Sanjay Subrahmanyan’s Kutcheri at Sri Krishna Gana Sabha

On 25-12-2017

Duration: 2 hrs 30 minutes

Violin: S Varadarajan
Mridangam: Neyveli Venkatesh
Morsing: Bangalore Rajasekar

1. Madhirakshi (varnam) – Bhairavi – Ata
2. Varalakshmim Bhajare – Sowrashtram – Adi – Swarams
3. Ananda Sagara – Garudadhwani – Adi – Alapana, Swarams at Ananda
4. Ananda Kootthadinaar – Kalyani – Rupakam – Neraval at Ananda Kootthadinaar Ponnambalam thanile
5. Dharini Telusu – Suddha Saveri – Adi – Alapana, Swarams at Dharini
Tani Avartanam
6. ULLam Urugi – Kanakangi – Rupakam
7. RTP – Harikambhoji
Pallavi – Orumaiyudan Ninandu
Swarams in
8. Paaril Uyarndha Nilam (viruttam) – Patdeep, Ananda Bhairavi, Mohanam, Pantuvarali, Patdeep
En Taai Vaazh Enum – Patdeep – Adi
9. Mangalam

Sanjay continued this Season’s special of singing new (at least to me) varnams with Madhirakshi in Bhairavi in this kutcheri too. Varalakshmim Bhajare was next given a leisurely rendition with some slow swarams too.

An elaborate alapana of Garudadhwani had the audience guessing what the raaga was, all the while enjoying it. I don’t remember having listened to Garudadhwani and was happy to hear a new raagam. Of course, in a Sanjay’s concert, it doesn’t matter if a raaga is familiar to you or not. All raga alapanas are always engrossing when he sings it. He even incorporated the raga aarohana and avarohana in this Alapana. Varadarajan also played a brilliant alapana.

Tyagaraja’s Ananda Sagara was the composition that followed. The swarams in Garudadhwani completed the learning experience with a full picture of the raagam presented.

Like any composition on The Dancing Lord of Chidambaram, Ananda Kootthadinaar was also sung with so much feel by Sanjay with the neraval adding in more feel.

The elaborate Suddha Saveri (Dharini Telusu) had all the happiness exuded by this raaga. A part of the audience launched off on an applause at the end of the anupallavi which is usually reserved for the end of a song. Did they forget that the Charanam is still left?

The Tani Avartanam started with the usual Neyveli Venkatesh style playing. Morsing is always enjoyable and I was happy to hear the Morsing Tani. The entire Tani Avartanam was packed with delightful rhythms.

A composition with its lyrics and the raagam it is set in both so moving is Suddhananda Bharati’s uLLam Urugi in Kanakangi. Sanjay gave the feel and the apt pace that this song deserved to be sung in.

The RTP was in Harikambhoji with the pallavi line being ‘Orumaiyudan’, the classic Ramalinga AdigaL song. I wished that post the RTP Sanjay would sing the song itself in the Kapi raagam he usually sings it in.

Yet another composition of Suddhananda Bharati made its way into today’s concert with Sanjay singing ‘En Taai Vaazh Enum’ next. A very moving patriotic song, it drew a huge applause from the audience, especially at Vaazhiya Bharatame.

The concert concluded on this patriotic note with Mangalam following next.

Yet another superb concert from Sanjay and team!

On 24-12-2017

Duration: 2 hrs 45 minutes

Varadarajan – Violin
Neyveli Venkatesh – Mridangam
K V Gopalakrishnan – Khanjira

1. Ninne Kori (varnam) – Asaveri – Ata
2. Munnavane yaanai mugatthavane (viruttam) – Hamsadhwani
VaaraNa mukhavaa – Hamsadhwani – Swarams at munnavane
3. Etula Brotuvo – Chakravaham – Alapana, Swarams at Etula
4. Kaakka Unakkirakkam – Kharaharapriya – Started at thookkatthile unadhu kaalinai maravaamal
5. Sri Subrahmanyaya – Kambhoji – Alapana, neraval and swarams at Vasavadi
Tani Avartanam
6. RTP – Danyasi – Taanam in Janaranjani, Kannada, Subhapantuvarali
Pallavi – Varada Venkata Gopala – Misra Chapu
7. ? – Khamas – 4-beat taalam (Eka taalam put in different style or something else??)
8. Japat Japat Hari Naam – Ragamalika with Maand, Sivaranjani, Behag, Sindhubhairavi – Brief Alapana of Maand – Adi
9. Theruvinil (Tiruppugazh) – Sururtti
10. Mangalam

The classic Sanjay – Varadarajan – Neyveli Venkatesh combination was back in this Narada Gana Sabha concert with K. V. Gopalakrishnan on the Khanjira. So it was a given that we were in for some classic treat today.

At two and a half hours duration, Narada Gana Sabha kutcheris are always shorter in duration compared to a majority of Sanjay’s kutcheris during the December Season. So at the end of the first 45 minutes itself, Sanjay had already completed four pieces and had started the Kambhoji alapana. But if you thought any of these pieces might have sounded rushed, it definitely didn’t. Raagams can be presented concisely too and that’s what happened.

