Sanjay Subrahmanyan at Bangalore Gayana Samaja.

sirsub11 · Post by **sirsub11** » 13 Aug 2007, 16:16

Sanjay Subrahmanyan, accompanied by M.R. Gopinath on violin, Arun Prakash on mridangam and Giridhar Uduppa on ghatam, presented the penultimate concert at the week long Gayana Samaja series, on Saturday, 11th August. Needless to say, at the end of the concert everyone was scrambling around trying to find adequate superlatives to describe the performance.

Sanjay's voice was in great shape, which is a bonus to start with. The highlights of the concert were the Narayani alapana ( Rama nee ve ), Todi ( Koluvamarakada ) and the piece de resistance, RTP in Hamir Kalyani. In between was an MDR composition in Kedaram, sung in the composer's unique style and a fast paced Janaranjani ( Vidajalathura ).

Sanjay's entire bag of tricks was on resplendent display. His alapanas are always from the top drawer, and the neraval in "chekoni tambura" from the Todi piece was irresistible. The long sancharas, the breath control, the rapid fire brigas - all drew repeated applause. As for Hamir Kalyani, it was a roller coaster ride, which left everyone completely spent.

M.R. Gopinath struggled to keep pace with Sanjay but did a decent job, Arun Prakash, as usual, was the ideal foil shadowing the main artist's every move, and Giridhar Uduppa provided the exuberance.

For Sanjay fans, he is back in Bangalore on August 27th, at Odukkathur Mutt in a series that also features other stars like TNS, Sudha Raghunathan, T.M. Krishna, Nithyashree and Unnikrishnan

balsree · Post by **balsree** » 13 Aug 2007, 18:14

Well, I got to hear some music between claps. Thats the one statement summary of the concert.

Amazing, fantastic and fabulous - you name a word and it will fit in . Such was the beauty of the concert that all adjectives may still fail to capture the environment. Every Alapanai drew tremendous applause from the rasikas and he kindled the emotions in each one of us with his alapanai. It was an excellent way to invoke the bhava within us without words. Pure music all the way to our hearts!! His Narayani raga outline is one of the highlights. People were really moved by it. Rasikas clapping for his alapanai sounded like a thani for me. That is the wonder that filled the hall. Gopinath had an answer for the challenges sanjay posed and gave fitting replies to each one of them. His creativity was wonderful and drew tremendous applause. The concert drew an end with a slokam of "Orumaiyudan Ninadu thirumalaradi ninaikindra" and few more. It was a prayer with which each one of us got connected.

It is not easy to recreate in words the environment that was prevailing. But who said that you can put in words what is there in heart!!

Love

Balsree

p.s : I know rasikas will be interested in the song list. I have noted down a few but i dont know if its correct or not. I am quite new to all these things. Any body who can help pl send a mail, i will mail back the info that i have. That person can then verify, value add and present it to the forum. Or may be any one else who attended the concert can put it here.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 14 Aug 2007, 08:02

sirsub and Balshree,
Thank you for your posts. There is an interesting discussion going on in the forum on 'conscious and super conscious state of mind in the performers and the rasikAs in a concert'. Your posts amply illustrate your state of mind as rasikAs and that wouldn't have happened unless the performer partook of his bounty with you.
Now, if only someone would share with us the song list...

braindrain · Post by **braindrain** » 14 Aug 2007, 09:44

Here is the songlist

01 sAmi ninnE - kannaDa - Patnam Subramanya Iyer (?) S

02 gAnamUrtE - gAnamUrti - Thyagaraja

03 tyAgarAja gurum AshrayE - kEdAram - M D Ramanathan A,N,S

04 rAma nIvE gAni - nArAyaNi - Thyagaraja A

05 koluva mare gadA - thODi - Thyagaraja A,N,S,T

06 viDalajadura - janaranjani - Thyagaraja

07 RTP - hamIr kalyANi

swaras in sahAna , ranjani , sindhubhairavi

08 nijagAdasA - sindhubhairavi - Jayadeva

After singing the swaras in sindhubhairavi during the RTP , he tookoff with â€œnijagadasaâ€

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 14 Aug 2007, 18:52

Thanks for the list, braindrain.
After the RTP Sindhubhairavi swarAs, summoning JayadEvA's verse sounds interesting. The pallavi line must have been about krishnA. What was it? Perhaps it was added on to substantiate the mood within the RTP theme, not as a separate piece as an after-RTP light thukkaDA...

braindrain · Post by **braindrain** » 14 Aug 2007, 19:10

Dear Arasi,

If I remember correctly , the pallavi lines were " samAnama sabhApathe sadAshiva"..

