Sanjay Subrahmanyan – Vocal
S.Varadarajan – Violin
Harikumar – Mridangam
Udupi Sridhar – Ghatam

Where & When? – Mudhra on 28th December

Concert Duration: 3 hrs 5 min

Songs List:
1. Nee Vanti (Varnam) – Nilambari – Ata Taalam – Raaga outline
2. Brocheva – Sri Ranjani – Swarams at Brocheva
3. Sudhamayi – Amritavarshini – Alapana
4. Abhimaana – Begada – Alapana, Swarams at Abhimaana
5. Enneramum Undhan – Devagandhari
6. Srinivasa – Karaharapriya – Neraval & Swarams at Kamalajaa manohara sreekara karuNaarasa jaladhara (Main piece)
7. KaNmaNiye – Saaranga – Raaga outline
8. Raagam Taanam Pallavi – Gowlai
Taanam in Gowlai, Nattai, Aarabhi, Varali and Sri
Pallavi: karuNai varumo kancha nammai kaattharuLa un
9. Nagumomu – Abheri
10. Modi jesavelara – Khamas – Raaga outline
11. Vizhikku thuNai (Viruttam) followed by Manadhirkkugandhadhu – Sindhu Bhairavi
12. Mangalam – Sowrashtram
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Yesterday I went to both Sanjay Subrahmanyan’s and T.M.Krishna’s concerts. 😀 I am so happy that I got to hear my favourite singers back to back.

Sanjay Subrahmanyan’s Concert
Accompanists:
Mysore Nagaraj – Violin
K.Arun Prakash – Mridangam
K.V.Gopalakrishnan – Khanjira

Where & When? – Bharat Kalachar on 27th December at 4:00 pm

Concert Duration: 2.5 hrs

Songs List:
1. Varnam – Kalyani – Ata Taalam
2. Parakela – Nattakurunji – Swarams at Parakela
3. Bhuvinita – Sri Ranjani – Alapana, Neraval & Swarams at padamule
4. Aadum Deivam – Kambhoji – Alapana, Neraval & Swarams at thirupaadham thanjam ena unai adaindhaen (Main piece)
5. Raagam Taanam Pallavi – Subhapantuvarali
Pallavi: ambikai jagadambikai varaaLidho srutiyodu layamum tharaaLidho – Ata Taalam
6. Jaanati Raamam followed by Raamani Bhajitthaal – Maand
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Sanjay Subrahmanyan – Vocal
S.Varadarajan – Violin
Neyveli B.Venkatesh – Mridangam
Bangalore Rajasekar – Morsing

Where & When? – Krishna Gana Sabha on 25th December

Concert Duration: 2.5 hrs

Songs List:
1. Varnam – Begada – Ata Taalam
2. Sri Kanchinayake – Asaveri
3. Rama ninne – Saaranga – Alapana
4. Jaya Jaya Padmanabha – Manirangu – Alapana, Swarams at Jaya Jaya
5. Meru Samana – Mayamalavagowlai – Alapana, Neraval & Swarams at galamuna shobhillu kanaka bhooshanamula (Main piece)
6. RTP – Gowrimanohari
Pallavi – darishanam kidaikumo natarajan dayanidhe un – Swarams in Sahana, Bowli, Nattakurunji
7. Vazhi maraitthirukkudhu – Nattakurunji
8. Naadi thedi – Bhagesri
9. Mangalam – Sowrashtram

I generally avoid going for concerts at T.Nagar. The very thought of the traffic there usually stops me from going for concerts there. But after that Bhageshri, I was not able to resist going to Sanjay’s concert at all! Besides the fact that Varadrajan was playing for Sanjay was too tempting to resist.

I liked the selection of raagas for this concert. Begada varnam and the Asaveri kriti, both of which am hearing for the first time, were too good. I loved the Saranga and Manirangu alapanas. Jaya Jaya Padmanabha in Manirangu was so beautiful and the swarams in the end were awesome.

I have no words to describe the Mayamalavagowlai alapana! I felt it had a soothing effect. I guess this was probably the first time I enjoyed Mayamalavagowlai so much. The Tani Avartanam was made all the more enjoyable by the Morsing.

After the Mayamalavagowlai came the part that I was waiting for – Raagam Taanam Pallavi and what an RTP it was!!! After the swarams in Sahana and Bowli when he started the Nattakurunji with the swarams M G S, the first thing that came to my mind was Sanjay’s excellent rendition of Vazhi Maraitthirukkudhu in a concert earlier this year and little did I expect him to sing it right after the swarams in Nattakurunji!! It was a moving rendition to say the least. Varadarajan was as usual, excellent on the violin throughout the concert.

As I had replied to a comment earlier, just when I was wondering that the previous day’s Bhageshri has finally left me after the wonderful Vazhi maraitthirukkudhu, the Bhageshri song that followed brought back the Bhageshri again and it was only Bhageshri again that continued to haunt me!

