Open Minds 2016: Soft Power
Sanjay Subrahmanyan: Improv Maestro
To hear this Carnatic vocalist once is to be converted for life
Open Open 07 May, 2016
They say the best way to know Sanjay Subrahmanyan’s work is to attend his concert, pick a seat in the middle and enjoy the ride. To watch this vocalist once is to be converted for life. This Carnatic musician’s concerts sparkle not only with technical prowess but a liveliness and energy that exhilarates an audience. In ragam-thanam-pallavi, which is based entirely on improvisation, his creativity comes to the fore. His fans have described his performances akin to watching a ‘gripping thriller’, since his improvisations are sudden and unexpected. This has ensured that his shows run to packed houses. Even though he has a reputation as a ‘purist’ and a ‘connoisseurs’ musician’, young listeners flood his shows. At the Sangita Kalanidhi (considered the highest honour given to a Carnatic musician by The Music Academy) award ceremony held this January, he reiterated his belief in his gurus and his indebtedness to them. N Murali, president of The Music Academy, said Subrahmanyan “is a vocalist par-excellence and torchbearer of his generation of Carnatic musicians.”
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