Kunnakudi Master Balamuralikrishna @ Hamsavinodini

[thathwamasi]

Kunnakudi Balamuralikrishna - Vocal
V.Sanjeev - Violin
B.Sivaraman - Mridangam

Vanajakshi - Reethigowlai Varnam - K.Ata (Swaram @ Charanam)
Vatapi Ganapathim - Hamsadwani - Adi - M.D (Light sketch, Swaram @ pallavi)
Seethamma Mayamma - Vasantha - Rupakam - Tyagaraja
Rave Himagiri Kumari- Thodi - Adi - Syama Sastri
Satileni Guruguha - Purvi kalyani - M.Chapu - Ponnaiah Pillai (Alapanai, Neraval @ Koti manmatha roopude, Swaram)
Charanam Bhava -Hamsavinodini - Rupakam - Narayana theerthar (Swaram @ Pallavi)
Muripemu Galige - Mukhari - Adi - Tyagaraja
Thillana - Surutti - Adi tisra Nadai - Madurai Sreenivasan
Erumayil Eri - Thiruppugazh - Ragamalika
Mangalam

It was an awesome concert on a sparsely attended Sunday evening.

The Reethigowlai Varnam was a great crispy beginning. He sang only one kaalam at a slightly higher tempo which set the pace for the concert. Vatapi was well rendered with good passages of Kalpana swaram at the pallavi. A quick Seethamma mayamma followed. He disappointed me by not singing chittai swaram for this kriti. Then came the magnum opus of the concert in the form of the thodi Swarajathi. It was such a brilliant, soulful rendering. The Swarajathi and the poorvikalyani alapana was Master Balamuralikrishna in his elements. The poorvikalyani kriti was very very well sung and I have been an ardent fan of this kriti. He made up for the disappointment in Seethamma mayamma by singing excellent variations in chittai swaram for Satileni Guruguha. The neraval swaram@ Koti Manmadha roopude was very very precise. He followed it up with a quick paced Charanam bhava with light swarams.

The main raga Mukhari was very very well elaborated. It really showed the maturity of the artiste when he sang lovely phrases in the alapana rather than singing brihas up and down following the arohanam and avarohanam. There was so much life in the Alapanai. Then he sang a very rare Tyagaraja kriti - Muripemu - and sang swaram at the pallavi. Then he obliged a request and sang the Surutti thillana and finished the concert with a tiruppugazh.

Sanjeev was very supportive on the violin and his alapanai for poorvikalyani and Mukhari were brilliant. B Sivaraman's mridangam was great. The way he played for the Thodi Swarajathi was amazing. Only a few mridangists can have such understanding of the art of Mridangam playing for Swarajathis. His thani was well constructed with some good ideas for the one and a half eduppu.

All in all, it was a great concert and the only issue for me was the sparse attendence.

Thanks
T

[rajeshnat]

He is to me a top pick in his age bracket of musicians, as he has a weighty voice and definitely depth in classicism.Thanks tattvamasi for the review.

[thathwamasi]

Thanks Rajeshnat. I concur completely. I am sure he has the potential to go a long way.

Thanks
T

[mridhangam]

..... and friends he no longer Master .... he is past 20 years of age ..

J.Balaji

[Amruthavarshini]

True, I heard him at Rama Bhaktha Sabha, KK Nagar. Robust voice. Deeply classical. He is sure to scale great heights.