Thanks to : The Hindu
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Link: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-editorialfeatures/article2718994.ece
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Link: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-editorialfeatures/article2718994.ece
Kunnakudi M. Balamuralikrishna's raga delineations were effervescent. H. Ramakrishnan
Filled with verve: Kunnakudi M. Balamuralikrishna. Photo: R. Shivaji Rao
M azhavarayanendal, better known as Mazhavai is a village on the western banks of River Vaigai in Ramanathapuram District.
Chidambara Bharati who hailed from this place was a prolific composer. His hold over diction, display of sense and sound and a spontaneous blend of rhythm and form are amazing. His compositions bring out the rich raga bhava in full.
‘Ma Mayuramithileri Va' in Bilahari and ‘Amba Krupai Thanthu Rakshi Amba' in Karnataka Kapi are a few examples.
Kunnakudi M. Balamuralikrishna began his sparkling concert with Chidambara Bharati's lilting composition, ‘Pahi Pahi Baala Ganapathe' in Hamsadhwani in Adi, Tisra Nadai. He was in top form and a few brisk rounds of swaraprastharas, in addition to the charming chittaswaras, provided an energetic start to the abundantly rich fare that was to follow. And, what a magnificent Begada that was! It was powerful like a tornado and in between, as gentle as breeze.
Let the musicologists discuss the ‘Ma' and ‘Ni' variations of the raga, but the one that Balamuralikrishna created was so full of life and verve that the spacious hall was filled with the very spirit of Begada.
Mullaivasal Chandramouli on the violin re-created an equally charming raga. The little instrument just produces what he has in his mind.
The kriti that Balamuralikrishna took up was Tyagaraja's masterpiece, ‘Nadopasana.'
“The deities Siva, Vishnu and Brahma derive divine effulgence through worship of Nadha,” the Saint says. The niraval and kalpanaswaras were at ‘Tantri Laya Swara Gaana,' in the charanam.
The thani provided by the versatile B. Sivaraman on the mridangam and the ever-resourceful Dr. Karthick on the ghatam was a gorgeous rhythmic exercise. The concluding korvai was as sweet as it was tough.
Balamuralikrishna's sub-main was Dikshitar's ‘Mamava Meenakshi' in Varali with the niraval and swaras at the usual ‘Shyame.' Neelakanta Sivan's Ritigowla kriti ‘Oararu Mukhane' brought out almost all the melodic sancharas of the pleasurable raga.
Well-handled Desadi Talam has a rhythmic beauty of its own. The pleasing ‘Nee Kelana' (Devamanohari) of Ramnad Srinivasa Iyengar with embellishing chittaswaras is set to this talam.
The artist timed this breezy kriti well. The well-planned concert concluded with a Kapi Javali and a Khamas thillana.
With his sonorous voice and proficiency in every department of Carnatic music, Kunnakudi M Balamuralikrishna has certainly a bright future.
(ramakrishnan.h
@gmail.com)
A hardworking musician maturing well
The Hindu Kunnakudi Balamuralikrishna at Mylapore Fine Arts. Photo: K. Pichumani
Kunnakudi Balamuralikrishna's concert for Mylapore Fine Arts on Monday provided clear evidence that he is a hardworking musician. He has a full voice which he uses to good effect across the octaves. He began the concert with the Ata tala Bhairavi varnam Viriboni. While the varnam was presented well, the ornamentations that he chose to add to phrases were probably unnecessary. It is like trying to improve a composition that cannot be improved upon. This was followed by Manavyiala in Nalinakanti. He selected an uncharacteristic and leisurely madhyama kala for this kriti. Yet he managed to keep the energy high for the kriti and the imaginative kalpanaswaras that followed.
