Yesterday in the morning, we were listening to Dr. BalaMuralikrishna singing the Pancharatna Kritis on Apple Music and were commenting that his voice equals 10 people singing together !! It was a good prep for the 4 pm treat that was in store for us.
While marking the various concerts that we wanted to attend, we came across Sanjay Subramanyam’s concert at Narada Gana Sabha and thought of attending it. I called up on Tuesday and asked if the tickets were available and was told yes, they are available at the venue. The gentleman omitted an important information that the concert was a sellout and we should ideally buy the tickets a day in advance. So we, the first timers to a Sanjay Subramanyam concert went early to Narada Gana Sabha, following Krishnan’s penchant for being early :):). We reached by 3.15 for the 4 pm concert and while Krishnan parked the car, I went to the ticket counter only to see posters of a total sellout.
Krishnan managed to find a good parking spot and then we went again to the ticket counter only to be told that there were no tickets. So we decided to buy the tickets for Nithyashree’s concert that’s happening today and leave. While buying the tickets the kind lady at the counter told us, that one of us should wait near the counter since many season ticket holders don’t show up and we may still get tickets just as the concert is about to start. So Mom and I went out and stood on the stairs while Krishnan stood in the queue. His boyhood abilities to chat up “mamis” and “mamas” have never left him – he has a silver tongue and can talk to anyone of any age unlike the somewhat anti-social me :):). I am also constrained by my knowledge of Tamil – there is a special Chennai Tamil that I understand but can’t speak back. Amma and I stood on the steps and as time went by, we thought we aren’t getting the tickets so I was watching the beautiful sarees many of the mamis and young women were wearing. We also managed to see my favourite Airtel Super Singer Junior champ – Spoorthi. She along with her mom and brother were attending the concert. I almost expected her to sing along with Sanjay Subramanyam :):).
Just 5 minutes to 4 pm Krishnan came out and asked us to come and stand near the entrance because we were getting the tickets, yay !! We entered the auditorium just a minute or so before 4 pm and sharp at 4 pm the curtain rose and Sanjay Subramanyam started to sing … And till 6.40 he sang non-stop. First, I don’t think there are many people in the world who can talk cogently for 2.5 hours non-stop, and to sing with the same high energy tempo for 2.5 hours is just amazing. The accompanist to call out is S. Varadarajan, the violin player and I have put him on my watchlist… He matched Sanjay nuance to nuance and I expect him to be another legendary violin player. Sanjay’s voice and the violin’s sound is matched to such an extent that many times if there were no words, you had difficulty separating the two.
Sanjay Subramanyam’s singing was a treat and we are fans already. The only suggestion I have for him is to interact a little with the audience – just for lay people like us to know what he is singing. It helps educating us. God has gifted him with an awesome voice and Sanjay Subramanyam has put in the effort of diligent practise – the result is spectacular and a treat for music lovers.
On an aside, the canteen at Narada Gana Sabha is fantastic. So don’t miss eating there.
#ChennaiDecemberSeason