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 14 Aug 2007, 19:25

Ah, so it must have happened in the rAgA sense. Perhaps he wanted to continue the mood. Singing it after a round of applause would have taken away the momentum, and would have placed it among the tukkaDAs...

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 14 Aug 2007, 19:31

koluva mare gadA
viDajAladurA

seldnplan · Post by **seldnplan** » 15 Aug 2007, 23:14

A very professional performance, this concert, but not quite classic. Sanjay's elaboration of nArAyaNi, and Gopinath's hamIr kalyANi tAnam were for me the highlights of the concert. The violinist started out scratchy in the higher register, but settled down nicely as the evening progressed. Sanjay himself stayed away from the tAra pancama till he was well into the tODi Alapana, and lingered but very shortly once he got there. Any longing for the high fifth was, however, amply compensated by a prolonged sequence of patterns around the tAra gAndhAram, which, in the ringing, metallic timbre of Sanjay's voice, is one of the more evocative experiences in music. Right before the perfunctory dip into the mandram, there was a short round of unadorned phrases in the pUrvAnga that I found very appealing in their simplicity, harking back perhaps to the rAgA's more earthy roots. Gopinath, as observed by sirsub, worked always in Sanjay's shadow, except for a brief, exhilirating interlude, when he strung together the most sparkling two-minute tAnam in hamIr kalyANi that a body can hope for. As always, ranjani proved fertile ground for some very delectable svara patterns, and much fun was had in sindubhairavi by both singer and accompanist, with the former diving right into delightful sargam territory and the latter finding his inspiration, it seemed, in Bach's cello suites.

For the wannabe music connoiseur in me, the concert was a humbling experience. I had a great deal of trouble with the burgeoning progeny of that grandsire, shankarAbharaNam, misidentifying both kannaDa (as janaranjani) and, much more shamefully, kEdAram (as bEgaDa!). nArAyaNi also suffered confusion with bAlahamsa till Sanjay deflated any incipient smugness in me by identifying it for the audience.

Somewhat less than fulfilling was the length of the concert: it began about 30 minutes late, because, apparently, Sanjay had been stuck in a traffic snarl near Lal Bagh, and ended about 2.5 hours later. To the singer's credit, the delay was shorter than the audience had a right to expect, as were also the intermissions between individual pieces: it was one uninterrupted flow of music right up to the end of the RTP. This brings me to what will probably be my abiding memory of this performance. For all that Carnatic music is in fact a performance art, and is meant in some measure for the consumption of people other than the musician himself, it is in essence an intensely personal art form (more tangentially, I've always wondered why this is so, that the more individualistic of the two cultures in the Indian/Western dichotomy has produced the more gregarious form of classical music, but this is a discussion for elsewhere), and so requires a certain degree of self-involvement in the artiste that puts him/her at a remove from the audience. Sanjay is a great musician, and like all great performers, he posseses this capacity for self-involvement, bordering on arrogance (not a bad thing, mind you). So I personally found it very moving when he stopped right before the mangaLam, went from singer Sanjay to regular guy Sanjay, and offered a very self-effacing apology for being late: just a tiny glimpse of what he would be like if one managed to corral him in one of his more relaxed moments, I'd like to think!

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 15 Aug 2007, 23:30

Well written post Seldnplan! Do keep us updated on your concert experiences in Bangalore which, I am sure, will go a long distance in helping you resolve fine differences between allied ragas.

On the question of individualism I have a slightly different take. For all their individualism I do believe westerners display a higher degree of professional teamwork than Indians (although perhaps not as much as East Asians).