Raga Shuddha Dhanyasi was taken up for alapana elaboration. A striking feature of the alapana was the gamaka laden phrases presented with azhutham. The Swati Tirunal kriti Samodam in Mishra Chapu was followed by kalpanaswaras of which the vilamba kala swaras were especially beautiful. Balamuralikrishna loves raga alapana and the next piece Koteeswara Iyer's Velum Mayilume was preceded by a detailed alapana of the 67th melakarta Sucharitra. Beyond a point, elaboration in certain ragas is reduced to an exercise in permutations and combinations of the scale.
The kriti was rendered evocatively with a great deal of nidhanam. The main piece for the evening was Meenakshi me mudam in raga Gamakakriya (Poorvikalyani). The artiste presented a detailed and impressive exposition of the raga in the alapana. Muthuswamy Dikshitar's composition was presented in all its grandeur and Balamuralikrishna's poise with the vilambakala kriti was outstanding.
The concert concluded with the Javali Vagaladi in Behag, which was again rendered with a supreme sense of aesthetics.
The violinist V. Sanjeev presented a competent picture of himself in all the raga alapanas and kalpanaswaras but was almost missing during the kritis. Shertalai Ananthakrishna provided excellent mridangam accompaniment. He displayed a good sense of music in choosing the right balance of nadai and korvais while accompanying. There is an increasing tendency of upapakavadya percussionists to be lazy most of the concert and show up only during the tani. K.V. Gopalakrishnan on the kanjira did just that. The tani in 2 kalai Adi talam was adequate but not outstanding.
The feature that stood out in Kunnakudi Balamuralikrishna's concert was his impeccable kalapramanam.
His maturity as an artiste was evident in the selection of the perfect speed of rendition for every piece that he presented. He, however, needs to limit his penchant for high speed phrases. While he has developed the capability for them, it does not sit comfortably with his solid voice and sounds jerky. Mastering the ability to lighten the voice for the higher speeds without jarring tonal variation is possible but challenging.
Someone needs to advise our sabhas on the aesthetics of stage design. The new backdrop and wings in beige and brown with elaborate floral design clashed with the bright yellow roof over the stage platform and navy blue carpet on the stage. Irrelevant? No. These small elements add up to the overall concert experience for the audience.
(Viswanath Parasuram is an educator and founder of Karadi Tales. He is also a vocalist and mridangist. He can be reached at vish1962@gmail.com.)
Keywords: Margazhi music season 2011, Carnatic music, Kunnakudi Balamuralikrishna
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Another Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5r9t4l8iI8
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Upcoming Carnatic vocalist Kunnakudi Balamuralikrishna wants youngsters who aspire to become musicians to listen to the music recordings of yester-year greats. It is a sure first step towards learning a lot. How to get the atmosphere of the raga? How did they approach a raga? One can learn all these by listening to their recorded music, he says.
Kunnakudi Balamuralikrishna is a big fan of former time great S. Kalyanaraman. "Every song and every kalpana swara he sang had something new in it. Not a single composition sung by him was anywhere near ordinary," he points out. "It is of paramount importance for upcoming artistes to listen to yester-year greats, ‘’ he feels. "You just think of the atmosphere they create in your home when you listen to their music on tape. When you listen on tape Semmangudi singing a Khamboji, the whole room is full of Khamboji," he says. "You may well imagine the kind of an atmosphere he would have created in a concert hall," he adds. This rising star loves to listen to the music of TMT, Semmangudi, T.N. Seshagopalan, Neveyli Santhanagopalan, P.S. Narayanaswamy, T.M. Krishna, Sanjay and Vijay Shiva.
What is the role of an artiste? "To be himself or herself," pat comes the reply from him. Often times, it is the intuitive feeling of an artiste that drives musical content in his/her presentation. Does he think music is bunched in Marghazi? For him, Marghazi "is a climax for a year". "This season is what I wait for and look for," he says. For boy Balamuralikrishna, Marghazi presented magic moments, as he hopped from sabha to sabha to listen to his favourite artistes. Artiste Balamuralikrishna, however, now discovers the same magic moments in Marghazi by presenting concerts! What crosses him mind when he gives a concert? "We don’t go there to think about money," says he. "I feel satisfied when I give my best in a concert," declares Kunnakudi Balamuralikrishna.
