by **shripathi_g** » 28 Jun 2007, 12:35

I'm not anti-Prathimadhyama actually. Some of my favorite ragas are S'panthuvarali (TNS), S'priya (A particular Andavane by MMI still haunts), S'madhyamam (Ninne nammithi by KVN), (raga names are too long and I'm too tired), Sucharithra, Ramapriya (Sandehamu by MDR is tops), Vachaspathi (Pahi Jagajanani by MDR). Just that Kalyani doesn't evoke any emotions (except MMI's swaralaghu swaras for Ethavunara and Kamalambam, and neraval for Vasudevayani) and Lathangi is too dry.

shripathi_g · Post by **shripathi_g** » 28 Jun 2007, 12:46

Oops, had no idea about the furore going on in the Sowmya concert thread over Lathangi. Just went through the thread now.

bhaktha · Post by **bhaktha** » 28 Jun 2007, 13:53

I guess this dislike for lathangi stems from the fact that most of us have been listening to the same song "PiravA varam" over and over again in almost every concert that features lathangi. There is a nice song in lathangi "NemamuthO"... I think it a composition of Venkataramana Bhagavathar. Can somebody u/l it? I have heard it only once till now, but it felt so nice....
-bhaktha

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 28 Jun 2007, 15:23

Aparadhamula (PSI?) is my favourite in Lathangi...other than RTPs!

komalangi · Post by **komalangi** » 28 Jun 2007, 17:59

It is interesting how most topics gravitate to KVN or MDR on this forum. The other musicians (most certainly the topic bearer) and their concerts seem irrelevant.

venkatpv · Post by **venkatpv** » 28 Jun 2007, 18:32

how i wish i could have recorded the latangi that my friend sang while we were talking on the phone!!

that was a latangi to remember!!

as for kalyani, Abhayamba Jagadamba Rakshatu is the final word... that is how Kalyani should be!! no, not even kamalambam bhajare equals the treatment of kalyani in Abhayamba... and if Prof. SRJ sings it... aah, bliss!!

prashant · Post by **prashant** » 28 Jun 2007, 18:51

venkatpv wrote:how i wish i could have recorded the latangi that my friend sang while we were talking on the phone!! that was a latangi to remember!!

as for kalyani, Abhayamba Jagadamba Rakshatu is the final word... that is how Kalyani should be!! no, not even kamalambam bhajare equals the treatment of kalyani in Abhayamba... and if Prof. SRJ sings it... aah, bliss!!

I'll second the choice of krithi - it's MD at his resplendent best. Sri Vijay Siva sings this krithi often in concerts and each rendition I have heard has been nothing short of magical with emotive niraval at 'abhaya varada pANi aLivENi Ashrita mAvANI kalyANI'.

arunk · Post by **arunk** » 28 Jun 2007, 19:25

my views on kalyani were sort of negative initially - but just learning the Adi tala varnam changed all that

!

Arun

Vocalist · Post by **Vocalist** » 28 Jun 2007, 20:18

my views on kalyani changed after papanasam sivan's unaiyallal vere gathi illai amma! i've heard many renditions of this, and no one has (so far, ever) stuffed it up.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 28 Jun 2007, 21:05

komalangi,
And we have heard Sanjay sing all the above rAgAs admirably

mahesh_narayan · Post by **mahesh_narayan** » 28 Jun 2007, 21:24

abhayAmbA, what a majestic kriti !!. As Prof. SRJ says, Dikshitar has 'taught' us kalyani using this kriti. I find it to be a little tricky as well. For example, I think one has to be very careful while singing the 'Ma' in Isha mAyUranAtha ranjani. The Ma, if not lifted high enough makes the line sound like Yamuna Kalyani. This kriti is an excellent exercise for voice control and reach because of its ups and downs in swaras. I personally like 'enduko nI manasu' the best. Listening to the line 'tyAgarAja hrdaya sadanudani' is a blissful experience. As Prof. SRJ says in his lec-dem, the kriti 'amma rAvamma' gives a superb sketch of the contours of kalyani raga. I think the brilliance of Tyagaraja is in defining the raga lakshana even in small kritis like sobhillu, kula birudunu, kala harana, amma rAvamma. Sometimes the raga lakshana is efficiently conveyed in the first line of the pallavi itself (e.g. Ada modi galadA).

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 28 Jun 2007, 22:37

saravanan
thanks.I am trying to recollect the correct name of the movie.

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 29 Jun 2007, 14:55

Since we have strayed to Kalyani, let me list down my favourites in this raga that wither utterly fascinates or totally disappoints:

The Ata Tala Varnam gets my vote for the best composition
Bhaja Re among MD kritis (haven't heard too much of Abhayamba except once by Vijay Siva)
Karu Velpu of Thyagaraja rendered recently by Pantula Rama
Nothing like Birava Brova/Himadrisuthe (SS) with some brisk swaras to liven up a concert

prashant · Post by **prashant** » 29 Jun 2007, 15:24

Ata tALa varNam is brilliant. The most difficult song in kalyANi, however, has to be kAntimatim as rendered by the Brinda-Mukta school of musicians. The degree of subtletety and refinement required to pull it off is exceptionally high.

