Sanjay@Bangalore Gayana Samaja On Feb 04 2018

[kvchellappa]

Bengaluru Gayana Samaja
Event by SRLKM
Sanjay
Varadarajan
Venkatesh
Bhagyalakshmi
That was an evening (sanje ಸಂಜೆ) soaked in Sanjay music.
Song list:
1. Chalini kori Gowla varnam
2. Kanukontini Bilahari (T) (Swaras)
3. Ninnuvina marigalada Ritigowla (SS) (A,N,S)
4. Annai Janaki vandal Saveri (Arunachala Kavi) (A)
5. Entha seluvaga magalanu Yagapriya (PD) (raga name announced by Sanjay)(PD) (A)
6. Sri Subrahmanyaya Namaste Kambodhi (MD) (A, N, S, Tani)
7. Malon markane followed by Saravanabhava enum Shanmukhapriya (PS)
8. RTP in Jaganmohini Sivakama sundari vandarul, tandarul (Mukhari, Kalyani, Revathi, Desh)
9. Lalisidala magane yasoda Desh (PD)
10. Pavamana

[Sachi_R]

My guests from USA attended the concert on my behalf. Waiting to hear from them.

With absolutely no other inputs, this very song list holds a candle to the highest tradition of our concert music that Sanjay upholds.
The ragas are all over the Melakarta scheme (for those who care for it), the songs span so many composers and musical approaches.

Kudos to dear Sri. Krishna Prasad and SRLKM for doing such great service to the cause of Carnatic music.

Thanks KVC for the report as well as the Kannada font in your armoury!

Type this in Kannada, let's see!
sañjayati
saṅgīta
sudhe ī
sambhramada
sabheyali sadā!

[kunthalavarali]

1. Gowla varnam composition of Veena Kuppayyar
5. I heard the song as entha celuvage magalanu
7. malOn maruganai is by Arunagirinathar

[Sachi_R]

enthā celuvage magalA koṭṭano
- To what a handsome groom did he (Himavaan) give his daughter in marriage!

[arasi]

sach baat hai, Sachi An example for a pukkA kachEri it was. Wish you were there...

KVC and Kuntlavarali,
Thanks for your input.
Yes, heard entA cheluvage magaLanu koTTano girirAjanu, nODamma, first during the season. Yagapriya pleases no end. DAsara sense of humor adds to the beauty of the song. This rAgA fits the mood of vyanga.
sAvEri wasn't about durusugA or any other well-known kriti. Arunachala Kavi made his appearance with his annai jAnaki in this long-lost song.
Varadu was his usual self, enhancing the happenings, of course. Do we take him for granted? No. As for Venkatesh, pronounced the karnATaka way, his playing IS spontaneous-- without any barriers (nai (nahi) vEli)--adding to Varadu's support.
Bhagyalakshmi is a breath of fresh air. I miss my khanjari, but kudos to the woman, she makes the morsing sing more and it blends with the music. It doesn't stick out with gimmickry, but adds pleasingly to the performance.

[rshankar]

Lovely list! Have not heard enta celuvage....any pointers to an audio clip?

[sirsub11]

Quite a few video clips have been posted on FB by his fans from this concert, including the much discussed enta cheluvage.

[kvchellappa]

sañjayati ಸಂಜಯತಿ
saṅgīta ಸಂಗೀತಾ
sudhe ī ಸುದೇ ಯಿ
sambhramada ಸಂಭ್ರಮದ
sabheyali sadā! ಸಬೆಯಲಿ ಸದಾ!

