Sanjay Subrahmanyan At Odukkathur Muttt - August 27

sirsub11 · Post by **sirsub11** » 29 Aug 2007, 13:34

Another three hour thriller from Sanjay, ably supported by Mysore Nagaraj, Guruvayoor Durai and N. Amrit. I am not one for writing down detailed song lists - I'll leave that to my distinguished fellow reviewers who do these things more assiduously, and who may wish to pick up the gauntlet from here. A broad impressionistic sketch is more my approach.

Mohanam, Devangandhari, Poorvikalyani and RTP in Suddha Dhanyasi were the highlights. Poorvikalyani was exceptional in the aalapana and swaras ( an unusual eduppu), as was the RTP with a taana ragamalika. The tempo he maintained was consistently high, and the quality of the offering never faltered. The accompanists took up the bait, and Nagaraj, Guruvayoor Durai and Amrit rose to the occasion with great verve and enthusiasm.

Finally, it might interest every one who's currently obsessed with the subject, to know that Sanjay made it clear to the organisers that their mandatory speech may be delivered only after the Pallavi. This was duly adhered to, after which the artist could indulge the public with thukkadas and requests. Every one left happy.

braindrain · Post by **braindrain** » 29 Aug 2007, 13:45

...and here is the songlist.

Vocal : Sanjay Subramanian

Violin : Mysore Nagaraj

Mrudangam : Guruvayoor Dorai

Ganjira : N.Amruth

01 SamI nI rammanvE ( varnam ) - kEdAram - Thiruvottiyur Thyagayya O

02 kripa juchu Taku - chAyAtarangiNi - Thyagaraja S

03 srI ramA ramaNI manOhara - mOhanam - Pallavi Gopala Iyer A,N,S

neraval at â€œatulita divya guNAbharaNaâ€

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 29 Aug 2007, 17:30

Thanks Sirsub and Braindrain...(Krishna)Swami ki Sari Evvare is also a krithi in Kedaragowla - was the krithi sung in the concert a version of the same or a completely different one? Also would anyone which taalam the pallavi was set to?

braindrain · Post by **braindrain** » 29 Aug 2007, 17:49

Vijay,

sAmiki sari evvare in Kedaragowla is by Veena Kuppaiyar and sAmiki sari in Devagandhari is by Manampuchadi Venkatasubbayyar. These are different.

Priya Sisters, the first concert at Odukathur Mutt in this series, rendered the kedaragowla krithi.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 30 Aug 2007, 07:14

RTP line: 'nAmamadE' ninaippOm??

shadjam · Post by **shadjam** » 30 Aug 2007, 08:27

Message Removed.

srinidhi · Post by **srinidhi** » 30 Aug 2007, 10:39

Vijay,

I believe the talam for the RTP was Adi (2 kalai)- sunduviral edduppu

mahesh_narayan · Post by **mahesh_narayan** » 30 Aug 2007, 10:59

Did anyone attend Malladi Brothers on Tuesday? If so, please post song list/review.

Thx.

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 30 Aug 2007, 18:49

Thanks Srinidhi and Braindrain

blahblah · Post by **blahblah** » 31 Aug 2007, 02:22

01 SamI nI rammanvE ( varnam ) - kEdAram - Thiruvottiyur Thyagayya

Unusual varnam ... Has someone heard this before?

seldnplan · Post by **seldnplan** » 31 Aug 2007, 03:36

I should have probably posted this earlier, but the internet around these parts wasn't working the past couple of days, and tonight I was distracted by a cricket match that we now appear to have successfully managed to lose (Is that 'we' a little too parochial? May be it will be some day).

Anyway, this was a rollicking concert! What's more: it was entirely unpopulated by talkative elder percussionists. Sanjay was a powerhouse that evening: the concert started right on time, and continued breathlessly till the tani came around. One (unfortunate?) side-effect of this was that it took a varNam and a bit for vocalist and violnist to find common (and stable) ground over the SaDjam; the shruti was barely audible, so I couldn't tell who was at fault, presuming of course that someone was: my ears could have made it all up.