On the other hand, it is possible to argue that Indian music actually involves more teamwork and not less - each player in an orchestra only follows a set of pre-written notes with some broad direction from the conductor (although I am almost certainly over-simplifying here) whereas the CM requires a more spontaneous and intense interaction from its performers.

But like you say this probably a strand of thought for another thread - apologies in advance...

vinayo · Post by **vinayo** » 15 Aug 2007, 23:58

Arguably, Sanjay is the best exponent of classical carnatic music in the contemporary scene. It is heartening to read some lovely reviews of his Bangalore Gayana Samaja concert.

seldnplan · Post by **seldnplan** » 16 Aug 2007, 00:36

Thanks, vijay! Unfortunately, I'm only in Bangalore for about a month's worth of concerts, which essentially consists of the annual affairs at the Gayana Samaja and the Odakatthur Mutt. More unfortunately, rAgAs like kannaDa very rarely get more than a little look-see here and there during this interval, while just about every concert (including the last three I've attended) will feature tODi. I absolutely love tODi to bits, but I can't help groaning a little on the inside every time I hear the familiar (and so very majestic) G R S D overture to yet another elaboration of the rAgA. May be I'll have better luck at the Mutt!

vinayo--A year or so ago, I would probably have agreed with you, but of late I feel like TMK has the edge over Sanjay. As you say, it's arguable.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 16 Aug 2007, 03:17

Seldpan,
I agree with Vijay. What a review! Hope you will bring more on the concerts you attend at the Gayana Samaja and Odukkatur Mutt.
However glowing, a review cannot stand alone without a concert of high quality to back it up. Sanjay gives a solid fare as a rule. In his case, you don't walk out of the hall feeling it was not a filling musical experience.
It's the first time I hear that he was late for a concert (I bet that made the repertoire slightly different). Bangalore, Chennai and other cities are getting worse with traffic snarls.
Sanjay has a sense of humor (it comes across in interviews). We as rasikAs see him in concert, and his absorption and seroiusness with his music might seem like arrogance (he could correct me if he is really arrogant!). One other musician who apologized for her being delayed for her lecdem last season (a shame, I had to leave in the middle) was Suguna Purushotham. She was flushed when she offered her apologies, and I could see that it botherd her no end (she had to come from another engagement and got caught up in a traffic jam)...

humdinger · Post by **humdinger** » 16 Aug 2007, 16:13

those magical moments of ragamalika swaras during RTP.

pls let me know if this is any copyright infringement. And yes, i took it from very last row, havent disturbed anyone.

kssuresh · Post by **kssuresh** » 16 Aug 2007, 18:57

All,

I can't decide which is more enjoyable - Sanjay's concerts or the reviews like the ones here!

I have been hearing Sanjay regularly, here in Kolkata, for a few years now, and each time it has been a very rewarding experience. But the one he performed last week, as part of the Rabindrotsav series, was perhaps the most satisfying, as much as it was unique: he sang exclusively Tagore's songs ... in the regular kutcheri format. In the 90 minute concert he sang 4 pieces - nAttai, sAveri, kalyani (RTP) and brindavana saranga. The sAveri one was a tamil translation, but the nAttai and brindavana saranga were Bengali renditions, as also the pallavi in the RTP. Each one was a gem, with the sAveri alapana probably outshining the others. During the nerevals and kalpanaswarams he glided in and out of the charanams with the same ease as with the regular carnatic compositions. The felicity with which he handled the language, and without any reference material in front of him, was remarkable. S. Varadarajan on the violin was competent, but Arun Prakash on the mridangam was somewhat uncharacteristically loud.

Sanjay or TMK? Well, it's a tough one, though on current form I think it would be Sanjay.

ksrimech · Post by **ksrimech** » 16 Aug 2007, 22:50

Sanjay in Bengali. That would be interesting to hear.

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 16 Aug 2007, 23:43

Wow, Suresh - that must have been some concert! The man has an almost limitless passion for artistic enquiry - and this, without ever stepping beyond the boundaries of tradition. There are some artists who dilute their art, others who preserve it and yet others who shape it, take it forward, help it evolve - Sanjay, in my books, is one these very rare individuals... Would you know you tuned the pieces? Was it Sanjay himself?

