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Sanjay Subrahmanyan in Concert, September 12, 2008

Parvathi Hall, Hindu Temple, Flushing NY

Song List 1. Evari Bodhana - Varnam - Abhogi 2. Sobhillu Sapthaswara - Jaganmohini 3. Nannu vidachi kadalakuraa - Reethigowla 4. Satre vilagi irum pillaai - Poorvikalyani 5. Paramathmudu velige - Vaagadeeshwari 6. Kanugontini Sreeraamuni- Bilahari 7. Kaapaduve unadu baaram - Anandabhairavi 8. Manaviaalakincha raadate - Nalinakanthi 9. Ragam Tanam Pallavi - Chandrakauns (raagamalika swaram in Hamsadwani, varali) Pallavi : Kaa vaa vaa velava, thenpazhanimalai muruga vaa vaa velava 10. Kaa vaa vaa - Varali. 11. Thillai ambalathaanai - Sahana 12. HaridaasuluVedale - Yaman Kalyan 13. Karpooram naarumo - Khamas 14. Nandatanaya Govindana - Bageshri 15. Maavalla kaadamma - Mand 16. Mangalam

Outside, it was pouring rain. But for the rasikas gathered in Parvathi hall on Friday, September 12, this was barely an inconvenience. For Sanjay Subrahmanyan was performing, and "neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night" could keep the enthusiasts away.

The torrent of beautiful music gushing from the virtuoso performance on the stage soon put any thoughts of the conditions outside firmly out of one's mind. Sanjay was in peak form. Beginning with the Abhogi varnam and following it with a brisk Sobhillu Saptaswara (Jaganmohini, Thyagaraja), he made even these common pieces come alive. He followed this with a lush and melodious alapana of Reethigowla, followed by Thyagaraja's "Nannu vidachi kadalakuraa". The highlight of the evening was his elaborate rendering of Vaagadeeshwari, followed by Thyagaraja's "Paramathmudu Velige". Nagai Muralidharan on the violin kept pace with Sanjay Subrahmanyan's every move with consummate artistry. Neyvelli Venkatesh called forth fireworks from the mridangam. His taniavartanam kept getting interrupted with spontaneous bursts of applause.

After a few lively and extremely melodious short pieces (Bilahari, Anandabhairavi, Nalinakanthi), Sanjay Subrahmanyan brought out the second treat of the evening - a Ragam Tanam Pallavi in Chandrakauns, a Hindustani based ragam. While perhaps unfamiliar to most of the audience at the beginning of his elaboration, everyone became intimately familiar with all the lakshanas of this ragam with this masterful exposition. The pallavi "Kaa vaa vaa velava, thenpazhanimalai muruga vaa vaa velava" was followed by ragamalika swarams in Hamsadvani and varaali. At this point, Sanjay Subrahmanyan pulled a rabbit out of his hat, switching talam seamlessly to flow into the beginning of the next song, "kaa vaa vaa, kandaa vaa vaa" in Varali! This was a master stroke, as the last ragam in the ragamalika was Varali and the pallavi of the RTP was very similar to this song.

The concert was concluded with a few more extremely melodious pieces in Sahana, YamanKalyan, Khamas, Bageshri and Mand, rounded off with the mangalam. Over three hours had passed, and no one noticed the time fly ..

Sharada Chityala, one of the directors of Shruti Laya, introduced the artists. Following Shruti Laya tradition, Mr.Ramasubrahmanyan, a rasika from the audience, was invited to give a musical appreciation. He said that through his many decades of listening to Carnatic music, he was always told that the previous generation was better; but listening to Sanjay Subrahmanyan sing, he was confident that the future of carnatic music was sound. Sreenadh Jonnavithula, another director of Shruti Laya, thanked the artists, the volunteers and the audience.