That the concert began with a rare (?) pada varNam in rUpakam (this is the first I've heard in this tAlam) was a fine indicator of the variety that was to follow. I was especially taken with the AbhErI piece, sung in the original shuddha dhaivata avatAr of the rAga, possessed, it seemed in some places, by the ghost of sindubhairavi, especially in the slide from Sa to Dha via the niSAda. This last must be a Sivan touch, because I don't remember hearing this in dIkSitar's vINAbhErI.

The concert was characterized also by a sure sense of proportion: the mOhanam lasted for exactly 20 minutes, which I think is a beautiful amount of time for someone to spend elaborating a pentatonic rAgA. Incidentally, it was very close to 20 minutes into the RTP when Sanjay decided to switch to bEgaDa. A hint of a 20 minute rule for pentatonics in the singer's book?

The highlight though were the svarAs in pUrvikalyANi: the impresario in Sanjay was out in full flight, mischievously toying with the gati, at the top of his game, and having the time of his life; you couldn't help being carried away along with him. Sanjay may or may not be our best singer today, but he most certainly (at least in my book) is the best entertainer that the Carnatic world has.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 31 Aug 2007, 07:33

seldnplan,
Enjoyed reading your review. Great song list.
You call Sanjay ' the best entertainer' as you conclude. That intrigues me a bit. There are many musicians who are entertaining in the CM world today. In my view, Sanjay's music does not belong there. With what you have written, I suppose you mean it 'entertaining' in the sense that he ventured into some rAgA and swarA patterns which were scintillating.
All I can say is that I have not come away disappointed after listening to Sanjay--even on what he would consider one of his 'not so good a day'. The reason for this is that he always gives a wholesome concert which has substance. No fluff. He is both traditional and imaginative to a high degree...

seldnplan · Post by **seldnplan** » 31 Aug 2007, 08:47

Hi arasi -- "There are many musicians who are entertaining in the CM world today. In my view, Sanjay's music does not belong there."

Whom are you referring to here? I agree entirely with everything that comes after that. I guess I was talking only about entertainment within the classical idiom.

ninjathegreat · Post by **ninjathegreat** » 31 Aug 2007, 09:56

Sanjay's music is always pleasing.. seldnplan, that was a great review. Arasi probably means that SAnjay's music is pure classical with a tinge of mischievousnesses...

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 31 Aug 2007, 15:53

I think the entertainment Seldnplan refers to is the infectious intensity of his involvement in the performance - the whole atmosphere on stage while he is performing is quite electric - stage presence is perhaps the right word...I almost always enjoy his live concerts more than his recordings..maybe that's what Seldonplan was getting at

As for a 20 minute time limit for pentatonics, hate to disappoint you but not in Sanjay's book at least - he did an elaborate Mohanam at Academy last year - I didn't time it but it was certainly more than half an hour...and then followed it up with an RTP in Brindavana Saranga which is not strictly pentatonic but quite close...he has also presented elaborate Madhyamavathis, Suddha Saveris and Hindolams.

Abheri and Suddha Danyasi so close to each other is a lilttle surprising but the former was presumably a short piece...

hsuvarna · Post by **hsuvarna** » 01 Sep 2007, 03:38

I have read lot of reviews of Sri Sanjay but could not attend his live concert. From the reviews, I am getting the impression that he sings well, has variety, has control and sruti, mastery of art but always
thunders through the swara kalpana i.e. chooses speedy swara kalpana. That is why the name, Express Sanjay, name. Is there any truth in it? Kirtanas like Upacharamau, Chalamelara, KaligiYunte, Nidhi chala, maru gelara, nagumomu etc need to be sing slowly and leisurely. Does Sri Sanjay sing these slow pace kirtanas?
Whatever I am looking forward to attend his concert live.

arunk · Post by **arunk** » 01 Sep 2007, 06:08

vijay wrote:Abheri and Suddha Danyasi so close to each other is a lilttle surprising but the former was presumably a short piece...

I believe that krithi (papanasam sivan's) in Abheri - sanjay sings with the Suddha-dhaivatam i.e. correct Abheri. So that breaks any similarities with Suddhadhanyasi

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 01 Sep 2007, 06:46

seldnplan,
I was agreeing with you all along. Otherwise, I would not have called your review enjoyable. It was the word 'entertainment'. What you meant by it was fine. However, the word in the popular sense does not sound as serious as his music. An entertaining movie for instance is not shakespearean drama which also contains a lot of sparkling moments.
Ninjathegreat caught on. I thought the kalinga warrior would have too!

