K.P. Nandini carries all the credentials of a true classical musician — appealing voice, good patantharam, clear diction and time management. In her 90-minute vocal recital, she presented two ragas in detail with professional élan. The first was Latangi followed by ‘Sri Jagadambhikaiye’ by Papanasam Sivan. Later, it was Thodi and Tyagaraja’s ‘Kaddanu variki’. Her raga delineations travelled on a well-defined track, without any ambiguity or deviation. Nandini knows where to pause, dwell at length and move with swift brigas and akaras. These help her in sketching charming portraits of the ragas. Thodi alapana that began in the upper register was well conceived. Without overstretching it, she included weighty phrases of the raga.
She added a short suite of swaras for the opening ‘Jaya jaya’ in Nattai by Purandaradasa and then moved on to ‘Brahadamibika’ in Vasantha (Dikshitar). Thodi alone carried an extensive chain of swaras; holding shadjam as the central note, Nandini rounded off effectively.
Tyagaraja’s ‘Pattividuva’ in Manjari and the closing ragamalika Thiruppugazh were other pieces in her brief repertoire.
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Apoorva Krishna, the youngster on the violin, established her ability to deal with ragas and swaras with complete ease. Akshay Anand on the mridangam lent enough support.