Sanjay @ Sri Rathnagiriswarar temple Besant Nagar Chennai Fe

mahavishnu · Post by **mahavishnu** » 22 Feb 2009, 22:59

Sanjay Subrahmnayan
S Varadarajan - Violin
Tiruvarur Vaidyanathan - mridangam
Sreesundar Kumar - kanjira

Vanajaksha - Reetigowlai varnam
Ananda natamaduvar thillai - poorvi kalyani (N,S)
Tyagaraja yoga vaibhavam - ananda bhairavi (A)
Edaiyya gati - chalanata (A,S)
Sabhapatiku - abhogi
Nagagandhari - nagagandhari
Adiya padam - kamboji (A,N,S,T)
Petra thai thanai Natarajar pattu - viruttam (kedaragowla, shanmukhapriya, nattaikurinji, begada)
Maname kanamum - Abheri/Bhimplas
Mangalam - Sowrashtram

This is the last day of my vacation in India and I happened to catch a top-quality kutcheri of the kind we have come to expect from Sanjay Subrahmanyan. I do not have notes from the kutcheri, but since no one has come up with a review, I though I would write a quick note and provide a songlist from memory.

The audio system was a bit on the loud side, which was both good and bad. Good because it kept the ambient crowd noises to a minimum, but bad because the fidelity was poor. The concert was brisk from start to finish. Sanjay's voice settled by the time he got to Chalanatai. It is remarkable how he managed to get a temple audience to appreciate the subtleties of a vivadi ragam. He began the abhogi piece from the anupallavi line "Kripanidhi" and presented the piece with much passion. The nagagandhari was not the best I've heard, but the kamboji that followed was to die for. Varadarajan's replies were outstanding. The viruttam was superb and refreshing although many of us have heard the lines several times. Tiruvarur Vaidyanathan was loud for the most part, but the tani was exceptional. The kanjira rang loud through most of the concert, partly due to the poor amplification. There are times when the kanjira artiste could have stayed away from accompanying the sahityam, but each upapakkavadyam artiste has his/her own idea of how sparsely to play. All in all, it was a classic Sanjay show. A great way to end my vacation before I return to a life of shoveling snow. Atleast four more weeks of it as per the groundhog.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 23 Feb 2009, 01:14

Mahavishnu,
Great to get your review after a long time.
Is that what the prediction is from Pennsylvania? Well, you have to summon granny from Beverly Hills to 'git' that gun out and chase that critter out and put some sense into him.
Yes, it is nice to take a memorable concert with you when you head back home.
Hope the prediction is all wrong. Have a good trip!

pallavi · Post by **pallavi** » 23 Feb 2009, 05:14

The Kamboji composition was "Aadum Deyvam Ni Arulvay"

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 23 Feb 2009, 09:12

Yes, ADum daivam it is, and rendered with a lot of punch too, I imagine. I notice that sabApatikku has made a come back after several years, this all time favorite.That rItigowLai is one of those appetizer-varNams that Sanjay sings which makes one look forward to the rest of the fare.

malavi · Post by **malavi** » 23 Feb 2009, 12:26

The ritigaulai varnam of veenai kuppier gave us the idea how the concert was going to be. After K.V..N. this was the best tyagaraja yogavaibhavam i have heard.Sanjay had exclusively selected kritis on lord siva except nagagandari.the raga alapana and swaram for edayya gati both by sanjay and varadarajan was really praise worthy.The standing ovation he got after the brillient kamboji showed how he can make his audience happy.The viruttam in kedaragulai,shanmukapriya begada,darbarikanada,nattakkurinji,kapi and sama was followed by the song thillaistalam,the last item being maname kanamum.It was annonced at the beginning of the concert that there was no time limit.Only when sanjay wished the concert would end.And sanjay as usual whether it is a temple concert or music academy or any other sabha gave his best and the audience remained till the end. Varadarajan supported sanjay very well and at times he kept us spell bound.Thani though a bit loud for the place was interesting.

shruthi6 · Post by **shruthi6** » 23 Feb 2009, 14:45

malavi wrote:And sanjay as usual whether it is a temple concert or music academy or any other sabha gave his best and the audience remained till the end.

You are absolutely spot on. Sanjay gave a more than 100 % to this concert as well. Really a fitting finale to the Sivarathri Series at the Temple.

ratnam · Post by **ratnam** » 25 Feb 2009, 07:53

You can`t expect high quality of music in a temple concert.The man who handled the sound system is a graduate of music college and he was enjoying Sanjay`s music, nodding his head and keeping beats.Loudness depends where you are seated.We,sitting on the floor close to the artistes never felt the music loud. The man who operated the sound system did not unnecessarily meddled with the sound except on demands of the artistes. It is usual for Mridangam artistes for loudoutput.Sanjay is the only artste who gives more than 100% to his rasikas wherever he renders and you can see it on the sweat on his neckline. In all it was an excellent performance.