Ragjay · Post by **Ragjay** » 01 Sep 2007, 07:30

Hi I read the review with interest. He seems to be recycling songs made immortal by the past masters. This concert list specifies Mohanam song Sri Ramaramani,a song immortal by the great GNB. I know for sure that he is a great fan of GNB and he does try to make effort to learn such songs and represent them in his own style. This approach makes his concerts a success. No wonder all his concerts a hit with the rasikas.

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 01 Sep 2007, 11:07

Suvarna, one thing Sanjay does not usually do is to change the kalapramana during the piece. Like everyone else, he also includes some breezy pieces (Arasi to kindly excuse the choice of word!) followed by lightning swaraprastharas but his swaras for the main pieces in 2 kalai adi or rupakam are reasonably measured even in second speed.

OTOH, I have noticed that he sometimes slows down the speed of certain krithis, creating a mesmerizing effect - I remember an ati-vilamba Sujana Jeevana at NGS last season and curiously , a similar treatment of Enthavedu (Saraswati Manohari) at Kalarasana a few days later - both of these were simply brilliant in execution and reveal the deep aesthetic sensibility of the artist. Another example was a unique presentation of Thiruvadi Charanam at MFAC a couple of months ago...

Such "interpretation" of krithis might sound blasphemous to some but the effect is almost always positive, even to harcore votaries of tradition.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 01 Sep 2007, 21:26

Vijay,
That 'enta vEDukondu' was a surprise and a pleasant one at that.
This comes from someone who hails from the family of a vocalist who made the kriti his masterpiece! I would say the experiment (of Sanjay's changing the pace) was effective. It also suited the plea of tyAgarAjA.
This is where Sanjay scores. I don't think it is just the presentation he focuses on. His feeling the pulse of the music is what fuels the concert. That's why I wonder about the word 'entertainment' which to me sounds a bit inadequate when it comes to a vocalist of his caliber. I am not denying that he can be highly entertaining too.

Speaking of Mohanam, add to the MA concert that 'kapAli' in Ar Ar ASaip paDAr? (the documentary on him) and another elaborate one I heard in Chicago. I was visiting family there, had just arrived that afternoon, and had trouble finding the venue, had a bad seat and yet, that 'kapAli' took me to such heights that the 'mundane' melted away in me.
It is understood that the intent and execution of a piece and the rasikA's response to it may not even be on the same wave length sometimes--but to have any kind of impact, the musician surely has to have commitment to his art and an immersion in it to draw new meanings from his material. Yes, attention to stage presentation should be there too--but just how much? If the music is nourished, even a smidgen of stage savy would elevate a concert--may it be Sanjay or any other artiste for that matter...

mahesh3 · Post by **mahesh3** » 01 Sep 2007, 22:12

Sanjay's biggest contribution in my opinion is the life he has given to the Ragam Thanam Pallavi. MLV and Kalyanaraman have definitely stood out in this arena, building on GNB's strengths in laya and melody..but by performing Pallavis in Gowrimanohari, Natakapriya, Neethimathi, Suddhadhanyasi, Hindolam, Hameerkalyani, BridavanaSaranga, Naganadhini, Gambeeranattai, Karnataka Devagandhari, SalagaBhairavi, Natabhairavi, Bhimplas etc, he has given new life to these ragas...I cnat think of any other artist in the past or present who has performed so prolifically with regards to the RTP...

What abt Mysore Nagaraj...He was outstanding in this concert. Superlative mellifluous responses to all of Sanjay's ideas....particularly in the Purvikalyani piece & the Ragam Thanam Pallavi....

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 01 Sep 2007, 23:34

Mysore Nagaraj is a commendable accompanist (and a soloist and one part of a duo with his brother Manjunath). His sound is a combination of sweetness and depth. I have heard him many times and have been to a few concerts where the vocalists would have flopped without Nagaraj's able 'support'! My only complaint sometimes is that his genteman like 'anuSaraNai' (going along with) can make him under play sometimes. He obviously showed his mettle that day...

