Weaving magic through voice

“Ye naadamulo ee sakala jagamu leenamai dhawninchnuo aa Naadamae Murali’…. the late Mangalampalli Balmuralikrishna’s beautiful ‘Nata’ Varnam where he says the seven notes or the Saptswaras are his life (Saptaswaramulu Naa Jeevamu) is a beautiful composition that weaves magic through the vibrant interplay of the swaras.

These swaras took on a magical hue under the controlled, refined and aesthetic singing of Sangeetha Kalanidhi Sanjay Subrahmanyan, whose innately beautiful and unique style of rendering cast a spell on listeners at the very beginning of the concert.

Sanjay began the annual Kalasagaram concert at Secunderabad with this Murali gem (perhaps as a tribute to the maestro who passed away around this time two years ago) in a calm and unhurried manner despite the fact that it began way behind schedule after an hour-long wait for the arrival of the Chief Guest and the mandatory speeches.

Audiences filled with Sanjay fans familiar with his inspired exposition of ragas and expertise at presenting appealing concert pieces were treated to one beautiful composition after another. He barely spoke through the concert making no announcements about the raga or the composer. However, his camaraderie with his accompanists and finesse as a musician was evidently making it a memorable one.

Annamayya’s “Paluku thenela thalli”, Bhadrachala Ramadasu’s “Charanamule nammithi, Endundi vedalithivo” and other compositions were part of the wide repertoire. “Pudhiya Oru Ulagham Seiyuvom” (we will create a new world) was a poignant and moving composition where the musician excelled. The brilliance of his regular accompanist Varadarajan on violin added to the allure.

There were many moments where audiences spontaneously broke into an applause conveying their appreciation and the evening truly belonged to this musical genius who delighted audiences who know what to expect from a Sanjay concert and yet are surprised every time.