Simply Genius

When a legend like M Balamuralikrishna performs in Delhi,(which rarely happens) one expects the venue to be choc-a-bloc. But many from the Capital’s restless audience had left by the time the legend walked onto the stage in a rare concert organised by Pandit Chaturlal Memorial Society on Friday. The concert began with a performance by santoor player Rahul Sharma. However,a half-empty auditorium did not deter the 83-year-old musician,whose endearing smile reached the audience much before his voice. But the moment the alaap in raag Mahati (a raga composed by Balamuralikrishna) swirled in the air,over seven flourishing decades of music came to the fore in an instant. A noteworthy factor in Balamuralikrishna’s voice is that despite his age,its tonal quality has remained unchanged,just like it was in the ’70s and ’80s. The one-hour performance was a jugalbandi between Balamuralikrishna and accomplished flute player Ronu Majumdar,who did his best to match Balamuralikrishna’s voice. “I am using three flutes and still I can’t get it right,” said Majumdar. Jugalbandis are welcome in a concert,but it would have been suited for the finale. We craved for a solo performance by Balamuralikrishna,one that could have given new contours to the ragas. However,his genius was still visible in Mohan Madhu Murali,a krithi in raag Kalyani. He built the raga,opening with a series of throaty alaaps,making members of the audience gasp with some dazzling bhrigas (resonance created in the vocal chords) and striking swar prastharas (combinations of notes). He followed this with an exhilarating thillana. The accompanying percussionists on the mridangam and tabla only embellished the evening. The musician ended the concert by reaching the raga’s most sublime note,leaving the audience asking for more.