Sanjay Subrahmanyan – Vocal
Nagai Muralidharan – Violin
Mannargudi Easwaran – Mridangam
B.Sreesundarkumar – Khanjira

Where & When? – Vidya Bharati (Bhairavi Gana Sabha) on 5th January

Concert Duration: 2.5 hrs

Songs List:
1. Varnam – Bhairavi
2. Ninnaadanela – Kannada – Swarams at Ninnaadanela
3. Ramanatam – Pantuvarali – Alapana, Neraval & Swarams at kumaara guruguha
4. Vaa velavaa – Taanaroopi – Alapana, Swarams at vaa velavaa
5. Daasa vilasa – Kambhoji – Alapana, Swarams at Daasa (Main piece)
6. Neerajaakshi – Hindolam – Raaga outline
7. Oho Kaalame – Sahana
8. Oorile (viruttam) – Kapi, Bhageshri
Nanda tanaya – Bhageshri
9. KaaNa vaendaamo – Sri Ranjani
10. Tillana – Sindhu Bhairavi
11. Mangalam – Sowrashtram

Sanjay and Nagai Muralidharan combination seems to be creating magic this season and this concert was no different! 🙂

These days Sanjay seems to be singing many not-so-often or rather rarely heard raagams. It was taanarupi in today’s concert. It was amazing! The kriti in Kannada and the Pantuvarali that preceded it were well-rendered by Sanjay. The Kambhoji alapana lasted some 15+ minutes. It was only last week that I heard him sing Kambhoji as the main. I liked today’s Kambhoji more than the earlier concert’s.

Every time Sanjay sings a Bhageshri in the end, I forget everything else and it’s only his Bhageshri RTP that’s there on my mind! What an RTP it was!! Today’s Bhageshri especially was so reminiscent of the Bhageshri Raagam Taanam Pallavi since not only did he sing the viruttam in Bhageshri, the mini raaga alapana in between the viruttam & the song had touches of the RTP too! I liked the song, nandatanaya. With the moving kaaNa vaendaamo that he sang next and Oho Kaalame that preceded it, I felt as though I had gone back to the Kalarasana concert where he sang those as well. 🙂

I loved the Sindhu bhairavi tillana. Incidentally, he sang it in yesterday’s concert too.

With Sanjay being in top form this season, these days, each concert of his is a treat for the audience. 🙂

I have often wondered why many generally use the words climate and weather interchangeably.

Quoting the meaning given in the dictionary.com from The American Heritage Science Dictionary,

Weather – The state of the atmosphere at a particular time and place. Weather is described in terms of variable conditions such as temperature, humidity, wind velocity, precipitation, and barometric pressure. The average weather conditions of a region over time are used to define a region’s climate.

Climate – The general or average weather conditions of a certain region, including temperature, rainfall, and wind.

Why do many say that the climate on a particular day is nice or bad when weather is the word that should be used? Talking about weather, I hate the weather in Chennai today! I wish it would stop raining. Roads are so messy.

Why are some people hell-bent on irritating others ALWAYS?! 😡

Apart from Madhavan’s interviews, which did not have anything new or interesting, Ajith’s interviews on Sun TV and Vijay TV were the only other special New Year programmes that I watched.

I really liked Ajith’s Sun TV interview a lot. He spoke so frankly about everything from the supposed competition that exists between him and Vijay, the relationship he shares with his directors, his attitude, his fans, his family, his passion for racing to even the SMSes about him that come on Sun Music! 🙂 I am sure the way he talked so proudly about his fans and their loyalty to him would have made all his true fans very happy. 2007 saw Ajith looking quite handsome in Kireedam and then so stylish in Billa. In this interview too, he looked handsome in a white blazer with a graying beard and a smile on his face about which a lot was discussed. His way of speaking reminded me of Raghuvaran’s. Though he did speak on some more topics, his interview on Vijay TV became somewhat a repetition of the Sun TV one.
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In what has been otherwise been a worst year when some of the things which I wished had never happened, happened, the one good thing about 2007 is that it has been a musically very satisfying year for me. In the beginning of 2007, I never thought that I would go for so many concerts or I will become even more passionate about Rahman’s and Carnatic music or I would write so much about music! Is there any better way than ending that year and welcoming the new one on a musical note?

For the past few years, there is a special program held at Music Academy on the New Year’s Eve where many Carnatic musicians, old and young, give solo as well as group performances. This is the first time I am going for that. It was organized by Carnatica.
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Malaroadu malar ingu magizhndhaadum boadhu
Manadhoadu manam inRu pagaikoLvadheno
Madham ennum madham oayattam
Desam malar meedhu thuyil koLLattum

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year! 🙂

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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