Sri Sanjay Subrahmanyan - MITHAS, Boston

Review the latest concerts you have listened to.
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kamakshi
Posts: 16
Joined: 23 Feb 2008, 07:51

Post by kamakshi »

Sri Sanjay Subrahmanyan - Vocal
Sri Nagai Muralidharan - Violin
Sri Neyvali Venkatesh – Mridangam

1. Sharanagatha Vatsale – Kadana Koothoohalam - Adi
2. Manasa yetulo – Malayamarutham – Rupakam – N,S
3. Nee Madi Chellaga – Ananda Bhairavi – Adi – A,S
4. Evarre Ramaiyya – Kangeya Bhushani – Adi
5. Pahi Jagad Janani – Hamsanandi - Adi – A,S,T
6. Unadiye – Bahudari – Adi
7. Jaya Jaya Gokula Bala – Ragamalika – Rupakam
8. RTP – Dwijavanthi – Khanda Triputa
-Senthil Nathanai Sevipom Vareer Devadhi Devanai
9. Ranjani Niranjani- Ranjani – Adi
10. Kandu Dhanya – Behag – Rupakam
11. String of viruthams – Oorilen kaani illai, Poothavale, Karu utranaal mudhalaga, Vizhiku Thunai
12. Maal aasai
13. Ramanai Bhajithal – Mand– Adi
13. Mangalam

No words can describe this concert and lend justice to the intellectuality, energy, and classicism of the concert. However, I will give a few of my observations for those of you who feel just a song list doesn’t suffice in describing a concert.

After the concert warmed up with the kadana koothoohalam varnam, Sri Sanjay Subrahmanyan proceeded with Manasa Yetulo. The niraval here launched straight into mel kalam and the following swarams were jam packed with dhattu swarams riddled with phrases like GPS, PRS, and GPND GPS. Following the crisp, adrenaline-packed, malayamarutham, the Ananda Bhairavi was slow and sedate, and the swarams were at a interesting place, the chittai swaram’s beginning – PDPS,S- which reminded me of the time he sang ‘telisi rama’ with swarams at the chittai swaram in another concert. It’s a rather cool way to swarams, in my opinion.

The main, Pahi Jagad Janani began with a typical Sanjay Subrahmanyan alapanai– which goes without saying that it was astounding followed by Nagai Muralidharan’s response which was another treat described only be more superlatives such as astounding and breathtaking … The swarams were sang at ‘Sarasa Krutanilaye’. Following was the thani avarthanam, on which I cannot comment and give full justice. It was a display of incredible vidwat and kept everyone rooted to their seats fully entranced by the music of the mridangam.

The Dwijavanthi RTP was aesthetically pleasing as well as intellectually satisfactory. It was definitely a challenge on the part of the audience to follow the various mathematical intricacies thrown in during the swarams. However, in all the mathematics, the beauty of the ragam and its soothing quality was never lost. Following ragamalika swarams, the last of which was Ranjani, Ranjani Niranjani immediately followed as a continuation of the RTP. Finally, Ramanai Bhajithal is an old favorite of mine and a great end to the concert. Overall, the usual comments given to a Sanjay Subrahmanyan concert – intellectual, energetic, classic, and simply awesome!
Last edited by kamakshi on 08 Oct 2008, 01:43, edited 1 time in total.

rajeshnat
Posts: 10121
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Post by rajeshnat »

kamakshi wrote:5. Pahi Jagad Janani – Adi – A,S,T
......
The swarams were sang at ‘Sarasa Krutanilaye’
This should be paahi jagajjanani paahi maam in hamsAnandi by Swati TirunAl, not the vAchaspathi paahi jagajjanani santatam which I thought it in first pass. See how much one learns from song list.
Last edited by rajeshnat on 06 Oct 2008, 20:23, edited 1 time in total.

arvindt
Posts: 78
Joined: 04 Jan 2007, 09:35

Post by arvindt »

I agree -- really power packed and enjoyable concert.

Gangeya Bhushani, Hamsanandi, the tani avarthanam and the
viruttam would be my picks of the concert, Evvare Ramaiyya is
such a superb composition with the haunting swaraksharam to
begin with, and it was done full justice by Sanjay. The Tamil
viruttam was hauntingly sung with both the ragas and the lyrics
being done full justice.

Ranjani swarams in RTP had a distinct MMI touch.

venkatpv
Posts: 373
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:23

Post by venkatpv »


kamakshi
Posts: 16
Joined: 23 Feb 2008, 07:51

Post by kamakshi »

rajeshnat, I have added the ragam to my original post...thanks for pointing it out!

s_hari
Posts: 872
Joined: 20 May 2007, 18:45

Post by s_hari »

venkatpv wrote:listen to this nee madi challaga!

http://sangeethamshare.org/kl/19-MDR-VV ... allaga.mp3
Venkat - thanks for the link.. Not sure whether i heard it before - nice chittaswara rendering!!! i enjoyed listening.. Couldn't decipher the conversation (after chittaswaram in anu pallavi) clearly though(;-

-hari

bilahari
Posts: 2631
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 09:02

Post by bilahari »

VVS's alapanai in that recording is sublime!

fuddyduddy
Posts: 206
Joined: 19 May 2006, 19:45

Post by fuddyduddy »

sounds like a great concert! i sure did miss the RTP in dwijawanti!

arasi
Posts: 16873
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Post by arasi »

The varnam is one among my favorites. Haven't heard anyone else sing it except Sanjay. Such a fluid varNam which sets the pace for a lively concert.
Haven't heard a HamsAnandi from him except in a ragamAlikA.
I had no idea whose kruti 'nI mati tsallaga' was untilI looked it up. It is by Kavi Matrubhutaiah.

thathwamasi
Posts: 274
Joined: 12 Aug 2006, 01:15

Post by thathwamasi »

<rajeshnat>haha.. nice one about the songlist....hahaha..