(Thank google)

[kvchellappa]

Impressions
Sri Aravindan and team came from Chennai only for this and I would say it was well worth it.
Yagapriya, a double vivadi, scalar raga was so sweet and enticing. I wonder what the reservations about such ragas are about.
Kambodhi is always special from Sanjay. Aravindan has named it Sanjukambodhi. I expected that raga as I heard that it was dear to Smt. G.V.Neela. I expected O Rangasayi, but Sanjay usually does not repeat a composer. The masterpiece of MD enhanced by ARI was a bonanza. I have no doubt that it reached Smt. Neela.
Though sound came only orally (nasally when he remembered SSI perhaps), Sanjay's music flows from his whole body, mind and soul. When some briga (?) was coming at fast lilting pace, he moved his fingers in congruous gesture. That was total involvement. It is difficult to dissociate his music from his visible body movements that seem to irk connoisseurs, but go well with the lesser beings. I thought Ram Dev might benefit watching his performance!
When he went on and on in one phase hardly stopping for breath noticeably, I remembered kambi pAhu (when you heat jaggery in water, and test the padam, if it stretches like a wire without snapping, it is kambi pAhu). It was sweeter than jaggery and the phase was longer than the 'kambi'.
The opening phrase announced kambodhi boldly. It started as a gentle stream and phrase by phrase gathered momentum. He combed all nooks and corners to ferret out all shades of Kambodhi, which came rushing at the bugle call of the Pied Piper. There was a long applause after the alapana, but far short of the duration of the alapana.
What was perhaps not captured in alapana was caught in song rendition, neraval and swaras. There was no Kambodhi left. That is until Sanjay takes it up yet again.
It was like Kaveri in spate. Did it breach the shores? I would not know, nor would I care. I took a dip and it was transforming.
How long was it? The whole concert was short. So it looked as one did not notice the passage of time, like Browning’s grammarian who left it to dogs and apes.
The Revathi in ragamalika was special. Starting with bho sambho, it came in mesmerizing flavours. Desh followed by a dasar padam aptly rounded off the concert.
Sanjay signaled to Sri Krishna Prasad (KP) to make announcements. KP mentioned that Sanjay is singing non-stop for SRLKM. He is doing it everywhere. Where is the gap between one song and another? He also mentioned that it was Sanjay who suggested to include Bhagyalakshmi. She drew louder applause than Venkatesh during Tani.
After the mike was handed back to Sanjay, I remarked that maybe he would sing pavamana. So it turned out.
V Sriram wrote, “Sanjay is way, nay light years, ahead.” Many would disagree. Sanjay had an answer, “If there are ten different opinions about my performance, I take it as a success of my performance.”

[Sachi_R]

sañjayati ಸಂಜಯತಿ
saṅgīta ಸಂಗೀತಾ
sudhe ī ಸುದೇ ಯಿ
sambhramada ಸಂಭ್ರಮದ
sabheyali sadā! ಸಬೆಯಲಿ ಸದಾ!

(Thank google)

Google namonnamaḥ! KVC

saṅgīta-sudhe is one word, I split it for optics.
in Sandhi, the word saṅgītā becomes saṅgīta (hṛsva)
also ī is the svara, so should look like ಈ and not ಯೀ

[kvchellappa]

I applied the rule that seems to operate in Indian languages that i becomes yi in the sandhi.

[arasi]

Chellappa,
Such an inspired expression of your experience! kAmbhOdi pravAha and the rest swept you off your feet. You know much more than I do about the science of music, but you keep your rasikatvA intact--not sacrificing the joy of listening to good music by being nagged by pANDitya all the while.
Oh, I could read your appreciation in your face in a flash when we greeted each other for a moment yesterday
Sri subhrahmaNyAya namastE was as weighty as the RTP, in my view.

[rajeshnat]

Ideally 3 hrs is slightly less as there is a chance to have a truncated RTP or a little longer tani. 4 Hrs may be a bit of extra stretch to concentrate. 3 and half hours is an ideal time for concert .Personally singing a weighty krithi especially subramanyaya namaste as main and then falling into a bit not so heavy but still a great raga like jaganmohini RTP with a dash of ragamaliga swaras is a nice choice . Kudos to sanjay, varadu , venkatesh and bhagyalakshmi team . I wish I was in bangalore.

[rajeshnat]

KVC
Change the title to Sanjay@Bangalore Gayana Samaja On Feb 04 2018 . You can reedit the first text.

[Sachi_R]

I applied the rule that seems to operate in Indian languages that i becomes yi in the sandhi.