I don’t remember having listened to the nice Asaveri varnam with which the concert started. The entire varnam was sung in a single kaalam.

A nice viruttam with all the feel early in the concert and a brief yet mind-blowing fast Hamsadhwani kalpana swarams which made one wish it would go on for some more minutes adorned VaaraNa mukha.

An elaborate Chakravaham Alapana bringing out all its nuances and the kriti Etula Brotuvo presented very well replete with kalpana swarams were very satisfying reminding me of Sanjay’s Chakravaham RTP from an old Charsur cassette.

Kaakka Unakkirakkam Illaya is one of my favourites sung by Sanjay and, as always, his rendition of it was quite moving. I only wished an alapana or a neraval had accompanied it.

At the end of 45 minutes, started alapana of the main piece of the day – Kambhoji. It is not only one of my favourite classic raagams but also one of my favourites sung by Sanjay with his renditions of songs like Tiruvadi Charanam topping the list.

A very elaborate Alapana which went on for fifteen minutes was filled with oodles of ‘aahaa’ moments! While the audience at Brahma Gana Sabha seemed to have taken Sanjay holding on to a higher octave note for a good stretch during the main Alapana, for granted, the audience here gave an applause, though not as loud as erstwhile.

The kriti, Shri Subrahmanyaya, was itself was sung so well with the moving neraval further adding on to the beauty of the composition. There was the janaranjakam aspect again when traces of the ‘Saraswati Sabatham’ song, ‘Kalviya Selvama Veerama’ made its way into the neraval.

The opening R G S phrases of the swarams, the more melodious swarams that followed and the fast swarams becoming more and more enjoyable as the climatic finish of the swarams approached were all absolutely brilliant.

When the Tani Avartanam started, Sanjay had already sung the Kambhoji for about 50 minutes with never even a second of it boring.

Neyveli Venkatesh’s tani avartanam started off with a lot of different stuff than his usual patterns and was very enjoyable with Gopalakrishnan on the Khanjira too giving an equally enjoyable experience.

Early in the Tani Avartanam, Gopalakrishnan was seen using his khanjira like a fan making one wonder if all the bright, colourful lights adorning the stage were radiating too much heat.

The filler between the main and the RTP was the classic Telisi Rama in pUrnacandrikA sung in a very fast tempo. While the composition, the chittaiswarams and, of course, the raagam in itself are so very blissful, if that bliss is to be served at its peak, it has to be during the concluding ‘rAmA’! Just for those few seconds of absolute bliss replete with all the highs and beauty of pUrnacandrikA, I wouldn’t have wanted to miss this concert.

A gripping RTP in Danyasi followed with delightful taanams in Janaranjani and Kannada and a soulful taanam in Subhapantuvarali.

The pallavi comprised of the names of the day’s accompanists – Varada Venkata Gopala. A quick round of swarams concluded the RTP.

A nice song in Khamas later came a soulful composition of Swati Tirunal, Japat Japat, a ragamalika. The song had a fitting finale with the line Japat Hari Naam Manuja in all the raagams in the ragamalika.

Then came a joyous Tiruppugazh in Surutti, the words of which seeming to indicate an important day in our state being commemorated.

As the concert concluded with Mangalam, this turned out to be yet another most fulfilling concert of this Season! I am excitedly waiting for the next concert at Sri Krishna Gana Sabha.

Sanjay Subrahmanyan at Bharat Kalachar

Violin: M. Rajeev
Mridangam: Palladam Ravi
Khanjira: Alathur Rajaganesh

Duration: 3 hours

List of Songs:

1. Sariyo (varnam) – Begada – Raga Outline
2. Tulasi daLa – Mayamalava Gowlai – Brief Alapana – Neraval and swarams at sarasiruha punnaga
3. Bhahudhari – Alapana – Unnadiye gati enradaindhen – swarams at unnadiye
4. Kumaraswaminam – Asaveri – Alapana
5. Kallu sakkare – Kalyani – Alapana – swarams at kallu – tani
6. Jaya Jaya Padmanabha – Manirangu
7. Shivashakti RTP – Shri Chakra Raja Nilaye Sivasakti Roopini – Triputa 2 Kalai – Swarams in Ananda Bhairavi, Manorama (a ragam created by Dr. M. Balamurali Krishna), Durga, Sivaranjani, Behag, Sururtti
8. Sollavallayo Kiliye – Ragamalika – Surutti, ?, Atana, Shanmukhapriya
9. Karpooram Narumo – Khamas – Raga Outline
10. Mangalam

The best part was, of course, the ragam taanam pallavi in Shivashakti! The entire piece had a meditative touch to it with the violinist too playing really well. The ragamalika swarams, as always, left a lasting impact of the ragams even though only a few minutes of it were performed. The Manorama swarams were absolutely moving!

Other highlights of this concert were the Mayamalava Gowlai neraval and swarams and Asaveri alapana. Bhahudhari alapana, though very nice, wasn’t as engrossing as the earlier Bhahudhari elaborations Sanjay has sung.

Sitting in the balcony of Sivagami Pethachi Hall waiting for Sanjay’s kutcheri to start, to say that I am very very excited is an understatement. I can’t wait to lose myself in the music!