Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna rose like a meteor in the realm of Carnatic music and became a legend during his lifetime. That his legacy will remain alive was evident in the homage (for Hamsadhwani) offered by one of his prime disciples, K. Krishna Kumar. It was more than a mere musical echo of his guru. But for a Tyagaraja kriti (‘Intanuchu’ in Guntakriya), the 135-minute aradhana comprised his mentor’s compositions, apart from a favourite of Balamurali’s and a composition on him.
Exhibiting vocal modulations, Krishna Kumar rendered the Melakarta kriti in Kamavardini (‘Sharanam Thava Charanam,’ Adi) true to the style of the composer, adding his own creative touch. The alapana and swaraprasthara were striking.
M.A. Sundareswaran on the violin was, as usual, displayed aesthetic sense. J. Vaidyanathan’s mridangam accompaniment embellished the concert. His thani was about intricate rhythmic patterns.
Krishna Kumar commenced with a rare varnam, ‘Sakara Sadguna’ in Swarasthra raga — akin to Sourashtram with a variation in the nishadha prayoga, followed by the popular Hamsadhwani number, ‘Pirai Aniyum Peruman.’ In the well-formed swara prasthara, he showed originality. No tribute to Balamuralikrishna would be complete without his masterpiece ‘Brahadeeswara’ (Kanada). Krishna Kumar conveyed the composer’s sahitya bhava. After all, he had the opportunity to closely watch his master for a long time, which by itself is education.
The piece de resistance was a special RTP in Thodi, ‘Sangeetha Gurum Asraye Sada Balamurali’ in the Panchamukhi (Adi tala), an innovation of his guru. The Melakarta piece in Rasikapriya on Anjaneya, ‘Pavana Thanaya Palayamam’ had a fresh interpretative approach. ‘Pibare Ramarasam,’ Balamurali’s favourite was enjoyable. The Behag tillana brought out not only his guru’s multifaceted talent but Krishna Kumar’s musical maturity too. An interesting aspect of the tillana is that it is on Tyagaraja. Krishna Kumar wound up with a mangalam in Sindhu Bhairavi on Lord Ganesa composed by his guru. It concludes with the words, ‘Sri Balamuraliki Subha Mangalam’.
