Vocal: Kunnakudy Balamuralikrishna
Violin: Jaishankar Balan
Mrudangam: Tiruvarur Vaidyanathan
Approximate Songlist:
01. neranammithi (varNam) - kAnaDa - aTa
02. srI mahAganapathi (S @ prakAshakarO) - gowLai - mishra cApu
03. evaraNi - dEva amruthavarshini - Adi
04. shambhO mahAdEva (R, N @ pallavi, S) - panthuvarALi - rUpakam
05. yAr endru rAghavanai - yadukulakAmbOji - mishra cApu
06. teliyalEru rAma - dhEnuka - Adi
07. raksha bETTarE (R, S @ pallavi, T) - bhairavi - Adi
08. iDathu padam thUkki - khamAs - Adi
09. jagadOdhAraNa - kApi - Adi
10. ThillAna (thiranA thana thImtha) - chenchuruTTi - Adi
Kunnakudy Balamuralikrishna (KBMK; we need some acronyms for up and comers) gave a really good concert yesterday, performing with aplomb in the dreaded post-lunch slot where 80% of the audience in the first few rows was fast asleep shortly into the concert.
The concert started with a short sketch of kAnaDa, where KBMK produced a lovely, soft nishadam in the phrase M,,DNDP,, and launched into an impressive rendition of the impressive varNam, displaying excellent control over kalapramanam while rendering the purvangam in the second speed (he learns mrudangam from KRM, apparently). The uttarangam was rendered in a single, faster speed and he started with a lovely brigha sangathi on maruNi. Dikshithar's gowLai composition, which I've surprisingly heard very few times live (if at all), was rendered next with a brisk swaraprastharam with all the usual RGMR-accentuating phrases.
For those who have read my season reviews consistently confusing panthuvarALi and pUrvikalyANi, kalyANi and lathAngi, I assure you shambhO mahAdEva really WAS rendered in panthuvarALi (to confirm it, I even googled the krithi just now). KBMK's panthuvarALi ragam was thorough and even imaginative (for this ragam, no meagre achievement). His treatment of the nishadam in the ragam was very special, and he also used SP-less phrases effectively (i.e. RNDMGR with all plain notes). KBMK has a robust voice and he used it well in the raga alapanai, singing several brigha phrases with excellent shruti. KBMK did not overdo the brighas, to his credit, but used them judiciously in his alapanai. I was very pleased when KBMK chose to sing shambhO mahAdEva (one of the lesser evils in a raga I generally dislike), and he surprised me yet again by choosing to perform a neraval at the pallavi. These pallavi neravals seem to me rather tricky, because artistes have to avoid repeating sangathis of the pallavi and also wrap their minds around the stretchy sahitya. KBMK did a fine job of the neraval, especially the faster sequences in the tara sthayi, using SRGMPMGR type faster phrases to frame the neraval in the second speed. I mention the second speed neraval especially because it is the one area where I actually enjoy panthuvarALi, as it seems very appropriate for faster exercises (I would like to hear thanam in the raga as well). The other reason is, well, I had forty winks during the first speed rendition of the neraval (yes, yes, I know I criticised 80% of the crowd for falling asleep; I just didn't mention that I was part of this 80%, but then I also woke up quickly, so I think I may be forgiven. My sleeping has nothing to do with BMK's music; it's sort of my post-lunch conditioned response). The swara prastharam for the krithi was very good, with KBMK singing an extended varALI-esque nishadam at one stage that I loved.
One of the highlights of the concert was the yadukulakAmbOji krithi rendered next, which was most welcome after an energetic panthuvarALi. KBMK displayed immense aesthetic sense in this rendition, modulating his voice excellently as is necessary to bring out the beauty of the M-P phrases of the ragam, and he rendered the krithi with plenty of bhAvam. TeliyalEru rAma was next, and offered a contrast to the yadukulakAmbOji. KBMK's krithi renditions were exceedingly good--his enunciation is clear, he does not rush at all, and he embellishes the krithis very creatively while ending them. While I, and several rasikas, have the tendency to judge an artiste by his or her manOdharma capabilities primarily, I think the distinction between a good artiste and a great artiste has a lot to do with the way in which he or she renders krithis. A good carnatic artiste can get by impressing people on the basis of prefixes and suffixes, but the artiste who can flesh out the beauty of the raga and the sahitya while rendering the composition is a complete musician. KBMK is well on his path towards being a complete musician.