The young vocalist is of the view that "music and just music’ should preoccupy the mind of an artiste. In this context, he points out how yester-year artistes had so much training and enough leisure time to just thing of music without any compulsion for completing a UG or PG. In the modern day, "the thought process in a musician is to have a side-by-side academic qualification," he points out. "Today, we see a paradigm shift in the level of acceptance of young children by the audience. I am absolutely happy about it," he says. "The way Generation Next is approaching music as a profession is better and mature," he points out. With the increase in platforms, has the quality of music come down? Not at all, says he. "Musically speaking, there is no dip in the quality," he asserts. "Public acceptance is something else, however," he argues. The passion for music has made Kunnakudi Balamuralikrishna to give up on many things – from spicy food to sweets and oily stuffs. So much so, he takes care of his voice.
Thought just 25 years of age, he is already a recognizable face in the Carnatic music world. Twenty concerts this music season speaks volume for the popularity of this fast-coming up vocalist. He breathes music. For him, everything in life revolves around his voice. He keeps the talk less and lets the melody of his voice weave a cobweb around his ever expanding fans. Born and brought up in the suburb Tambaram, this lone son of his parents has planned his way to be a musician. He did his schooling at Sankara Vidyalaya. He graduated in commerce from Madras Christian College and went on to do Masters in the same college. After M.Com, he joined the Madras University for a Masters course in music. For him, PG (post-graduation) in commerce was just a `contingency plan’. Why did he pick commerce at MCC? It is not difficult to decipher the reason. He lives near the MCC. Hence, he opts for MCC. He needs time to pursue his passion for music. No surprise that he picks Commerce as his subject for under graduation. Young Balamuralikrishna is clear in his thoughts and focused on his aim. He has gone about this task in a blinkered-horse like way. Given a choice between music and studies, he jumps for the first. So much so, he prefers to give a concert for Sri Krishna Gana Sabha on the morning of December 23, 2010 rather than giving his music exam at the University!
Kunnakudi Balamuralikrishna had his formative lessons in music from his father Meenakshi Sundaram, who quit German Colour Lab to become a full-time music teacher. Not that his father had taught him the basics. Young Balamuralikrishna picked up a lot by hearing all the time to what his father had taught his students during music classes at home. "I have learnt a few varnams from him," he says. He had, for a brief while, learnt from Neyveli Santhanagopalan. "How to approach music… He (Santhanagopalan) showed me the way," he adds. Today, Kunnakudi Balamuralikrishna is learning from P.S. Narayanaswamy. Learning is a work in progress for him.
From a child wonder to a performing boy and to a rising star – it has been a wonderful journey for the junior Balamuralikrishna. "I was very confident that I will become a professional artiste," declares he during a coffee chat at Rasam Restaurant here on January 3, 2010. He began performing when he was just eight. He started doing the sabha rounds at the age of 11. There was no looking back for him since then. For the last two seasons, he has been given the late evening slot by the The Music Academy. Well, it has been truly a northward journey for this young musician.
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Another Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5r9t4l8iI8
=========================
Listen to recordings of past masters, Kunnakudi Balamuralikrishna tells youngsters
By Our Special Correspondent
Kunnakudi Balamuralikrishna is a big fan of former time great S. Kalyanaraman. "Every song and every kalpana swara he sang had something new in it. Not a single composition sung by him was anywhere near ordinary," he points out. "It is of paramount importance for upcoming artistes to listen to yester-year greats, ‘’ he feels. "You just think of the atmosphere they create in your home when you listen to their music on tape. When you listen on tape Semmangudi singing a Khamboji, the whole room is full of Khamboji," he says. "You may well imagine the kind of an atmosphere he would have created in a concert hall," he adds. This rising star loves to listen to the music of TMT, Semmangudi, T.N. Seshagopalan, Neveyli Santhanagopalan, P.S. Narayanaswamy, T.M. Krishna, Sanjay and Vijay Shiva.
