Category Archives: Carnatic Music

Sanjay Subrahmanyan’s Concert

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This concert happened some 3 weeks back and as I am now getting ready to leave for Sanjay’s concert in another half an hour, I remembered that I didn’t post about this concert at all.

Accompanists:
S.Varadarajan – Violin
Guruvayoor Dorai – Mridangam
E.M.Subramaniam – Ghatam

Where & When? – Narada Gana Sabha (Papanasam Sivan Rasigar Manram) on 8th October

Concert Duration: 2 hrs

Songs List:
1. gAnarasamuDan nin – Begada – Swarams at gAnarasamuDan & manam kuLira
2. polla puliyinum – Mayamalavagowlai
3. kAntimati annai nee – Kanada – Alapana, Swarams at kAntimati, annai nee gati & nee gati
4. ADum deivam – Kambhoji – neraval at piri prapancham muzhudhum aaTTum thiru padam thanjam ena unai aDaindEn
5. Sri Valli Devasenapate – Natabhairavi – Alapana, Swarams at Sri valli – Tani Avartanam
6. thEril Erinaan – Kalyani
7. thookkatthile unadhu – Kharaharapriya
8. chittam irangadha – Sahana
9. KalpakAmbikai – Behag – Alapana
10. engum niraindhirukkum – Kurunji
11. manamE kaNamum – Bhimplas
12. Karpagame – Madhyamavati

Just that morning, I was telling a friend that I wished Sanjay sings chittham irangaadha since it had been a really long time since I last heard him sing it in a concert and guess what? Sanjay did sing it! Wouldn’t you feel so happy and elated if the singer sings the song that you wished he would sing in that day’s concert? 🙂

To me, the best part of the concert was the swarams in Kanada. 3 minutes of pure bliss it was!! Alapanas are what I look forward to in Sanjay’s concerts these days and needless to say, Kanada, Natabhairavi & Behag alapanas in this concert were absolutely brilliant.

Can’t wait to hear Sanjay sing today! 🙂

Missed the Kedaragowlai! :(

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I returned from a weekend trip to Vaalpaarai and Topslip today morning. Had a great time there. Before I write about it, I want to be done with my rant first!

I keep ranting here often about how it is almost always Todi that I get to hear as the main in most of TMK’s concerts that I go to. I had written in my previous post on T.M.Krishna’s concert that when he started the Todi alapana, I felt like screaming ‘Somebody please tell Krishna that he should sing raagams other Todi as main more often!’ That was how desperate I was to listen to him sing some other raagam as main. And sing he did in his concert last Friday. That too one of my most favourite raagams, Kedaragowlai! But unfortunately, I missed the concert since I had to catch the train that evening. 🙁

Last Thursday, right from the moment I reached home from office till about 11 in the night and again on Friday morning till I left for work, I was continuously listening to TMK’s recordings! I listened to all my favourites except only one – the elaborate Kedaragowlai alapana followed by Saragunapalimpa! I just love that song! Just imagine how it would have been had I gone for that concert and heard him sing it live!! I can’t tell you how disappointed I am! 🙁

Mambalam Sisters’ Concert

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Mambalam Sisters (Chitra & Vijayalakshmi) – Vocal
Hemalatha – Violin
K.S.Rangachari – Khanjira
Nellai Balaji – Mridangam

Where & When? – Siddhi Buddhi Sameta Sri Karpaga Vinayagar temple, R.A.Puram on 8th September

Songs list:
(Partial since I went about 30 minutes after the start of the concert, assuming of course, the concert had started on time 😉 )

1. Siddhi Vinayakam – Mohanakalyani – Swarams at Siddhi Vinayakam
2. Bhavayami – Raagamalika
3. intanuchu – Gundakriya
4. Nagumomu – Abheri – Alapana, neraval & swarams at Jagame – Tani Avartanam
5. unai paaDa varam – Kapi
6. vaNNa mayil vaahanane – Kavadi chindhu?
7. Kurai oNRum illai – Raagamalika
8. Sri Chakra Raja – Raagamalika
9. Vigna Vinayaka Murtikku MangaLam – Madhyamavati

If you don’t expect to listen to anything extraordinary and just want to listen to some good music and some popular songs, then you should have come for this concert.

Sikkil Gurucharan’s Concert

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Sikkil Gurucharan – Vocal
V.L.Kumar – Violin
K.V.Prasad – Mridangam
K.V.Gopalakrishnan – Khanjira

Where & When? – Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall on 4th September

Concert Duration: 1 hr 30 min

Songs List:
1. Shri Raghukula – Hamsadhwani – Swarams at vara ratna
2. Dattatreya – Ranjani – Alapana, neraval at SahyAdrivAsa SacchidAnanda Shrigurudeva Datta
3. nimma bhagya – Atana
3. Shri Dakshinamurtim – Phenadyuti
4. DinamaNi Vamsa – Harikambhoji – Alapana, neraval & swarams at DinamaNi vamsa
5. Kanakasabhaiyai – Kapi

This is the first-ever concert of Sikkil Gurucharan that I attended. Before this concert, I had only heard some 3-4 song recordings of his that came on TV – I don’t remember those too. So, I guess I can very well say that this is the first time I really heard him sing.