Bhairavi ragam was taken up for main and I was thrilled. KBMK sang some very nice phrases in the ragam, which wasn't very classical but still aesthetically sound, stopping on the gandharam in both the madhya and tara sthayis (is that a common stopping note in the ragam? It sounded very interesting, but most often I've heard artistes using R, M, P, and S as the base). His stop at the tara rishabam running up the octave was very aesthetic. Once again, KBMK chose a rare composition (rare for me) and I loved his presentation of the krithi. I was disappointed that he didn't perform a neraval in the composition but the kalpana swaras were excellent and I just loved the way he took up the pallavi at the eduppu each time with a lovely gamakam on the ra,,,ksha. I loved the slide from G to N in RGN,D, a phrase he used initially in the kalapanaswaras. He also sang a P, M, G, R, S with an Ananda bhairavi feel (the ga was dragged a bit much). I also liked the stop at the tara rishabam and the kOrvai had a nice structure (in khanda nadai) with arohanam/avarohanam structure like RGMPDNSR - GMPDNSR etc.
KBMK's tukkadas were rendered outstandingly, with an excellent khamAs and a brilliant kApi (excellent, excellent sangathis in the pallavi--and he didn't Hindusthani-ise the kApi either, which was nice). Chenchurutti thillana, like the varNam, is a classic- who can complain!
That said, I believe KBMK can work on giving sufficient pauses between alapanai phrases, cutting down the vigour of his brigha sangathis (in bhairavi it felt a bit overdone), and he also should have rendered one more neraval and ragam in this concert (two neravals, two swara prastharams, three ragams are for the bare minimum in a 2.5 hour concert).
Jaishankar Balan, who I'm hearing for the first time, was good on the violin, playing a lovely panthuvarALi ragam with nice Hindusthani-type sangathis in the mandra sthayi and fast note phrases around the madhya shadjam (not brighas, you know the type of phrases where they play a long sa and then launch into, say, S,,, GMPDNS,,,, GMPDNSRGMGRS,,, that sort of thing). His bhairavi ragam was a bit short but covered some phrases that BMK did not, so it completed the whole, which was commendable (he played quite a few of the RG GM MP PD G,,,R type phrases in the middle and upper octaves). His accompaniment for jagadOdharaNa was particularly excellent, and he gave nice swara and neraval responses either. My only gripe with his playing is that he does not unambiguously distinguish the eduppu while playing kalpanaswara returns, in that he does not use a forceful bow for the eduppu, so I was a bit confused sometimes about whether he had returned to the eduppu or not. Other than that, he did a fine job.
Tiruvarur Vaidyanathan was strokeful and vigorous as ever on the mrudangam, but just when I was starting to think that intricate power strokes were all that he had in his armour, he softened his play considerably during the yadukulakAmbOji krithi and gave sowkhyam-laden accompaniment. The thani was more sedate than his other efforts this weekend, and I liked it very much. He really added value to this concert especially while embellishing sangathis in krithis and I loved how he started tapping the left side just while KBMK was launching into the second speed of the varnam--it had a great effect.
After the concert, the person feliciting the artistes said based on his music, KBMK's name combining Kunnakudy and BMK was very appropriate. I don't know whether the artiste took it as a compliment or an insult!
KBMK is one to watch out for.
Kunnakudy BMK in San Diego on 05 Apr 2009
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rajeshnat
- Posts: 10121
- Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04
bilaharibilahari wrote: KBMK's tukkadas were rendered outstandingly, with an excellent khamAs and a brilliant kApi (excellent, excellent sangathis in the pallavi--and he didn't Hindusthani-ise the kApi either, which was nice).
I thought jagadodhArana should be sung as hindustAni kApi ,not as a plain kApi. Add +1 of your gripe that there is no two neravals that too when RTP is not sung. An excellent review.
Last edited by rajeshnat on 07 Apr 2009, 09:09, edited 1 time in total.
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ForCarnaticMusic
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cienu wrote:Vijay
Watch out ! Endaroo is behind you .
Arasi and Cienu, please refrain if you can from this kind of remarks. I am new to this forum and enjoy some of the concert reviews and comments like this feels like a speed breaker on smooth journey. If a member makes an insensible comment it doesn’t mean that others can join the trend. Many of you are fortunate to attend concerts and if you can please write about music and many people like me enjoy those reviews. Don't waste a good forum like this on unnecessary topics and distract people's attention. This is petty.
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cienu
- Posts: 2392
- Joined: 04 Feb 2010, 11:40
Hello ForCarnaticMusic,
The remark was meant to be taken in jest
Notwithstanding the string of single sentence postings, I enjoy Endaroo. It is a challenge to read his mind at times
I apologise if this had distracted your attention in anyway.
The remark was meant to be taken in jest
Notwithstanding the string of single sentence postings, I enjoy Endaroo. It is a challenge to read his mind at times I apologise if this had distracted your attention in anyway.
Last edited by cienu on 10 Apr 2009, 21:15, edited 1 time in total.
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ForCarnaticMusic
- Posts: 8
- Joined: 16 Mar 2009, 21:16