My favorites are abhayAmbA, kailAsapatE of MV, nIdu CaraNa, bhajarE rE Citta and the hyperkinetic birAna brOva idE. I enjoy the sparkling khaNDa cApu + kalyANi combination a lot & therefore relish singing / listening to the simple but effective tiruppAvai and amma rAvammA. entaTi kulukE [and its tamil doppelganger tEril ErinAn] is a worthy addition to any musical repertoire.

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 29 Jun 2007, 18:54

Funny, I've loved Kalyani ever since I learned the geetham in it!

A bit of a digression, but am I the only one who dislikes Thodi?
It's akin to blasphemy, I know. But still, I must be truthful. I cringe sometimes when the characteristic opening phrase of Thodi is sung in a concert. I just have no idea why.

Vocalist · Post by **Vocalist** » 29 Jun 2007, 20:05

bilahari wrote:Funny, I've loved Kalyani ever since I learned the geetham in it!

A bit of a digression, but am I the only one who dislikes Thodi?
It's akin to blasphemy, I know. But still, I must be truthful. I cringe sometimes when the characteristic opening phrase of Thodi is sung in a concert. I just have no idea why.

You've made me curious. How do you react to Dhanyasi? or even Varali?

Sathej · Post by **Sathej** » 29 Jun 2007, 20:15

This thread is becoming interesting with people airing their dislikes - Kalyani, Panthuvarali and now Thodi! Wonder what next? Well, I can only say that I cherish the moment when an artiste (just about anybody) starts Thodi!
Sathej

bhaktha · Post by **bhaktha** » 29 Jun 2007, 21:16

The reason could probably be that these ragas are so commonly heard in concerts that one feels bored to just sit thro as one can even guess what the next phrase in the alapana will be. The ingenuity of the artiste lies in combining his manodharma sangeetham with well-established phrases to give a fresh feel to the raga.
For panthuvarali-haters, try TNS's version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5RoDbBIB8I

The perfect mix of lakshnam and lakshiyam...
Btw, That's Neyveli SHri Santhanagopalan on the Tamboora.
-bhaktha

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 29 Jun 2007, 21:19

Prasanth,
Common favorites! 'ambaramE taNNIrE SORE aRam Seyyum' (tiruppAvai) is a favorite with lyrics too. 'entaTi kulukE' used
to be a favorite. 'tEril ERinAn' has overtaken it. I would add kamalAmbAm bhajarE'-especially the caraNam is a favorite too..

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 29 Jun 2007, 21:54

dkfan, I like Dhanyasi a lot. Varali, I tolerate, and sometimes even like. I like Panthuvarali a lot as well. I'm enjoying how variegated our tastes are. Lathangi, I confess, I have not heard enough to form opinions on. Thodi I can only barely tolerate in krithi renditions. I abscond from RTP's in the raga.

shripathi_g · Post by **shripathi_g** » 29 Jun 2007, 22:55

When I think of Panthuvarali, I think of Chembai and his 'ganeer' swaras. To the people who like Kalyani, what emotions does it evoke in you? To me, it always feel like an also ran raga.

mahesh_narayan · Post by **mahesh_narayan** » 29 Jun 2007, 23:09

I also like bhajana sEyavE (I love Vijay Siva's rendering) and Isha pAhimAm. The madhyama kala passages in the carana of both these kritis is quite catchy. I like EtAvunnarA because it is one of the very few kalyani kritis I know that start from the mandra sthayi, thus making it distinct from the others. The DKP/DKJ school adds a tough last sangati to the pallavi that I have often found difficult to reproduce while singing.

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 30 Jun 2007, 01:25

This thread now (for quite some time) belongs in rAgA topic. Who am I to say that? After all a rasika, a lowly one at that!

kartik · Post by **kartik** » 30 Jun 2007, 03:58

Bilahari,nice to see atleast one person admit that he dislikes Thodi.I am very happy to find company atlast.

I too love Kalyani(favourite being Bhaja re Chitta),tolerate Pantuvarali and Varali with much pain and like Dhanyasi
a lot.

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 30 Jun 2007, 07:27

Shripathi_g, Kalyani always calms me down, and puts me in a... pensive mood, I could say. To me, it's a really rich raga. Mahesh Narayan, Isa Pahimam is also one of my most favourite krithis in Kalyani. Kamalambam Bhajare and Bhaja re Chitta are favourites as well. Nidhi Chala Sukhama as well (as you can tell, I do love the raga!).

Kartik, YES! I have always thought I'm the only one who dislikes Thodi. I don't find it emotive at all, but I honestly don't know why.

prashant · Post by **prashant** » 30 Jun 2007, 08:04

How did I forget nijadAsa varadA of paTnam? Such a gem!

Vocalist · Post by **Vocalist** » 30 Jun 2007, 09:58

bilahari wrote:dkfan, I like Dhanyasi a lot. Varali, I tolerate, and sometimes even like. I like Panthuvarali a lot as well. I'm enjoying how variegated our tastes are. Lathangi, I confess, I have not heard enough to form opinions on. Thodi I can only barely tolerate in krithi renditions. I abscond from RTP's in the raga.

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.