Ramaprasad
Posts: 94
Joined: 12 Jun 2006, 08:43

Post by Ramaprasad »

I thought I will add a few comments along the lines of what has been referred to here as ‘rasikaanubhava’. Hope it supplements the excellent write up by Kamakshi.
I was told that the plane arrived late on Sunday and the trio were rushed to the venue (Steven and Michele Kirsch Auditorium at MIT). The way the concert started (almost on time) and continued, there is no doubt that the trio of veterans had no difficulty switching from airplanes to alapanas. As if to demonstrate this, the Kadana Kuthoohala piece was brisk and robust, with a call for us all to sit up and pay attention. Since this was the last concert of this team on this tour, perhaps it was apt that Sanjay chose the varnam composed by his guru Calcutta K. S. Krishnamurthy to begin the evening’s program.

Tyagaraja’s Malayamarutha kriti evokes memories of a gentle breeze wafting through space. But one person’s reaction is that it was rendered very well, but rather fast, perhaps the inertia from the previous kriti affecting it. The alapana in Anandhabhairavi for Mathrubuthaiah’s kriti was pleading, evocative. Mathrubuthaiah was a senior contemporary of Thyagaraja. He was a native of Tiruchi and a sincere devotee of Sugandhi Kuntalambika. This kriti is said to be one of the earliest kritis having a Chittasvara appendage, according to one music scholar, who continues to add, “that it concludes with a crisp makutam consisting of three ‘tadinginattoms’ r s n d p – d p m g r – s g r g m." Kamakshi was astute in commenting on the chittaswaram. Mathrubuthaiah was also an opera composer.

The sangatis that Sajay sang for the pallavi line of the Gangeyabhushini piece was truly amazing and brought out very well the ragaroopa of this vivadi raga.

As pointed out by Kamakshi, the Hamsanandhi alapana was beyond any description. I was wondering, as the raga sank into my being, whether Sanjay was chasing the raga or the raga was chasing him and realized they had merged and had become one. The nagaswaram bani that one has talked about in the context of Sanjay’s music was evident. There was also a fragrance of drupad, I felt, in some of the passages. This experience alone was worth the trip to Boston. Just when one thought that one could mull over what had just been sung, Nagai Muralidharan’s solo alapana reminded one that there is more to it. It was a great continuation and sustaining of the mood created by Sanjay. Venkatesh’s thani at the end of the piece was very enjoyable, whose technical description is beyond my expertise.

As the concert continued, I was wondering whether this evening was also a subtle tribute to GNB. First, the Bahudari piece is a GNB composition. Second reason will come later.

Jaya Jaya Gokula Bala, in ragamalika (Bhairavi, Atana, Khambodhi, Kalyani and Suruti) is a Narayana Thirtha kriti, I believe. The beautiful chittaswaram at the end of each raga and its repetition as the next raga is sung was an audio feast. Saraswathi was looking on, making sure that the energy level of the trio on stage was at the highest.

The Dwijavanthi (RTP) alapana was contemplative, and where Sanjay switched from low to the higher key in quick series, it reminded me of a two voice piece in the western genre. Nagai’s follow up was a very imaginative, nuanced Dwijavanthi. There were only two ragas in the ragamalika part of the swarakalpana – Nagaswaravali and Ranjani. This is my second reason for thinking that GNB was in the mind of the vocalist. After Ranjani, he neither went back to the pallavi line nor forayed into another raga. He started singing Ranjani Niranjani.

The well known Behag piece is, of course, a composition of Mohanavithaladasa. The string of viruttams were in the ragas; Abheri, Shubha Panthuvarali, Yadhukula Kambhoji and Sindhu Bhairavi. After the Sivan kriti in Mand, I was hoping there would be a Tillana. But Mangalam followed.

A great, you-have-to-be-there musical event, capping off a great tour. We can only hope that they will be back soon, very soon.
Last edited by Ramaprasad on 07 Oct 2008, 23:20, edited 1 time in total.

rasaali
Posts: 172
Joined: 05 Feb 2007, 10:08

Post by rasaali »

arasi wrote:The varnam is one among my favorites. Haven't heard anyone else sing it except Sanjay. Such a fluid varNam which sets the pace for a lively concert.
Haven't heard a HamsAnandi from him except in a ragamAlikA.
I had no idea whose kruti 'nI mati tsallaga' was untilI looked it up. It is by Kavi Matrubhutaiah.
Arasiji - TRS and his school also sing this varnam.

