Youthfully fresh, delightfully creative
G. SWAMINATHAN
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Master Balamuralikrishna kept the audience glued to their seats and Manasi Prasad's voice made her music enjoyable.
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Photo:R. Shivaji Rao
Master Balamuralikrishna.
The first feature that draws the attention in Master Balamuralikrishna's music is the spry freshness. The voice carries the right attractive timbre of youth and exudes eagerness to share. So Balamuralikrishna's concert at the Bharat Sangeet Utsav kept the good number audience (for an early afternoon programme) glued to their seats. There was not a dull moment between the sparkling start up "Chalamelara" Durbar varnam to the closing "Vagalati" in Behag.
Balamurali's forays in alapana and swaras showed promising creativity. He first briefed Dharmavati with "Bhajana Seyarada" of Swati Tirunal and later expanded Todi with "Ninne Namminaanu" of Syama Sastri in detail.
Impressive contours
Balamurali's agile akaras and flights showcased Dharmavati in impressive contours. Had Balamurali delved into it wholeheartedly, his Todi would have been wholesome too. The neraval for the kriti "Kamakshi Kancha dalayadakshi" and its presentation were technically perfect yet emotionally void. It is time Balamuralikrishna learnt to infuse a little passion into his singing.
"Muripemu Galige," an unfamiliar Tyagaraja kriti, in Mukhari and a racy "Kanden Kanden" in Vasantha by Arunachalakavi deserve special mention. Usha Rajagopalan on the violin supported Balamurali with the correct concern of a senior. Trivandrum Vaidyanathan and Sreesundar Kumar on the mridangam and kanjira set the tempo for a racy concert with right rhythm.
Manasi Prasad.
Manasi Prasad is a pleasant mélange of sweet voice and good training. These two aspects bolster her manodharma making her music enjoyable. In her vocal recital she displayed a firm grip even with her opening items.
The racy Pantuvarali varnam and "Kamalambike Mamavasada" in Nattai with swara-sahitya combination by Jayachamaraja Wodeyar were chosen well. Manasi employed the rare usage of `dhaivatam' in Nattai in her kalpanaswaram harmoniously.
"Sri Kamalambike" in Bhairavi, the Navavarna kriti of Dikshitar, was expressed with the piety and clarity it deserved. Prasad set her Todi alapana on a rigid base. It was a well conceived and tidily executed essay through right measures of repose and brigas.
Here also Manasi's choice was exceptional — "Meenalochani Amba" of Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar a poignant kriti on the lines of Syama Sastri composition. Her neraval sans swaras at "Manikka Veenadari Malayadhwaja Pandya Kumari'' provided the emotional depth to the presentation.
Poorvikalyani occupied the central place and the kriti was "Parama Pavana Rama" of Poochi Iyengar. The kalapanaswaras were not stereotyped but were made of clever groups of swaras knit in varying patterns. Manasi Prasad is certainly a vocalist with potential to delight the connoisseur.
Akkarai Swarnalatha's responses were precise but somewhat tame. Sankaranarayanan backed the programme with adequate percussion support.
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