Sir, not in Kannada, since it is treated as a standalone word ಈ. See this in a book page:

[arasi]

Ravi,
I realized that it has been sung in other rAgAs--by surfing the web. I repeat--for the tone of the song, I find yAgapriyA to be a very good match.
Rajesh,
I agree with you that a Sanjay concert (AIR or MMU concerts are exceptions) pleases the most when it exceeds three hours. The most recent concert I had heard was the four hour+ (?) one on Jan 1st. I felt a bit disappointed that soon after Krishna Prasad's short speech, without a virutham or TukDA, Sanjay wound up...

[kunthalavarali]

The duration of this concert was ca 200 minutes

[kvchellappa]

KVC
Change the title to Sanjay@Bangalore Gayana Samaja On Feb 04 2018 . You can reedit the first text.

Done.

[Sachi_R]

Arasi,
I agree, the raga and tune suits the meaning very much!
Audio of the song rendered by Sanjay elsewhere:
https://youtu.be/9iJoVoQjBdk

[kvchellappa]

What did your guests say, RSachi?

[mdr_fan]

Did Prakash Rao Narayanan attend this concert by any chance?

[kvchellappa]

https://medium.com/@sikkapatte/aalaapan ... 484277d859

[Sachi_R]

KVC,
Convey to the sikkapatte writer.

For those who don't know the word, "ಸಿಕ್ಕಾಪಟ್ಟೆ“ sikkapatte means roughly "too much!" Like you go to the Lalbagh flower show and when asked after you're back how it was, you say, "sikkaapatte chennaagittu".

School children make "sikkaapatte galaate" on the playground.


Now what did my guests say? I reproduce some portions of the WhatsApp message:

nEtiki adewwaLa pramaadamaa kachchEri Sachi!!

Soothing and scholarly Reetigowla, amazing Saveri, scintillating Kambhoji, RTP in unexpected Jaganmohini ( + Mukhaari, Kalyani (THE most unimpressive & sappe), Revathi and Desh) along with 2 wonderful dEvarnaamaas one in an amazing Yagapriya and one in Desh.

I will catch up with them and get some details later, but KVC, you have already set the stage with your fine debriefs!

[Ramam]

Enta cheluvake, dasara pada is sung in a different and more evocative Abheri,
Vijay Siva, DKP have done it (i am not sure it has been mentioned in this thread)

I remembered SRJ's lecture that a good (vocal) concert need to showcase a rare/ not-so-familiar raga - this was perfectly done
Shanmugapriya (saravanabhava guhane) was full of Madurai Some written on it - it a great experience.

Sri Krishna Prasad mentioned at the end that Bagyalakshmi for Morsing was Sanjay's chice
She is brother of B. Rajasekhar

Outside and after the concert, I saw her her paying namaskaram to Sanjay and thanking for giving a chance
Sanjay has put - Inclusive in act. I have not seen any female accompaniment earlier.

[rajeshnat]

Enta cheluvake, dasara pada is sung in a different and more evocative Abheri,
Vijay Siva, DKP have done it (i am not sure it has been mentioned in this thread)

I think it is Bhimplas and not Abheri if my memory is right.

[Ramam]

Pl see
viewtopic.php?t=21646
Thanks, i have to agree with more of yes to your observation

I have heard VS(and as it is with me, don't tell VS) the rendering is in Abheri
yet his guru
and the great DKP in her inimitable vilamba kala gives nice touches of Bhimplas after her sangathis

[kvchellappa]

A proper review:
by K P Jayan

Sanjay Subrahmanyan @ Spring Festival , Sri Rama Lalitha Kala Mandira at Gayana Samaja, 06 Feb 2018

07Feb
Vocal : Sanjay Subrahmanyan
Violin : S Varadarajan
Mrudangam : Neyveli Venkatesh
Morsing : Bhagyalakshmi Krishna

