Sanjay’s concert on 9th August at CLT, IIT Madras (Clasfest)

This concert was the 100th concert of Sanjay that I was going for and what a concert it was! 🙂

Accompanists:
Varadarajan – Viloin
Neyveli Venkatesh – Mridangam
Trichy K.Murali – Ghatam

Concert Duration: 2 hrs 45 min

List of Songs:
1. undan pAda (varnam) – sankarAbharaNam– aTa
2. dayA payonidhe – jaganmohini – swarams at dayA payonidhe – Adi
3. kanugonu – nAyaki – misra cApu – AlApana
4. bhajarE rE cita – kalyANi – misra cApu – AlApana; neraval & swarams at dEvi Sakti
5. kalangAde maname – rAgavardhini – Adi – brief AlApana
6. niravati sukhadA – ravicandrika – Adi
7. RTP – kEdAragowLai
pallavi: parimaLa ranga bhakta mAm pAhi – Adi
tani Avartanam
8. pAyum oLi (sung as both viruttam & song) – Misra Khamaj? – Eka
9. kanduga (viruttam) – sAveri, bEgaDA, hamsAnandi, behAg, sencurutti
angai koDumalar – sencurutti, nAdanAmakriyA
10. tillAnA – sindhu bhairavi – Adi – rAgA outline
11. mangaLam – sowrAshTram

The varnam was just about OK, with the sound system too not being good initially. Contrasting to the mood set by jaganmOhini was the beautiful alapana of nAyaki, a joyous ragaam. kalyANi continues to remain a not-so-favourite raagam and I was a little disappointed when Sanjay started the AlApana. But the entire kalyAni piece itself was quite enjoyable. I really liked some parts of the neraval and swarams.

Sanjay’s rendition of kalangAde maname, like his rendition of any other Koteeswara Iyer’s composition, was nice. niravati sukhadA, which figures often in Sanjay’s concerts nowadays, was so very delightful. I equally enjoyed Varadarajan’s playing for this. There was one place in the chittaswarams wherein he played a very beautiful phrase. The delightful atmosphere created by niravati SukhadA only intensified with the raagam that followed next – kEdAragowLai!

The last time I had heard Sanjay sing an elaborate kEdAragowlai was at Carnatica’s Bharat Sangeet Utsav in November 2006. I liked it so much that since then, I had been waiting to hear him sing kEdAragowlai as the main again. Alas it so happened that I missed the concerts in which this was the main! Think about the number of concerts of Sanjay that I would have attended in between and the variety of raagams that Sanjay offers becomes evident. Main pieces in raagams like bhAgEshri, rAgEshri, chAyAranjani, paTdIp, darbAri kAanaDA to raagams like nIlAmbari, bowLi! Attending Sanjay’s concerts has not just been enjoying the music but also getting to know many new raagams & compositions.

Looking back, Sanjay’s 2006 Bharat Sangeet Utsav concert itself is special for a lot of reasons. It was from that concert onwards that going for concerts became a part of my routine and I tried not to miss a concert of TMK or Sanjay as much as possible.

Coming back to this concert, getting to listen to not just an AlApana, but also a taanam in kEdAragowlai made my day. I loved every minute of the RTP. Both Sanjay’s singing and Varadarajan’s playing was blissful.

A not-so-appealing pAyum oLi, the viruttam sung in a good choice of raagams and a moving sindhu bhairavi tillAnA brought the concert to a close.

This concert will surely be cherished by me forever for more reasons than one.