What is the role of an artiste? "To be himself or herself," pat comes the reply from him. Often times, it is the intuitive feeling of an artiste that drives musical content in his/her presentation. Does he think music is bunched in Marghazi? For him, Marghazi "is a climax for a year". "This season is what I wait for and look for," he says. For boy Balamuralikrishna, Marghazi presented magic moments, as he hopped from sabha to sabha to listen to his favourite artistes. Artiste Balamuralikrishna, however, now discovers the same magic moments in Marghazi by presenting concerts! What crosses him mind when he gives a concert? "We don’t go there to think about money," says he. "I feel satisfied when I give my best in a concert," declares Kunnakudi Balamuralikrishna.
The young vocalist is of the view that "music and just music’ should preoccupy the mind of an artiste. In this context, he points out how yester-year artistes had so much training and enough leisure time to just thing of music without any compulsion for completing a UG or PG. In the modern day, "the thought process in a musician is to have a side-by-side academic qualification," he points out. "Today, we see a paradigm shift in the level of acceptance of young children by the audience. I am absolutely happy about it," he says. "The way Generation Next is approaching music as a profession is better and mature," he points out. With the increase in platforms, has the quality of music come down? Not at all, says he. "Musically speaking, there is no dip in the quality," he asserts. "Public acceptance is something else, however," he argues. The passion for music has made Kunnakudi Balamuralikrishna to give up on many things – from spicy food to sweets and oily stuffs. So much so, he takes care of his voice.
Thought just 25 years of age, he is already a recognizable face in the Carnatic music world. Twenty concerts this music season speaks volume for the popularity of this fast-coming up vocalist. He breathes music. For him, everything in life revolves around his voice. He keeps the talk less and lets the melody of his voice weave a cobweb around his ever expanding fans. Born and brought up in the suburb Tambaram, this lone son of his parents has planned his way to be a musician. He did his schooling at Sankara Vidyalaya. He graduated in commerce from Madras Christian College and went on to do Masters in the same college. After M.Com, he joined the Madras University for a Masters course in music. For him, PG (post-graduation) in commerce was just a `contingency plan’. Why did he pick commerce at MCC? It is not difficult to decipher the reason. He lives near the MCC. Hence, he opts for MCC. He needs time to pursue his passion for music. No surprise that he picks Commerce as his subject for under graduation. Young Balamuralikrishna is clear in his thoughts and focused on his aim. He has gone about this task in a blinkered-horse like way. Given a choice between music and studies, he jumps for the first. So much so, he prefers to give a concert for Sri Krishna Gana Sabha on the morning of December 23, 2010 rather than giving his music exam at the University!
Kunnakudi Balamuralikrishna had his formative lessons in music from his father Meenakshi Sundaram, who quit German Colour Lab to become a full-time music teacher. Not that his father had taught him the basics. Young Balamuralikrishna picked up a lot by hearing all the time to what his father had taught his students during music classes at home. "I have learnt a few varnams from him," he says. He had, for a brief while, learnt from Neyveli Santhanagopalan. "How to approach music… He (Santhanagopalan) showed me the way," he adds. Today, Kunnakudi Balamuralikrishna is learning from P.S. Narayanaswamy. Learning is a work in progress for him.
From a child wonder to a performing boy and to a rising star – it has been a wonderful journey for the junior Balamuralikrishna. "I was very confident that I will become a professional artiste," declares he during a coffee chat at Rasam Restaurant here on January 3, 2010. He began performing when he was just eight. He started doing the sabha rounds at the age of 11. There was no looking back for him since then. For the last two seasons, he has been given the late evening slot by the The Music Academy. Well, it has been truly a northward journey for this young musician.
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