Noted vocalist Unnikrishnan proclaimed in his concert for Narada Gana Sabha, that his expository technique is not based on hackneyed lines, but on understanding and presentation of the swaroopas of ragas and the keerthanas.
When the vocalist started the concert with Mayamalavagowla kriti of Dikshitar (Sri Nathadi Guru Guho), discerning the perception of the aesthetics, specifically the niraval (marakodi sundara) we knew it would be a concert, which will be worth cherishing.
With a short alapana of Bahudari Raga, he explored Sada-Nanda Thandavam with exhilarating swaras at Mutharum-Siddharam and I found him to be a natural mezza-soprano singer.
With an ability to hold the note anywhere in the octave, he showed his involvement in exploring raga Kalyana Vasantham, and meliorating the raga with extreme care and poise, he presented a composition of Dr Balamurali Krishna (Ganama Linchi). This showed his polished expressional maturity and striving to communicate the intense with convincing classical fore. The eternal fragrance of the composition by the legend was followed by a kriti—Kathala Lenura, a composition of his guru and mentor S Ramanathan, in raga Hemavathi with the Laya Nirnaya, enhancing the impact of the nuances of the presentation.
With resounding resonance, when he leashed swaras in Koluva Maragatha of Thyagaraja in Thodi, showcasing the traditional delineation rendered with purity of musical lines, his intitutive perception in swara passages came to the fore.
When he ended the concert with a Shirdi Sai Bhajan and Narayana Theerthar Tharangam with devotional fervor, he took the rasikas to different plane.
After the performance, I felt that the voice of Unnikrishnan seems delicate in texture, which has made his music glorious. This made me feel that he would be the most-sought after musician and make it to the top notch galaxy of musicians, in near future. Sri Ramkumar on violin was marvellous, while Anand R Krishnan (mridangam) and Sivaramakrishnan (ghatam) put up an excellent performance.