Master of two styles
SANJAY SUBRAMANIAM'S music is both combative and caressingly refined. A master of thick and thin technique, when he thins out his voice for brighas and gamakas and takes up a sruti- aligned exercise for long spells, the audience is taken to a world of sublime. And when in a quick roundabout change he renders awesome swaras and sangatis an altogether different atmosphere is created. Facile at both types, Sanjay continues to be a favourite of the laity and the scholar. An overflowing hall at Ramana Kendra burst into repeated applause. The massive input that went into his Todi alapana emphasised that for a creative artiste even the most common raga can be made livelier than ever before. The song chosen by Sanjay was also somewhat uncommon. Kumara Yatendra's "Gajavadana" was raised to an RTP status as it were with a classy neraval and a variety of swaras (short and long) at various speeds. The tri-speed swaras took one's breath away. The imperceptible violin support by Varadarajan who answered the vocalist in the swara duel (which called for a demanding laya precision) in the Todi kriti did not fail to win the admiration of the skilled sections.
Sanjay, who never fails to include in his programme compositions of Tamil seers and saints, sang a Thevaram by Tirunavukkarasar and rendered a Tayumanavar hymn as a ragamalika in Gangeyabhushani, Abheri, Kannada, Ahiri, Jhoonjuti and Nadanamakriya. Mannargudi Eswaran (mridangam) quite enjoyed the rhythmic challenges set by the vocalist. He also guided the young Anirudh Athreya (kanjira) well.
KSR
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