Nithyasree Mahadevan – Vocal
Raghavendra Rao - Violin
I. Sivakumar - Mridangam
S Karthick - Ghatam

A few years back, I used to look forward to attending Nithyasree’s concerts. But the last season, I found her concerts boring! So this concert on last Wednesday was the first concert of hers that I went to this year. I reached the venue (Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan) at 8 pm, a good one hour after the concert started, knowing well that I won’t get a place to sit. Nithaysree had just started singing an alapana of Abheri, yet another favourite raagam of mine.

The thing about the Chennai audience is that once the clock strikes 8-8:30, people start leaving, unmindful of how good/bad the musician is performing. This concert was no different. So within some ten minutes or so, I got a place to sit and that’s when the torture started with the lady sitting next to me humming along all the songs, talking loudly with the person sitting next to her and also letting her mobile ring loudly! :( This one lady made sure that all the things that irritated me and many others during a concert, happened in this one concert itself. I felt my tolerance level being tested to the max. When are people like this one going to let others enjoy the concert?

Moving onto the concert, I enjoyed this concert much better than Nithyasree’s last season concerts. Here’s the list of songs: (In case anyone who came to this concert is reading this, please do let me know the complete list of songs that she sang)

1. Nagumomu - Abheri (the main piece of the concert)
2. Raamanai Bhajittaal – Maand
3. Jaya Durge – Durga
4. Vizhikku thuNai (viruttam) followed by Kanda nee oru – Ahir Bhairav
5. Nirai Madhi – Hamsanandi
6. Mangalam - Sowrashtram
7. An outline of Madhyamavati raagam

I found Nithyasree’s rendition of Nagumomu and Abheri alapana to be just good. Nothing extraordinary. Neraval for Nagumomu was done at Jagame. I liked Ghatam Karthick’s playing especially during the Tani Avartanam that followed Nagumomu. The short raagam sketch of Maand that she sang reminded me of the song, Sowkkiyama from the movie, Sangamam! Durga raaga alapana and Jaya Durge were too good. I guess the violinist didn’t know the song. I am hearing the song, Kanda nee oru, for the first time. The song had lines like (not in the exact order): kanda nee oru malai vaasi, sodharano kuLakarai vaasi, thandhayo paradesi, maamano tirumalai vaasi, maamiyo sengamala vaasi. What lyrics! ;) It was nice to hear Nithyasree sing the songs, Vizhikku thuNai (viruttam) and Ramanai Bhajittal, which I have heard Sanjay sing so often.

If I get the time, I may go to one more concert of Nithyasree this season.