On 15th December at Sivagami Pethachi Auditorium (Brahma Gana Sabha)

Accompanists:
Nagai Muralidharan – Violin
Tanjavur Murugabhoopathy – Mridangam
Alathur T.Rajaganesh – Khanjira

Concert Duration: 3 hrs 15 min

List of Songs:
1. ninne kOri (varNam) – kAnaDA – Adi
2. budamASrayAmi – nATTakurunji – jampa – swarams at budamASrayAmi
3. dayApayOnidE – jaganmOhini – Adi – AlApana
4. ramA nI samAnamevaru – kharaharapriyA – rUpakam – AlApana; neraval and swarams at paluku paluku
5. kapAli – mOhanam – Adi – AlApana; swarams at kapAli
tani Avartanam
6. enna rakSiso – SubhapantuvarALi – rupakam – rAgA outline
7. RTP – mArga hindOLam
pallavi: kandanai vandanai sei manamE tandaiyAi tAyAi vandaruLum – Adi (2kaLai)
swarams in sahAnA, sArangA, calanATTai, sindhubhairavi
8. manadirkkugandadu – sindhubhairavi
9. veTTaveLitanil – husEni
10. samayamide – behAg – rUpakam – rAgA outline
11. karu uRRa nAL (viruttam) – pUrvi kalyANi,
peRRa tAi (viruttam) – Sri ranjani
kANa vENDAmO – Sri ranjani – Eka
12. nI nAma rUpamulaku – sowrASTram

Sanjay’s Brahma Gana Sabha concerts have always been memorable!

Highlights of this concert pre-RTP were budamASrayAmi and the swarams for it, the entire kharaharapriyA and the short but moving enna rakSiso in SubhapantuvaraLi. The kalpanA swarams in kharaharapriyA didn’t run into many Avartanams and the short-cycle swarams were very enjoyable!

While I did enjoy mOhanam, like kalyANi, this rAgA too isn’t on my top favourites list.

The RTP was brilliant!! The rAgamAlika swarams were sheer delight, what with rAgAs like sahAnA, sArangA, calanATTai and sindhubhairavi! I loved the start of the sahAnA swarams which went RNDP, MNDP,… The SSSS phrase in calanATTai swarams that kept repeating throughout reminded me of the opening line of the film song of Ilayaraja, pani vizhum malarvanam which happens to be based on this rAgA!

The post-RTP songs were all awesome with Sanjay’s moving rendition of kANa vENDAmO being the highlight of it.

Sanjay and Nagai rock! In this concert, there were many places when the same swarams/phrases sounded more pleasing in Nagai Muralidharan’s violin than in Sanjay’s voice.

P.S.: My sister is here on a vacation now and this was the first concert of the Season that she attended. It felt great going for a concert with her after a long time!