Vocal - Sanjay Subramaniam
Violin - S Varadarajan
Mridangam - Neyveli Venkatesh
Ghatam - Giridhar Udupa
1. Virboni - Bhairavi - Pachimiriyam Adippayya Ata Thala Varnam
2. Varanamukhava Thunai - Hamsadhwani - Koteeswara Iyer
3. Brova Bhaarama - Bahudari - Thyagaraja
4. Ranganayakam Bhaaveyaham - Nayaki - Dikshitar
5. Padavendume - Hamsanadam - Dandapani Desikar
6. Buddhi Radu - Shankarabharanam - Thyagaraja
7. Ninne Nammide neeraja Shyama - Ananda Bhairavi - Purandaradasa
8. Bhogindra Shayinam - Kuntalavarali - Swathi Thirunal
9. RTP - Charukesi Pallavi line - Karunai Varumo Kandha Nammai kaatharula un
10. Thani Avarthanam -
11. Etthanai Sonnalum Theriyada (Padam) - Saveri - Subbarama Iyer
12. Kande na Udupi Krishnarayanna - Durga - Purandaradasa
13. Noolai Padi - Behag - Bharathidasan
14. Viruttam followed by Karpagame - Madhyamavathi - Papanasam Sivan
15. Thillana - Dhanashree - Swathi Thirunal
16. Maalasai kopam Oyadha naalum - Jaunpuri - Thiruppugazh of Arunagirinathar
17. Mangalam
Swara Raga Sudha is an annual event organised by Pradosham/Ragamalika of Abu Dhabi. It is a musical festival organised over a period of two days. The final concert was that of Sangeetha Kalanidhi Sanjay Subramaniam who was performing for the third time at Abu Dhabi under Pradosham/Ragamalika banner. Sanjay was accompanied by his regular set of accompanying artists - Varadarajan on violin and Neyveli Venkatesh on Mridangam. Giridhar Udupa on Ghatam accompanied this regular team. All the artists on the stage were dressed in white and it looked very nice on the stage. Sanjay Subramaniam is a superstar in Carnatic music and this concert by him made it very clear as to why ihe is a superstar with such a mad fan following across the world. His selection of the krithis were also excellent with a mix of krithis of various composers including like Thyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar, Swathi Thirunal etc and a few tamil/kannada krithis. The lsit of krithis rendered are given above.
A marathon concert by the superstar lasting 4 hours was a treat for the senses of carnatic music lovers in UAE. Sanjay started off with the Ata Thala Bhairavi Varnam - Virboni of Pachimiriyam Adippayya which was rendered in different speeds and established the base for what the audience could expect in the evening's concert. He followed it with a brisk rendition of Hamsadhwani krithi Varanamukhava of Koteeswara Iyer. This is a beautiful krithi which is an invocation to the Lord to accompany us on a journey of enjoying music, poetry which is the essence of the Vedas and has teh nectar of karuna. How true this krithi was in hindsight when I sit down to review the concert. I understand that this is the invocation song also the book of krithis by Koteeswara Iyer. Then came an elobarote rendition of Thyagaraja's popular krithi - Brova Bhaarama in Bahudari ragam.
After the first three songs which were all quite fast paced, Sanjay took up Ranganayakam of Muthuswami Dikshitar in Nayaki ragam. He rendered it at quite a leisurely pace soulfully savouring the Bhaavam of the krithi. I have always loved the rendition of this krithi by DK Pattammal and DK Jayaraman and I can say without doubt that Sanjay reached the same level as them in rendition of this krithi. The audience was transported to Srirangam in the presence of Lord Ranganatha. The violin accompaniment and as well as the percussionists provided able support. The whole mood was transformed with this krithi.
Next Sanjay rendered Dandapani Desikar's Paada Vendume in Hamsanadam. Sanjay's fascination for Dandapani Desikar is well known and this krithi again is very meaningful and tells how to sing - i.e understanding very well the meaning of the lyrics, the music, keeping the Lord Nataraja in mind and transforming the soul. Finally harmonising with the accompaniments, maintaining melody, thalam etc are enumerated in this krithi. After this short rendition,
Sanjay took up Shankarabharanam ragam for elaboration. I had a desire a few weeks back that one of the artists during this year's Ragamalika festival should render Shankarabharanam and Sanjay fulfilled that unexpressed desire for me. We keep listening to Thodi, Kambhoji, Kharaharapriya, Bhairavi, etc regularly ini concerts. Nowadays, I feel that the heavy weight ragas like Kalyani and Shankarabharanam which were quite popular a few decades back are slowly disappearing. After a detailed alapana, he took up the krithi Buddhi Radu. I felt very when he took up a krithi which is not heard often compared to the more popular krithis in Shankarabharanam.
After the heavyweight Shankarabharanam, Sanjay rendered a short Purandaradasa krithi Ninne Nammide Neeraja Shyama in Ananda Bhairavi and followed it up with Bhogindra Shayinam in Kuntalavarali ragam of Maharaja Swathi Thirunal.
Now came the main piece of the evening. He started with a ragam of Charukesi. The expectation was that he would render a popular krithi of either Maharaja Swathi Thirunal or a Thyagaraja krithi. One member in the audience felt that he could spring up a surprise and also render a Tamil krithi. Varadarajan has been accompanying Sanjay regularly for such a long time and the way they have a mutual understanding is fantastic. Varadarajan enhances and adds to the concert of Sanjay. The team mutually contribute to each other's performance. After the elaborate raga alapana, he started with a thanam. The pallavi in Charukeshi was - "Karunai Varumo Kandha Nammai Kaatharula un". Being laya challenged I cannot tell you the Thalam or other intricate details. Pallavi was quite elaborate and lot of ragas followed like Sahana, Saranga, Varali, Patdeep (which I and a friend could identify). The RTP lasted more than an hour and it was followed by a Thani Avarthanam wherein both Neyveli Venkatesh and Giridhar Udupa were excellent. The energetic exchanges between them was a treat.
Next came a very good Saveri Padam - Etthani Sonnalum Theriyada which was followed by another Purandaradasa krithi Kande Na Udupiya Krishnarayanna. I understand that it was rendered in Durga as indicated by my friend.
Then Sanjay rendered a poem of Bharathidasan - Noolai Padi. This is a poem which Sanjay himself has set to tune in Behag ragam. In a elaborate interview, he has made mention of this krithi. Sanjay rounded off the concert with a Viruttam followed by Karpagame in Madhyamavathi of Papanasam Sivan, a Thillana in Dhanashree ragam of Maharaja Swathi Thirunal and a Thiruppugazh verse rendered in Jaunpuri ragam.
It was a power packed performance by Sanjay and one of the excellent concerts produced by him in recent times. As I already mentioned in the beginning, the concert lasted 4 hours and each minute of the concert was cherishable. I already mentioned that Sanjay is a superstar and he has a mad fan following. I had a cousing from Dubai, who made it a point not to miss Sanjay's concert and attended the same. I am also aware that there are some fans who follow Sanjay around various venues and try to catch as many concerts of him as possible. This is all due to the hard work put by Sanjay over the years to entertain as well as educate the listeners. This concert was a evidence of why he has such a mad group of fans following him and the reason why he enjoys such a stardom in carnatic music circles.
