A packed London audience last night, at the "Commonwealth Institute," had the thrilling experience of being captivated by the magic of Smt M. S. Subbulakshmi's voice, and listened in fascinated delight for nearly two hours as she sang a selection from her extensive and varied repertoire in different languages. Even from a purely visual point of view, Smt. Subbulakshmi and her accompanists, sitting grouped together on a low platform in the centre of the stage, the ladies clad in dazzling 'Conjeevaram Pattu’ sarees, and the tambura, ghatam, and mridangam adding yet another exotic touch, presented a most enchanting and unusual spectacle to Londoners. Seldom could Smt. Subbulakshmi's genius have shone to more brilliant effect, particularly in her renderings of 'Vadavaraiyai', Hari Tuma Haro' and some more Tamil and Sanskrit songs. For the most part, her programme consisted of the songs she had sung at the U.N. and at the end in response "to repeated rounds of applause, she also gave, as an encore, the Sanskrit "Benediction" specially composed for U.N. Day by Sri Sankaracharya of Kamakoti Peetam. This was the first time she had sung it in public since that memorable occasion in New York. A highlight of the evening was a duet between mridangam and the ghatam which amazed the audience by the sheer virtuosity of the vidwans and came as a revelation of the subtle rhythms which could be evoked from these simple instruments by skilled hands and blended into exciting, even amusing, patterns.
Tickets for Smt. Subbulakshmi's second London recital to-night have all been sold out. She is going to Birmingham to-morrow for a BBC television recording and will spend Monday, sightseeing. She is flying to Rome on Wednesday, where she is to give a recital on December 3. Leaving Rome the next day, she is due to reach Madras on Monday, December 5.
Smt. Subbulakshmi and party had tea with Lord Mountbatten at his London home.
The article was originally published on November 27, 1966. We're republishing it as a part of M.S. Subbulakshmi Centenary Celebrations.
