Much more than Nandanar

N.S. Lakshmi has a melodious voice with a commendable range and she made good use of both at her recent concert at The Music Academy for its Endownment Series. With a doctorate in music, Lakshmi, academician and performer from Kerala, also came up with a clever choice of songs. Her perfect enunciation and impressive articulation were added assets.

The day was dedicated to Gopalakrishna Bharati (1810-1896). Though he is known for his popular ‘Nandanar Charitram’, Bharati had also composed many Tamil kritis.

Lakshmi began her concert with the Nandanar Charitram kriti ‘Padame thunai ayyane’ in Hamsadhwani. A brief sketch of Vandanadarini was appended with ‘Maname unakku idhamai.’ These two fast-moving compositions were balaanced with a slow and stately ‘Thillai ambalaththanai’ in Sahana.

Evocative raga essays

Lakshmi said that Gopalakrishna Bharati had also composed Pancharatna in ragas such as Nattai, Gowla, Arabhi, Varali and Sri. She presented the Gowla raga song ‘Saranagati endru nambi’. Melodious Ritigowla alapana added an emotive touch to the kriti ‘Tandava darisanam tharum’ . The highlight of the concert was Lakshmi’s elaborate and evocative treatise of Shanmukhapriya for the composition ‘Thandhai thaai irundhaal.’ How can one forget the beautiful rendition of this song by N.C. Vasanthakokilam?

Lakshmi rendered the kriti with poignancy. An elaborate niraval in ‘Andamil nadam seyyum ambalavanare’ was extended with a plethora of swaras. Her signing off numbers were ‘Mukthi alikkum thillai’ (Ragamalika), and ‘Unadhu thiruvadi nambi vanthen’ in Madhyamavati.

Lakshmi’s freewheeling raga essays traversed the upper register with precision. Swarakalpana also showed her style of combining techniques and swift changing nadais.

Melakkaveri Tyagarajan on the violin matched the imagination of the vocalist and came up with impressive responses. Kallidaikkurchi Sivakumar added value to the concert with his percussive prowess.