It was a very good concert. I didn’t find even a single moment boring. Gurucharan’s Ranjani & Harikambhoji alapanas, nimma bhagya, the fast-paced Hamsadhwani swarams were the ones that I liked the most in this concert. Looking forward to attending more concerts of Gurucharan in the future!

T.M.Krishna’s Concert

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T.M.Krishna – Vocal
R.K.Shriramkumar – Violin
Guruvayur Dorai – Mridangam
T.V.Vasan – Ghatam
Srirangam Kannan – Morsing

Where & When? – Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall on 3rd September

Concert Duration: 1 hr 40 min

Songs List:
1. Janaki pate – Kharaharapriya – Swarams at Janaki Pate
2. nannu bhrovumani – Kalyani – Alapana, neraval at adrija vinutuDu bhadragirishuDu
3. KarikalAbha mukham – Saveri – Alapana, neraval & swarams at mooladhara – Tani Avartanam
4. Rangabaaro – Maand
5. Varugalaamo – Maanji – Raaga outline
6. Gaayati Vanamali – Hamsadhwani
7. Bhujaga shaayino – Yadukula Kambhoji
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Sanjay’s concert

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Sanjay Subrahmanyan – Vocal
Nagai Muralidharan – Violin
Guruvayur Dorai – Mridangam
Neyveli Venkatesh – Khanjira

Where & When? – PiLLaiyar temple, Warren Road on 31st August

Concert Duration: 2.5 hrs

Songs list:
1. Varnam – Abhogi
2. Vinayaka – Hamsadhwani – brief neraval & swarams at Paramakripasagara
3. Appa naan – Poorvi Kalyani – Alapana, neraval & swarams at thappaedhu naan seyyinum nee porutthal vaeNDum
4. ennaeramum – Devagandhari (Started at anupallavi – thennancholai)
5. Bhrova baarama – Bhahudhari – Alapana, Swarams at Bhrova baarama
6. Yaaro ivar yaaro – Bhairavi – Alapana, neraval & swarams at chandrabimba mukhamalaraale ennai thaane paarkkiraar orukaale – Tani Avartanam
7. Thaeril erinaan – Kalyani
8. ivan yaaro sakhiye – Kambhoji – Raaga outline
9. maari ninRu mayakkidum (viruttam) in Sindhu Bhairavi followed by Visweswar darshan kar – Ragamalika (Sindhu Bhairavi, Pahadi, Kosalam) – Brief Sindhu Bhairavi Alapana
10. aarumo aaval – Maand – Raaga outline
11. Maname kaNamum – Bhimplas
12. Mangalam – Sowrashtram

Yet another amazing concert! I absolutely loved the Bhahudhari alapana and swarams. Couldn’t have enough of PDNPM! 😉 And then the best part of the concert – Bhairavi! The out of the world alapana, the rendition of yaaro ivar yaaro, the neraval & swarams – an enchanting Bhairavi it was! Though all the tukkadas were excellent, the Sindhu Bhairavi was extra special. Even though it was 11 pm by the time the concert ended, I really wished the concert could go on for some more time. 😉

For at least the next one month, with Sanjay touring the US, there is not going to be a Sanjay’s concert here. 🙁

Bowled over by Bowli & Nattakurunji!

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Sanjay Subrahmanyan – Vocal
Nagai Muralidharan – Violin
Guruvayoor Dorai – Mridangam
Neyveli Venkatesh – Khanjira

Where & When? – Krishna Gana Sabha on 17th August

Concert duration: 2hrs 45 min

Songs List:
1. Varnam – Nattakurunji
2. Raa rama inti – Asaveri – Swarams at raa rama
3. Entarani – Harikambhoji – neraval & swarams at sheshudu
4. ambarame – Kalyani – Alapana, swarams at sempor kazhaladi
5. Nagagandhari – Nagagandhari – Alapana
6. innum paramugam yaeno – Begada
7. Parvati nayaka – Bowli – Alapana, Swarams at Parvati nayaka – Tani avartanam
8. RTP – Nattakurunji – Pallavi: manadhil urudhi vaendum vaakkinil inimai vaendum – Triputa, Misra chapu – Swarams in Subhapantuvarali Kumudakriya
9. kaaNi nilam vaendum – Ragamalika (Hamsadhwani, ?, Sindhu Bhairavi)
10. nijagadasa – Sindhu Bhairavi
11. idhuvo tillai – Sindhu Bhairavi
12. Mangalam – Sowrashtram
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Going gaga over Sanjay’s singing!

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I switched on the computer to write about Sanjay’s amazing concert yesterday in which he sang the Nattakurunji varnam and an awesome Nattakurunji RTP among other pieces. As I started typing the list of songs, I started listening to his Nattakurunji varnam on repeat mode. Lost in the magic of Nattakurunji, I stopped the typing and started listening to more of his Nattakurunji – two different recordings of Jagadeesha and Vazhi Maraitthirukkudhe. Listening to Vazhi Maraitthirukkudhe made me want to listen to Ananda natana prakasham. Listening to it on repeat mode, I started browsing through Sanjay’s recordings that I have. After listening to a beautiful RTP in Hamirkalyani, I am now listening to the brilliant Bhageshri RTP. I have not been doing anything other than listening to Sanjay’s recordings non-stop for more than 5 hours now and still yeh dil maange more! 😉 Am at a loss of words to describe the effect that Sanjay’s music has on me. Sanjay is the best! 🙂