Pristine clarity and precision
HARISH BAL
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Vocalist Junior M. Balamuralikrishna displays the sheen of good tutelage.
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Technically perfect: M. Balamuralikrishna.
‘Budding young musician’ would be too simple to describe Junior M. Balamuralikrishna. His musical calibre defies age and he displays the sheen of good tutelage and grooming. A disciple of P.S. Narayanaswamy, the young voca
list presented a Carnatic vocal concert in Thripunithura.
He began his concert with ‘Vanajakshi,’ the mellifluous Ada tala varnam in Kalyani. ‘Deva deva kalayamithe’ in Mayamalavagowla raga had a packed niraval for ‘Jatarupa nibhachela’ and crisp swaras to go with it. The vocalist’s raga alapanas are marked with clarity and precision, as he unfurls the the raga within the first few phrases. This was observed in his Mukhari alapana where the initial phrases with base at ‘nishadam’ unambiguously revealed the raga swaroopa.
Clear diction
The Tyagaraja kriti ‘Ksheenamai’ stood out for the clarity of diction.
‘Ee vasudha’ in Sahana raga shone for its pristine clarity. Balamuralikrishna’s rich briga shaareeram once again reverberated through the myriad sangatis of Varali raga which he expanded for the Dikshitar kriti ‘Mamava meenakshi.’
He tries to bring minor variations even to standard korvai phrases. Njanjil Arul complemented the vocalist during this phase of the concert. After ‘Narasimha mamva bhagavan’ in Arabhi raga in Khanda chappu and ‘Theliyaleru rama’ in Dhenuka, the vocalist went for an elaborate expansion of Kamboji raga. Even though he sang all possible variations and sangatis of the raga, the true feel and essence of the raga were left to be explored. R. Swami Nathan on the violin brought out the beauty of the raga with limited sangatis and long ‘meetu.’ Arul found a true companion in rhythm in Harippad Shekhar on the ghatom as the two presented a well proportioned thaniyavarthanam.
The variety in song selection was further evident during the latter period of the concert. ‘Ramanai tharuvay’ in Sindhubhairavi raga and ‘Narajanma bandhake,’ a Purandaradasa composition in Kapi raga, were tagged on to the Dhanashri tillana by Swati Tirunal. The concert was organised by Poornathrayeesa Sangeeta Sabha.
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