Boston seems to be singularly fortunate to hear this rare Ananda Bhairavi kriti. A few years back Malladi Bros sang it beautifully.

Ramaprasad sir: I wonder how I missed meeting you. Too bad! It would have been great to chat up with you.

Ramaprasad
Posts: 94
Joined: 12 Jun 2006, 08:43

Post by Ramaprasad »

Same here, Rasali. Would have been great to meet and discuss the concert and the great music right after the program. I did it with my music friend who was with me. She got up to take a bow, if you recall. Secondly, I don't know who you are. May be another concert. I can't believe we have to wait a long time here to have Sanjay back here. Months sometimes feel like years!!

Ramaprasad

fuddyduddy
Posts: 206
Joined: 19 May 2006, 19:45

Post by fuddyduddy »

Wish we could get a recording of the RTP.. Was the concert recorded?

arasi
Posts: 16873
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Post by arasi »

Ramaprasad,
Great addition to the review! Thanks for enlightening me with all the information.
A grand finale of a concert, it seems, in spite of flight delays. True pros all!
Those of us who were unable to attend are hoping that the organizers will find time to get the CDs ready soon so that we can order them. The volunteering spirit in their spending time on recordings is always appreciated--and this applies to all the organizers...
Last edited by arasi on 07 Oct 2008, 23:21, edited 1 time in total.

PUNARVASU
Posts: 2498
Joined: 06 Feb 2010, 05:42

Post by PUNARVASU »

Great cutcheri, looks like and ,great reviews, we can see. Thanks everybody for the inputs and informations.Very educative.

rshankar
Posts: 13754
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Post by rshankar »

Ramaprasad wrote:Would have been great to meet and discuss the concert and the great music right after the program.
May be strange, but after a particularly good listening (or for that matter, visual) experience, I do not feel like talking at all - I'd rather (selfishly?) savor, and relive the moments. I find that conversation (even of the musical kind) a distraction in that state!

Ramaprasad
Posts: 94
Joined: 12 Jun 2006, 08:43

Post by Ramaprasad »

A musician friend of mine pointed out a couple of errors I had in raga naming and order. I have corrected them. I thank her for her vigilant eye.

Ramaprasad

dhanyasi
Posts: 45
Joined: 07 Aug 2006, 20:53

Post by dhanyasi »

Hmmm ....Aravindt convinced me that the first virutam piece was in Suddha Dhanyasi.. and i thought so(after talking to him).. are you sure about Abheri..

Ramaprasad
Posts: 94
Joined: 12 Jun 2006, 08:43

Post by Ramaprasad »

Rshankar,
I know I am preaching to the choir here, but we all know that music, its perception and internal enjoyment is very subjective and varies from individual to individual. Whereas, I think, it is bad to do overanalysis sixty seconds after Pavamana is finished, it is not a bad idea to have a very broad look at what happened during the 3 hours, especially in the company of musically cognizant persons. I have benefited from it. Of course, you do what gives you joy.

Dhanyasi,
I just now checked with my source ( a professional musician and teacher). I also thought it was shudha dhanyasi, but the word from this person is it is abheri. Look, we enjoyed it. Period.

Ramaprasad

kamakshi
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Joined: 23 Feb 2008, 07:51

Post by kamakshi »

I’m pretty sure the first virutham was in Suddha Dhanyasi because I heard plenty of phrases with G-S and G-N-S like ‘NSGNS’, and ‘SMGS’ and now that I think about it I’m nearly certain there no rishabam at all, leading me to conclude it is suddha dhanyasi he sang, not abheri, which has both a daivatham and rishabam in its avarohanam. Also, I remember the violin playing phrases that ended like G-S-P and something like P-N-S-G-N-S.

rganesh
Posts: 18
Joined: 06 Jan 2007, 23:56

Post by rganesh »

Sanjay's impression on the tour and on the concert at Boston:

http://sanjaysub.blogspot.com/

They reached the venue at 4:10 and they had no time to have lunch. They quickly changed, did the sound check and had quick sip of hot beverage to start the concert on the dot. Great professionals and an amazing concert.

motorman
Posts: 1
Joined: 11 Apr 2009, 22:53

Post by motorman »

For those looking for the CD, mithas did cut a 3 CD set. Sreekanth Sampathkumar or mithas.org can be contacted for the CD.

Saaramathi
Posts: 15
Joined: 17 Mar 2009, 17:05

Post by Saaramathi »

after going through all the inputs by the members about Sanjays concert there is no doubt that Sanjays concert should have been a superb one. normally his concerts are never a so so one.mostly we are elevated when he sings in his full form.i have heard him singing Varali for one&half hours in Chennai.

Saaramathi
Posts: 15
Joined: 17 Mar 2009, 17:05

Post by Saaramathi »

what was the rare krithi in Ananda Bhairavi ? was it SRINGARA LAHARI
by LINGARAJA URS ?

Saaramathi
Posts: 15
Joined: 17 Mar 2009, 17:05

Post by Saaramathi »

sorry SRingara lahari is in NILAMBARI.

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