Sanjay Subrahmanyan @ R.R.Sabha, Chennai

Venue: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Main Auditorium, East Mada St, Mylapore, Chennai

Date: 27 Jan 2007

Organizer: Rasika Ranjani Sabha (R.R.Sabha)

Vocal: Sri. Sanjay Subrahmanyan

Violin: Sri S.Varadarajan

Mridangam: Sri Neyveli Venkatesh

List of songs:

1) chalamu sEyanEla (varnam) – hindOLam – Adi – tiger varadAchAriAr

2) kalayAmi – kannaDa – misra chApu – swAti tiruNAL (OS)

3) sundaratara dEham – pantuvarALi – Adi – thyAgarAja (ANS)

4) paruvam pArka – danyAsi – rUpakam – Anai ayyA (A)

5) srI subramaNyAya – kAmbOji – tisra Eka – muthuswAmi dIkshitar (AST)

6) yAr pOi solluvAr – tOdi – misra chApu – ghanam krishna iyer

7) tEril ErinAn – kalyANi – rUpakam – pApanAsam sivan

8 ) tirisila giriyAr – chenchuruTTi – Adi – ??

9) kAdi mOdi (tiruppugazh) – shankarAbharaNam – ** (see below) – aruNagirinAthar

10) nI nAma rUpa mulaku (mangaLam) – sowrAshTram – Adi – thyAgarAja

** each avartanam of talam for song 9 was put as two tisra chApus followed by a kanDa chApu followed by a kanDa ekam

(Key: O=raga outline, A=raga alapana, N=neraval, S=kalpana swaram, T=taniavartanam)

Sri Sanjay Subrahmanyan never ceazes to amaze me. What a repertoire of songs !! What quality raga alapanas !!! What an imagination !!!! I could just go on and on. One thing I think will surely happen is that about 10-15 years from now, there will be at least 10 songs that would be associated with his name for having been popularised by him.

Sri Sanjay began this wonderful concert of his with the awesome hindOLam raga varnam of Sri Tiger Varadachariar, one of my personal favorites. The relatively short pantuvarALi alapana that came after the song kalayAmi was beautifully executed by both Sri Sanjay and Sri Varadarajan. It was as though a crash course in pantuvarALi alapana singing was being provided for the benefit of rasikas and students of music. The alapanas, neravals, kalpana swarams, song renditions etc can all be described with the most choiciest adjectives and would yet probably fall short of describing the way Sri Sanjay performed.

Sri Varadarajan and Sri Neyveli Venkatesh have played in so many concerts now for Sri Sanjay and this, along with the fact that they are playing for such a top class performer would obviously be extracting the best out of them. Sri Venkatesh played a very good taniavartanam in tisra Ekam comprising the chatusra and misra naDais.

A very very satisfying concert indeed !!!!!