Sanjay at Bangalore Gayana Samaja on 28/10/2018

[kvchellappa]

A beautiful concert by Sanjay with S Varadarajan, Neyveli B Venkatesh and Rajasekar (Morsing)
‘I too’ went for the above concert. I enjoyed it forgetting the fog that has enveloped Carnatic Music scene. Here is a professional musician, to whom music is the profession and the audience the masters. He never takes the audience for granted, nor the music he has to offer. There are great musicians, some may be even better, but in structuring a concert with sense of proportion and variety of songs and ragas and composers, he is matchless. As the organizer said, he is punctual, polite and humble.
There have been talented rasikas in the audience, including two who have come down from Chennai just for this one event. Sanjay did not disappoint them. The bhairavi alone would have paid for their trip. We can expect quality reviews from them (Anuradha Kannan and K P Jayan). I am just giving some cranky comments here.
After a varnam (I am not familiar with), Kumaraswaminam followed in lovely Ahiri. Alapana of begada was next. Sanjay had a teasing start. He cajoled begada, as it were, and made every phrase a gem. Not satisfied with gentle pushes and shoves, he went on higher gear and searched where all begada was hiding and made it jump out. After the visibly vigorous effort Sanjay is identified with (something that I enjoy with his music, but which is off-putting to traditionalists), he assumed, as it were, the role of begada. Begada pleaded for being shown more delicacy. He obliged and landed it smoothly maybe a little underground. Varadarajan was his usual excellent self and begada by now knew what treatment to expect. A Swathi thirunal krithi gave shape to begada.
The main was bhairavi. What bhairavi it was! Bhairavi was watching begada and being as much well acquainted with Sanjay, she danced to the tune of Sanjay like Balasarswathi. Sanjay kept going higher and higher with that fountain of energy he comes with and Varadarajan followed him like a shadow. It was a grand affair. Koluvai was the song taken (previously he sang evarito in manavathi, he announced the raga name) and it was a surprise being a second Thyagaraja krithi. What a song it is! I have not heard Sanjay sing it before. It was done with gusto, with Venkatesh adding a sprightly gait and the hall with about 700 listeners was set afire. Neraval was in manasu ranjilla.
Tani started. The person next to me remarked, ‘too loud’ and left for a break. That was a nice way to excuse oneself during tani, I thought. The mrdangist however made sure that the beat was audible outside the auditorium and that the rasika did not miss it in the coffee stall which was as crowded as the auditorium. The audience liked it going by the well punctuated applause. It was of course electrifying tani but for the decibel.
What next? A filler before RTP was obligatory. There was no prtimadhyama song, no viruttam, no Tamizh song. Sanjay took care of all this in one go. After manaada with Sanjay aada, Ananda kootthadinaar flowed. Andandam and koothu, it was.
Arabhi RTP. Rajivaaksha baaro radha ramana. A clever Kannada song I thought, with just baaro, but Sanjay had one to follow in full Kannada. A bolt from the blue. I have not heard it before and likely it was BGS release as a trailer before Deepavali.
Waiting now for 4th November.

[rajeshnat]

How,long was,concert exclusive,of speech . Thank u kvc u are turning out to be such a great and unique,writer.

[kvchellappa]

Thank you. It started at 5.55 PM. I left at 8.50 PM when the speech started. I do not know how long he sang after the speech.

[kvchellappa]

Here is a proper review. Kumaraswaminam is in asaveri, I understand.
https://www.facebook.com/balasubramanian.gurumurthi

[Sachi_R]

Sri KVC,
Whaaa....
"Begada underground.
Bhairavi dancing to Sanjay's command like Balasaraswati."
"Canteen as crowded as the concert hall".

Sir, you're filling the Carnatic void. I too congratulate you.

[Sivaramakrishnan]

kvc,
This is THE review of the year because you've taken the event to the non-attendees in the most convincing manner. Nothing unbelievable for a rasika who is familiar with Sanjay's approach and recital.

[arasi]

Agreed.
KVC,
Now, I'm pulling your leg. It was anything but improper...?? You called the review you posted after yours 'proper'--to me, it was yet another good review.
After this weekend, may we expect another double header?
Not far, yet too far at present for me...