Svaapana · Post by **Svaapana** » 02 Sep 2007, 05:15

That Sanjay's music is entertaining has been reported often in this thread. Shall we say it is in the mold of the great MVI. GNB, MMI?

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 02 Sep 2007, 08:12

Mahesh3,
The RTPs, no doubt.

sbala · Post by **sbala** » 02 Sep 2007, 13:30

I find many artistes doing pallavis in the ragas mentioned by Mahesh3. Maybe, Sanjay does it better. To me, Ravikiran's ability to compose and execute on the spot is quite unique among the top vidwans. Even in KGS, he performed an alapana in Nasikabhushani at the request of Ghatam Karthik and performed a pallavi on the spot. I've seen him do this on a few occasions. Ofcourse, you always have to include TNS at the top when we talk of complex pallavis.

rajaglan · Post by **rajaglan** » 03 Sep 2007, 11:47

Hi,

Apart from the spirited performance of Sanjay, the violin performance was superb. M Nagaraj did equally well for all raga alapana in the concert and all the ragamalika thanams.

I like sanjay's ragamalika thanam. Is this a new trend or someone in olden days have done it?

Sanjay and Mysore nagaraj got applause for every ragamalika thanams in RTP. Anybody has the recording? (My fav ragas, janaranjani and begada were there).

bhaktha · Post by **bhaktha** » 03 Sep 2007, 11:54

Ragamaligai thanam has been in vogue for long, though popular with vainikas. Revered vainika SHri Cittibabu used to play it often and even the maestro Shri Balacander IIRC. Vocal....I am not too sure...Probably Shri TNS has done it before...
-bhaktha

Ragjay · Post by **Ragjay** » 03 Sep 2007, 16:46

Hi Could anyone post the concert upload link and provide the same in one of the other fora? Thanks Ragjay

mahesh3 · Post by **mahesh3** » 03 Sep 2007, 20:57

SBala,

I was mostly talking in terms of vocalists. Aslo, its not that others dont handle the ragas I mentioned, but in Sanjay's hands, they are definitely presented in an effective manner. After all, he is influenced by Tanjavur S Kalyanaraman/GNB.

By presenting some of the afore-mentioned ragas, its clear that Sanjay is one person who has absolute confidence in handling esoteric stuff...Vivadhi ragas, dvi-madhyamas, pentatonic scales, apoorva ragas...all these are second nature to him...He definitely is deeply influenced by GNB/MLV/Tanjavur S Kalyanaraman's music, but he has the confidence and the stature to emblellish and evolve their strengths... if other musicians attempt what Sanjay does on a regular basis, I have a feeling it may not go down just as well...

Tanjavur Kalyanaraman never fully got his due for his novel concepts and thinking, and his presentation of such ragas came in for criticism at the time. GNB/SKR's concert planning was different, SKR's approach was even perhaps irreverant...but I felt that they had amazingly novel ideas overall with respect to the art...SKR had his fans, but he never made it to the public sub-concious in the way Sanjay has. It is but fitting that Sanjay has embellished and evolved SKR's style and bAni......in his own inimitable method! Sanjay's success more than anything else validates SKR's thinking and approach...what a dexterous artist!

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 03 Sep 2007, 22:04

mahesh3,
You have said it.
He has 'absolute confidence in handling esoteric stuff' and has the stature to embellish and take GNB/MLV/SKR's music to newer levels. As you say, very few artistes can pull it off as he does, concert after concert. A dexterous artiste he surely is...

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 03 Sep 2007, 22:31

mahesh, can you elaborate on Sanjay being influenced by Tanjavur S Kalyanaraman? Did he say as much in his interviews? ( or in the film documentary on him? ). Just curious.

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 04 Sep 2007, 13:11

Influences on Sanjay that I can remember from various posts/disccussions/interviews include GNB, Ramnad Krishnan, TSK and TNS. He also wrote an article about MMI's music in sangeetham.com...there was also a thread in which he talked about the impact of ARI's music.

I guess TNR's music would also have had a huge impact on his music given the fact that he is learning from a nadaswara vidwan but I've not heard/read him mention this.

