Sanjay in Bangalore - morning concert.

sirsub11 · Post by **sirsub11** » 20 Jul 2011, 11:57

Sanjay Subrahmanyan will be performing a morning concert this Sunday, July 24th, in Bangalore at the Vadiraja Kala Bhavana, Hulimavu, off Bannerghatta Road at 10.30 am, under the auspices of Shri R.K. Padmanabha. He will be accompanied by H.K. Venkatram on the violin, Tumkur Ravishankar on the mridangam and Guruprasanna on the ghanjira.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 27 Jul 2011, 01:40

Bengaluru at least has four active reviewers/reporters, and no post about this concert yet!
I have heard Ravikiran some years ago at the Vadiraja Festival. It was then held in Basavanagudi. R.K. Padmanabha is a very good organizer (musician, composer) and it was a big festival, indeed. I suppose they have their very own center now.
Along with Kara Sri and other exotic rAgAs, Sanjay has been singing khAmbOjis, SankarAbharanams and kalYANis aplenty, of late. Wonder what 'morning rAgA' he picked up to sing as a main/RTP.
Recently heard (saw on youtube) his detailed khAmbOji (tiruvaDi charaNam) in place of an RTP--from his Croydon, UK concert (one of a kind). Thanks for Sanjay's sharing, I heard them all on youtube!
Did he sing any kannaDa composition other than PD's? If any one of you happened to be there in HuLimavu, please post a song list at least!

mahavishnu · Post by **mahavishnu** » 27 Jul 2011, 02:33

I would like to second Arasi's request for a review of this concert.
Sanjay concert threads are almost always interesting and routinely produce >1000 views.

Arasi: Yes, the Croydon concert was very nice. I am impressed that the south Asian diaspora has added so much colour to places like Croydon (or sleepy suburbs of most major cities of the world for that matter).

srikant1987 · Post by **srikant1987** » 27 Jul 2011, 11:33

I was in Madras, and must be excused.

G_g? O_o?

sirsub11 · Post by **sirsub11** » 27 Jul 2011, 11:40

I attended the concert under discussion. I am not a meticulous notes taker, and hence cannot provide a comprehensive song list. Apologies for the same. Firstly, the auditorium, Vadhiraja Bhavana was impressive, as concert venues go. It is clearly a sort of personal fiefdom of Shri R.K. Padmanabha - there are lifesize, glass encased statues and paintings of the great man in various moods of musical ecstacy, to be seen at the premises. He is also omnipresent, welcoming guests, barking instructions to his students and minions, frequently glued to his cellphone, now on stage, now amongst the audience - "Engum niraindhirukkum", as Sanjay himself might have musically put it. That said, you have to hand it to the man for having built such an impressive facility.

The concert itself commenced at around 10.45 am, after 30 minutes of "goshti gaanam" led stentorially by Shri Padmanabha and backed enthusiastically by around 20 plus bright eyed and bushy tailed students. Sanjay warmed up with a Begada varnam (Marachi), and his main expositions for the day included Harikhamboji (Vinathasutha), Keeravani (Innamum sandeha padalaamo), and Bilahari (Shri Chamundeshwari). As Mysore Vasudevacharya was being specially remembered (not sure why), he also sang Hindolam (Mamavathushri Saraswati), in addition to the aforementioned Bilahari. Alaapanas in Harikhamboji and Bilahari were particularly brilliant and he was in very good voice.

If Sanjay had entertained any thoughts of an RTP, the decision was taken out of his hands when the ubiquitous RKP delivered a 30 minute exposition cum critique on the concert. For the benefit of his students he analysed each song in minute detail, and elaborated on Sanjay's expert handling of the same. While he spoke in Kannada, he frequently interspersed in Tamil, reminsicing about the great masters of the past. The humour was somewhat heavy handed, but the audience laughed obediently on queue.

Post the speech and the garlanding, Sanjay had just enough time for a couple of thukkadas which I had never heard before, but most listenable. H.K. Venkatram, Tumkur Ravishankar and Guruprasanna provided decent support to the main artist.

In response to Mahavishnu's and Arasi's comments, it is possible that the usual suspects (reviewers) were not there because of the somewhat out of the way venue and timing. I therefore decided to post this somewhat sketchy account, which may evoke more responses. It was a packed house, but I recognised very few people whom I normally run into at other Bangalore venues.

For Sanjay fans in Bangalore he is performing again twice in August - 16th at the mega Unnati series, and 27th at the Venugopalaswamy Temple in Malleshwaram.

gardabha_gana · Post by **gardabha_gana** » 27 Jul 2011, 13:22

I had something going on... AM concerts are tough. I will try and catch the concert at "Engade Krishnan Koil" - center of the universe for all hebbar iyengars

pattamaa · Post by **pattamaa** » 27 Jul 2011, 16:30

I did attend the concert - how can i miss a BOLT concert, in morning hours on sunday? I have song list and details, can post later. An enjoyable concert overall.

kssr · Post by **kssr** » 27 Jul 2011, 16:59

".... lifesize glass encased statues and paintings" of RKP. Very interesting. When I visited this far off place many years back, these were not there- just a big hall. A bus used to be arranged to bring in his students and rasikas from Jayanagar. Theerthaprasada (Lunch) used to be provided. As far as I know, there aren't many statued artists, except saint Thyagaraja, of course, whose statue (idol) was made about a century after him. In that ambience, Sanjay could have sung some songs on Padmanabha- I mean the Lord!

The wordings of the review is almost poetry. Thanks, sirsub.

mahavishnu · Post by **mahavishnu** » 27 Jul 2011, 17:57

Thank you, sirsub11.

sirsub11 · Post by **sirsub11** » 27 Jul 2011, 20:31

kssr - Sanjay did sing a song, one of the thukkadas, on Padmanabha - I mean the Lord ! Except that there was a meaningful twinkle in his eye !

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 27 Jul 2011, 22:27

Thanks, sirsub!
From your description of the place and the person (though a namesake) and his statue and pictures, the song was about the reclining one-kshIra sAgara Sayana--Lord PadmanabhA

squims · Post by **squims** » 29 Jul 2011, 01:03

I was held up with some work on Sunday! Actually, I've been held up for the past so many weeks! I haven't been to a concert in ages. I haven't even been on these boards for so long! Trying to change that when Unnati's series starts next week. I love the concerts that happen there. Hoping to attend as many as possible.

anandiyer11 · Post by **anandiyer11** » 29 Jul 2011, 16:32

"Post the speech and the garlanding, Sanjay had just enough time for a couple of thukkadas which I had never heard before, but most listenable"
Even I was disappointed that Sanjay could not sing an RTP.
The songs were:
Kalilo harismarana - Kapi - Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar
Gopala bhaktim - Bageshri - Swati Thirunal

Coincidence; as I typed out the songs, I hot across this video (ofcourse different venue and accompanists)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWdQGETkYn0

rasikas.org

Sanjay in Bangalore - morning concert.

Sanjay in Bangalore - morning concert.

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