Sanjay Subrahmanyan – Vocal
Nagai Muralidharan – Violin
Tanjavur Ramdoss – Mridangam
T V Vasan – Ghatam

Where & When? – Rani Seethai Hall (Kalarasana) on 24th December

Concert Duration: 3 hrs 8 minutes

Songs List:
1. Varnam – Madhyamavati
2. Paramaatmudu – Vagadheeshwari – Swarams at Paramaatmudu
3. Ellaam Sivan Seyal – Vasanta – Alapana, Neraval at anjael anjael endru acchatthai poakkidum
4. attharuNam abhayam – Bhairavi – Alapana, Neraval at utthama piravi aLitthaai eL atthanaiyum naNRi illaiye
5. EkamranAtam Bhajeham – Purvi Kalyani – Alapana, Swarams at Omkara Rupam Sivam (Main piece of the concert)
6. Oho Kaalame – Sahana
7. Raagam Taanam Pallavi – Bhageshri
Pallavi: taaNDavam aadum tillai Natarajan tajum takajum takiTajum endru
8. Aadum Chidambaramo – Behag
9. Viruttam: Oorile – Kambhoji, PootthavaLe (Abirami Andhadhi) – Subhapantuvarali, Petra thaai thanai – Kurunji
Engum Niraindhirukkum – Kurunji
10. kaaNa vaeNDaamo – Sri Ranjani
11. Nee naamarupamulaku – Sowrashtram
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I was reading Robin Cook’s ‘Crisis’ sometime back and there was this line ‘Three things that never failed to rile him were bureaucracy, incompetence and stupidity, especially when they occurred together, which they often did.’ Isn’t this a line we all can relate to? Made me wonder if there would be anyone who doesn’t get vexed up when these three occur together?

The book by the way, though not unputdownable as some of the other Robin Cook’s, is pretty good till now. I still have a little more than 100 pages to read….

Excellent! This one is a must listen! It has been nearly a month since I listened to it first and with each listening, I seem to like it more. 🙂

Isn’t Jaya TV’s new music channel, Jaya Max, good? Finally a channel where there are no irritating VJs and endless telephone conversations between the callers and the VJs. Besides songs from latest ones to late 70s ones are shown. But that was how SCV channel was earlier, before it became Sun Music. Hope atleast Jaya Max remains this way!

Sangeetha Sivakumar – Vocal
R K Sriramkumar – Violin
Sherthalai R. Ananthakrishnan – Mridangam
Purushottaman – Khanjira

Where & When? – Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall on 8th December

Concert Duration – 2 hrs

Songs List:
1. Varnam – Sri
2. Raama nannu – Harikambhoji – Neraval & Swarams at Mepula kai
3. Devi Brova – Chintamani
4. Ninnu vina – Poorvi Kalyani – Swarams at Paramalo
5. Nenarunchinaanu – Malavi
6. Sree krishnam – Todi – Neraval & Swarams at Shankachakradhara
7. Alaipayuthey – Kanada
8. Bare panduranga – Mand
9. Nee naamarupamulaku – Sowrashtram

This was one of the concerts that I felt was good in parts. Except for a slip in Purvi Kalyana swarams, Sangeetha sang well though I felt that her concerts that I attended last season were much better than this. But considering the way some of them sitting near me were enjoying the concert, I am not sure how many will agree with me. R K Sriramkumar was as usual excellent on the violin. Sangeetha’s Todi alapana was pretty good.

R Prasanna – Guitar
Mannargudi Easwaran – Mridangam
Purushottaman – Khanjira

Where & When? – Dakshinamurthy Auditorium (Naadabrahmam) on 7th December

Concert Duration – 2 hrs
Speech before the concert – 20-25 min!

Songs List:
1. Varnam – Begada – Syama Sastri
2. Maha Ganapate – Natanarayani – Dikshitar
3. Nada Tanumanisam – Chittaranjani – Tyagaraja
4. Deva Deva – Mayamalava Gowlai – Swati Tirunal – Alapana & Swarams
5. Marivere – Latangi –Patnam Subramania Iyer – Swarams
6. Karpagame – Madhyamavati – Papnasam Sivan – Swarams
7. Charanam Bhava – Hamsavinodini – Narayana Teertar
8. RTP – Bhairavi – Pallavi (Tyagarajanani endrendrum vaNangi poattriduvaen) composed by Prasanna – Adi
9. Radha Sameta – Misra Yaman
10. ? – Bilahari
11. Mangalam/Nee Naamarupamulaku – Sowrashtram
12. Raaga outline of Madhyamavati
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I came across this tag in SK’s blog. For a change, a tag that had questions that interested me. Here goes the tag.

Q1. Are you happy/satisfied with your blog, with its content and look?
Yes about the look part of it. I like the theme of my blog so much that I don’t have the heart to part with it and give my blog a new look. 😛 As for the content, well, I wish I had more time so that I can write much better and write more.

Q2. Does your family know about your blog?
Yes.

Q3. Do you feel embarrassed to let your friends know about your blog or you just consider it as a private thing?
Nope. My blog has only the things that I discuss with friends. Besides, all my close friends already know about my passion for Carnatic, Rahman’s music and Mani Ratnam’s movies, which are the primary contents of my blog. But still, I wouldn’t tell everyone about my blog.
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