Maestro forever

The vintage Balamurali charm and expertise was evident at a recent concert.

BREATH OF FRESH OF AIR Balamurali’s performance was fresh and charming.

Balamuralikrishna presented a memorable concert, displaying a vigour and charm that defied his age. His concert was organised at Ravindra Bharati under the aegis of Sangamam Foundation and the US-based Kuchipudi Academy of Dances.

Though most of the numbers Balamurali presented were familiar, they sounded so fresh and charming in his vocal rendition. He opened the concert with his own composition Mahadeva Sutham in Arabhi in praise of Vinayaka that he wrote in his script with myriad attributions of the lord. His expression of sahitya was very lucid. The swarakalpana part had all the magical spells that makes one spellbound. He presented the popular pancharatna kirtana of Thyagaraja Endaro Mahanubhaavulu in Sriragam. The chitta swaras and related sahitya were by themselves mood carrying expression. Devadideva of Mysore Vasudevachar in Sunadavinodini stepped up the mood of the concert that set pace for the main number of the concert, most inspiring number of Thyagaraja, Nagumomu Ganaleni in Abheri. He opened with extensive ragalapana which sounded laudable exercise never losing grip on melody and mood. He packed it with multiple phrases with nuances here and there in scaling up to the higher octave, covering three ocatave then with same ease touching mandra and anumandra sthayis. As to the kriti rendition he sang so well that every line of the Thyagarja opened gates for its intense thematic appeal. The kalpanaswaras that followed were sparkling with innovative touches. He then gave a chance to percussionists to present tani avartanam. Violinist Peri Sriramamurthy too was at his best in not only reproducing Balamurali’s expression but also in displaying his own manodharma.

In the post-main section of the concert the compositions Balamurali chose, were all pleasing and popular. They included

Hariye Gati Sakala Characharamulaku , his own composition he set in ragamalika;

Krishnam Kalayasakhi Sundaram , tarangam of Narayana Teertha and

Paluke Bangaramayena ’, Ramadasu kirtana in Anandabhairavi. He concluded the concert with his own tillana in Kadanakutuhalam. His disciple and noted Carnatic vocalist D.V. Mohanakrishna played support vocalist role, while whistle wizard Siva Prasad joined Balamurali’s output, now and then.