Also good to know that CM continues to carve a space for itself in Kolkata even though its South Indian population has dwindled considerably. Sanjay too has an association with the city, thanks to his Guru.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 16 Aug 2007, 23:51

There is another bengali connection. His grandfather and namesake (not Sanjay but Subrahmanyan) lived in Calcutta for a long time. In a way, It could also be called one of his ancestral places, I suppose!
Anyway, the blend must have been interesting. Goes with Tagore's vision. This woudn't have been a fusion of one of those 'confusions' kind, I am certain. A song list would be really nice...

hsuvarna · Post by **hsuvarna** » 17 Aug 2007, 01:07

Any chance of the ShonJoy's bengali songs clips? That would be great to hear. Especially the bengali pollabi of RTP.
I would definitely throw carnatica brothers into the mix of TMK or Sanjay confusion.

vinayo · Post by **vinayo** » 17 Aug 2007, 02:10

I am sure members know that this concert is now available thanks to Sri Hariharan and Sri Jayan on http://www.sangeethapriya.org/~harihara ... a-Aug2007/

komalangi · Post by **komalangi** » 17 Aug 2007, 06:17

For my own curiosity, is there any reason why Sanjay Subrahmanyan and TM Krishna are typically mentioned in the same breadth on this forum? Why are they constantly compared? Are their styles similiar, did they learn from the same guru, are they of the same age group? Just wondering. Also wondering why musicians like Vijay Siva, Unnikrishnan etc. are not mentioned. Thanks.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 17 Aug 2007, 07:31

komalangi,
While you ask about why Sanjay and TMK are compared (I don't know why, either), you speak of Vijay Siva and Unnikrishnan as if they belong together. Yes, they are all nearly of the same age, all are today's CM stars, learnt from great gurus, but their music is all different. Anyway, comparing is not a very healthy thing. To speak of each musician as a separate entity and then to exchange our thoughts about them is better, I feel...

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 17 Aug 2007, 07:39

Humdinger,
You bring fond memories of the Gayana SamAja Hall. I am looking at the back of heads of people to guess if anyone I know is there in the audience!

sirsub11 · Post by **sirsub11** » 17 Aug 2007, 13:32

I totally agree with Arasi that comparing one musician with another is odious and generally without sufficient basis. It is an entirely different matter that one might prefer an individual style of one artist vis a vis another. That is purely a matter of personal preference.

Having said that, komalangi's note does raise an interesting issue. Why are Sanjay and Krishna more frequently reviewed, discussed, analysed and yes, sometimes compared, than any other set of artists ? As arasi points out, their styles are different, their musical lineages are different, almost everything about them is different.

The answer probably lies in their ability to capture the imagination of a large body of public, more than most other artists, entirely due to their offering - product and style. They are also two highly articulate, edgy and individualistic personalities, whom the general public tend to gravitate towards. This was true in the '50s and '60s when GNB / MMI / SSI were spoken of in the same breath, as were KVN / Ramnad Krishnan / MDR a little later, and more recently, TNS / TVS / Santhanam.

Clive Lloyd, the former West Indies captain, when asked to compare Brian Lara with Sachin Tendulkar, famously said, "we should be happy and privileged they are both playing at the same time, giving pleasure to millions of people" !

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 18 Aug 2007, 07:56

sirsub,
I am glad you agree with me and I agree with what you have added. Artistic, edgy and individualistic personalities, yes. However, of the younger set when it comes to 'product and style', I can think of a few others. To stick with kOmalangi's list, Vijay Siva for instance...

mdrgnb · Post by **mdrgnb** » 18 Aug 2007, 08:42

Clearly, IMHO, there is also some dearth of talent now. I am sorry if my comment is too strong.

In addition to GNB, Semmangudi, Madurai mani - What about other vidwans like Mali, Alathur Brothers, TK Rangachari, Sattur Subramanian, Madurai Somu, Brinda & Muktha, DKP & DKP, MS Subbulaksmi

The list of great musicians who were not featured in prime time was long