Ragjay · Post by **Ragjay** » 04 Sep 2007, 19:51

Hi I read that he sings ragamallika thanam for RTP.T.N.Krishnan in his solo performances follows this practice and Semmangudi also sang the thanam in pancha gana ragas in some of his concerts. BFN Ragjay

mahesh3 · Post by **mahesh3** » 04 Sep 2007, 20:35

VK,

To be honest, I haven't heard Sanjay actually ever say he has been influenced by SKR. Its more my observation...one clue is the compositions he sings frm the GNB school that SKR popularized...for eg, in Dhanyasi, he has sung "Japa kusuma bhasure" in typical SKR style in a concert in Ottawa, Naadopasana in Begada, ennagAnu Rama Bhajana in Panthuvarali among many others! His Sukhi Evvaro definitely reminds me of SKR's style, particularly the sea of sangathis he uses in the alapana & his improvs in the swarams..almost a class in advanced math (it was beyond me when I learned it, and it is beyond me now)!

You also get a feel for SKR's influence in the way Sanjay incorporates facets of manodharma in each item in his concert. Additionally, he tends to plays around with the gathis...for eg, in the Purvikalyani piece of the above mentioned concert, where I had trouble following some of his numerous sub-divisions - only a violinist of the calibre of Mysore Nagaraj could perhaps have kept with him, due to the requirements of precision and perfection! Mysore Nagaraj can truly be the MSG of our times, I feel....altho, its not a like-for-like comparison...

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 04 Sep 2007, 21:04

Thanks Mahesh for the clarification that it is more your personal observation. This 'bANi' or 'school' business without direct guru lineage can get tricky. It will be good to know from Sanjay the kind and nature of influence Kalyanaraman's music on his music.

mahavishnu · Post by **mahavishnu** » 04 Sep 2007, 22:50

To add to Mahesh's comments.....

Sanjay is one of very few people that sings Kalyanaraman's own compositions (thillana in Darbari Kanada/Sindubhairavi for example) on a regular basis. From what I have heard from Sanjay whilst chatting after a concert in Toronto, he holds SKR in great esteem. Like Vijay says, I think he has said so in other interviews and in Sangeetham.com.

Direct musical influences are hard to estimate since GNB has such a strong presence in both their individual styles.

Mahesh, when were you in Ottawa? I remember going to a Sanjay concert there almost 10 years ago now... I don't think he has been back there since.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 04 Sep 2007, 23:14

VK,
Recently in an interview, Sanjay said that he was thinking of MMI that day as he sang (or something to that effect).
As you well know, we can go on listing the influences in an artiste's life (sometimes correctly so) and yet not cover all the names.
A consummate artiste keeps his mind open to all that was great in the music of those who preceded him. They are the guidelines in his life-long experiment with music. He does not close shop and walk away after a concert until the next one. In fact, even a well presented concert is only incidental in his thirst for expanding his horizons. That happens because he is so absorbed in the music that he lives with, I suppose...

mahavishnu,
Good to hear from you!

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 04 Sep 2007, 23:33

arasi wrote:A consummate artiste keeps his mind open to all that was great in the music of those who preceded him. They are the guidelines in his life-long experiment with music. He does not close shop and walk away after a concert until the next one. In fact, even a well presented concert is only incidental in his thirst for expanding his horizons. That happens because he is so absorbed in the music that he lives with, I suppose...

Arasi, absolutely...and there are few artistes who epitomize this spirit more than Sanjay

mahesh3 · Post by **mahesh3** » 05 Sep 2007, 01:52

Mahavishnu,

I had been to the Ottawa concert in 2001 (if I remember right). Happened to be
visiting there at the time. Also those thillanas of SKR's that Sanjay sings, the Sindhubhairavi is truly a dream...

VK, If you are look at defining bAni in strictly legal terminology, then I doubt if my words are accurate, but I look at bAni more in terms of who an artist's key influences are rather than who he/she is strictly coached by....

srkris · Post by **srkris** » 10 Sep 2007, 20:44

The posts after the one by Mahesh3 above have been moved to a separate thread titled "Sanjay Subrahmanyan interview" at http://rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php?id=3615 since they dont pertain to this concert specifically.

saveri · Post by **saveri** » 18 Sep 2007, 12:09

samiki sari in Kedaragowla is by Papanasam Sivan, not by Veena Kuppier