Sanjay Subrahmanyan’s Concert
At Rasika Fine Arts on 4th January, 2009

Accompanists:
Nagai Muralidharan – Violin
Mannargudi Easwaran – Mridangam
K.V.Gopalakrishnan – Khanjira

Concert Duration: 2 hrs 5 min

Songs List:
1. viribhoni – bhairavi – swarams at chiru
2. raghunAyaka – hamsadhwani – swarams at raghunAyaka
3. vazhi maraittirukkudE – nAttakurunji
4. kalangAdE manamE – rAgavardhini – AlApana
5. akhilAnDeshwari – dwijAvanti – AlApana; swarams at akhilAnDeshwari – tani Avartanam
6. gOvardhana – darbAri kAnaDA
7. kandA guhA (viruttam) – kAmbhOji, varALi, Abheri, behAg
8. UrellAm (viruttam), OhO kAlamE – sahAnA
9. kulam tarum & UrilEn kANi (viruttams), brindAvanamiduvO – suddha dhanyAsi
10. karpagamE – madhyamAvati
11. mangaLam – sowrAshtram

Today was the first concert of Sanjay this year. And what a concert it was to begin the year with! The high-points of this concert were dwijAvanti, vazhi maraittirukkudE and rAgavardhini.

After viribhoni and raghunAyakA with some superb fast-paced kalpana swarams when Sanjay started vazhi maraittirukudE, I am sure I need not even tell you how happy I was! Today’s vazhi maraittirukudE was really a very special one with Sanjay adding special touches to his always-moving rendition of it. No word would suffice to describe the way he sang the line, pAvam tIrEnO pAdattil sErEnO ErEnO SivalOkanAtA and then, of course, the line, uRRu pArkkavE saRRE Agilum vilagAdO undan mADu with vilagAdO undan mADu, OraDi vilagAdO undan mADu, kOvilil vara mATTEn ingE ninRu, etc. preceding the line uRRu pArkkavE each time he sang it! I was left wishing the song didn’t have to end so soon when he concluded it by singing mADu vazhi maraittirukudE, oru mADu vazhi maraittirukudE and kizha mADu (!!) vazhi maraittirukudE.

rAgavardhini – I just loved this rAgam. All the vivAdi raagams I have listened to till date, have gone on to become my favourites. I am planning to soon spend a few hours listening to vivAdi rAgams alone.

dwijAvanti – The wait to listen to Sanjay’s dwijAvanti is finally over! 🙂 Of course, it wasn’t an RTP that he sang. But still, every moment of Sanjay’s and Nagai Muralidharan’s AlApana, rendition of akhilAnDEshwari and the swarams was so beautiful and blissful!!! The wait to hear a dwijAvanti tAnam continues, anyway. 🙂 TNS’ dwijAvanti RTP has got to be one RTP that I had listened to the maximum no. of times last year and I was able to see shades of TNS’ dwijAvanti in Sanjay’s dwijAvanti.

After that dwijAvanti, all I wanted to do was listen to TNS’ RTP and that’s exactly what I did while coming back home and then, after coming home also. I guess I will be starting the day with that RTP tomorrow. It’s going to be a Monday sans Monday morning blues. 😉 Good Night, folks!