Nanditha Ravi's performance for The Music Academy took off with a brisk varnam in Kedaragowla and Tyagaraja's ‘Sugunamulu Cheppukonti’ in Chakravakam. In apt sequence came Muthuswami Dikshitar's ‘Tyagarajaaya Namaste’ in Begada. Nanditha did as much justice as is possible in five minutes to the interpretation of Begada as a prelude to Syama Sastri's ‘Meenalochana Brova’.
Violinist S. Karthik competently maintained the lakshanas while going along with the singer, and went into enjoyable variations of his own during his independent phase. Kalpanaswaras at the charanam ‘Gaanalola’ were tasteful and crisp at samam.
A brisk number ‘Kanden, Kanden, Kanden, Seetaiyai’ in Vasanta came as a thoughtfully interposed break between Dhanyasi and Kalyani which followed. In the leisurely development of the raga, Nanditha projected many sancharas that are hard to execute on account of the vakra pidippu combined with the speed, which heightened the effect. Karthik brought about profundity in his essay by bowing only the manthara shadja continuously while Nanditha went through her sancharas, achieving melody and giving up any display of erudition, training or virtuosity.
Tyagaraja's ‘Endukoni Manasu’ marched in at a majestic double-beat adi talam; capped by a brisk niraval and kalpanaswara excursion at the charanam ‘Raga Sahita Sri Raama Paraaku’. It painted the picture of bhakti to a listener, and made the experience elevating. In the kalpanaswara kuraippu's tempo reached a climax eminently suited to link up with the thani of mridangam player Kurra Srinivas, who made the best of the remaining five minutes to put up an enjoyable fare, full of highly emphatic phrases and ringing with melody.