List:
01. celimi kOri( varNam ) – gauLa – Adi – Veena Kuppiyer?
02. kanu koNTini – bilahari – Adi – Thyagaraja ( S )
03. ninnuvinA marigaladA – rItigauLA – Adi tisragati – Shyama Shastry ( A,N,S )
neraval & svara @ ‘ shyAmakRSNanuta bhakta paripAlanamu sEyuTaku’
04. annai jAnaki vandALE – sAvEri – Adi x 2 – Arunachala Kavi ( A )
05. entha cheluvagE magaLu – yAgapriya – Adi – Purandara Dasa ( A )
06. shrI subrahmaNyAya namastE – kAmbOji – Adi x 2 – Muthuswamy Dikshitar ( A,N,S,T)
neraval & svara @ vAsavAdi sakaladEva vanditAya’
07. mAlOr maruganai ( viruttam) – SaNmukhapriya – Arunagiri Nathar
sharavaNabhava enum – SaNmukhapriya – Papanasam Sivan
08. RTP – jaganmOhini – mishra naDai
pallavi line ” ‘shivakAma sundari amba vandaruL, tandaruL’
rAgamAlika swaras in mukhAri, kalyANi, rEvati and dEsh
09 lALisidaLu maganA – dEsh – Purandara Dasa
10. mangaLAm – saurAStram – Thyagaraja

Yet again, despite reaching ahead of time, braving the evening traffic, I had to be contend with the ‘Balcony seat’. May be next time, I would take half a day leave and reach by 3:00 pm or so. The seats were largely occupied by the handbags and kerchiefs than human beings. So, alternately, I would send a proxy an hour early with my hand-kerchief. Is ‘denzo’ listening ? 5:45pm was the starting time and one would expect him to start at samam. But yesterday there was an ‘atheetha eDuppu’ by about 2 mins.

One couldn’t ask for more. 5 elaborate alapana, one master class of kAmbOji with a real heavy composition, a pallavi, a rare vivAdi in the mix. A fabulous evening of enriching music. A short gauLa varnam to start ( too short even to notice ; it got over in 3 mins) and a bilahari that followed, were just warm up stuff. The game shifted with the reetigaula. He always sings that well, but I was super impressed with the return by Varadarajan. Good neraval and svaras to add to the brilliance. I have to say the same for sAvEri alapana too. Very good, and again Varadarajan was special here. Annai Janaki vandale was a surprise.

He started a vivAdi alapana and as we were deciphering the raga ( by successive elimination method from gAngEyabhUSani to calanATa), he came to our rescue by announcing yAgapriya. 31st mELam, mostly known for Dikshitar’s kalAvatim kamalAsanayuvatim ( kalAvati as it is called in Dikshitar’s school – not to be mistaken with the other kalAvati of ‘ennaDu jUtunO’) . Impressive alapana especially from Sanjay followed with a dEvarnama. I notice this trend in his concerts for the last 3-4 years in Bangalore, where he sing one of the Dasa kritis upfront with an alapana and neraval / svara in almost all the concerts, not restricting them to the post main section, which I appreciate.
No fillers, as he started a classy kAmbOji alapana. I predicted a Dikshitar composition to follow and here comes ‘ShrI subramaNyAya namastE’. Awesome stuff by him and Varadarajan as they presented it with all its grandeur. Outstanding neraval, fitting kalpana swaras ( percussion was left wanting at times) for one hell of an affair. Tani avartanam, to my pleasure was much subdued and done very well, a welcome change from him.

When he started the viruttam, I thought we are not likely to have a pallavi. But soon he started the alapana of jaganmohini. After a grand kAmbOji, this couldn’t have bettered the impact on me. But, it was good nonetheless with some impressive ragamalika swaras especially the rEvati ( Varadarajan again steel my applause) and dEsh which is extended to the dEvarnama lAlisidaLu maganA.

For a change, the organisers did not want to interrupt. Upon Sanjay’s indication he came on to stage and made very short proceedings of thanking the artists and announced the next days program. One saw Sanjay, contemplating and physically warming up and was thinking of a viruttam or thillAna to come which wasn’t there.

These days, it is very rare to get five detailed alapanas in a concert without compromising on other aspect of music. This calls for him planning and structuring the concert impeccably. If one has to make a template and tick the appropriate squares , this concert would have all those covered. One wonder, how he manages to do this day after day, every concert across all the parts of the world.

[rshankar]

#7 - mAlOn maruganai