Dr. M Balamuralikrishna-Annavarapu-Upendran @ Soorya Dance & Music Festival, Trivandrum (10/4/1981)

Live at Soorya Dance & Music Festival, Trivandrum, Kerala (October 4th 1981) Dr. M Balamuralikrishna- vocal Annavarapu Ramaswamy- violin Tanjore P Upendran- mridangam 1) calamu jEsina (varNam)- rAmapriyA, Adi, Dr. M Balamuralikrishna 2) mahAdEva sutam aham- Arabhi, Adi, Dr. M Balamuralikrishna 3) palukuTacE phalamEmi- phalamanjari, rUpakaM, Patnam Subramanya Iyer 4) enta muddO- bindumAlini, Adi, Thyagaraja 5) nanu pAlimpa- mOhanaM, Adi, Thyagaraja 6) nagumOmu ganalEni- AbhEri, Adi, Thyagaraja 7) amRtavarshiNi/Anandabhairavi RTP (AnandAmRtAvarshinI jananI pAhimAm ApAra karunAkarI sachiDAnandabhairavI), Tisra Jhampa (Sankeerna Gathi/Nadai), Dr. M Balamuralikrishna 8) ekkaDi mAnuSa janmam- bauli, Adi (Tisra gathi), Pedda Thirumalacharya 9) nAnATi bratuku- mukhAri, Adi, Annamacharya 10) tuNai nIyE kumarA- cArukESi, Adi, Dr. M Balamuralikrishna 11) sItA kalyANa vaibhOgamE- kurinji, kaNda CApu, Thyagaraja 12) behAg thillAnA (dru dru tOm taka dhIm nana)- Adi, Dr. M Balamuralikrishna Note: The thumbnail is not related to this concert. You've heard clips from the concert on this channel. Here's the concert! In 1981, Dr. BMK gave numerous concerts around the country and overseas that muraLi gANam lovers would always cherish. This concert is an example of "You had to be there" ones. The Ramapriya varnam is like a tasty breadstick usually served before a main dish at Olive Garden. You just can't get enough of it and moreover you are waiting for the next dish to arrive: a bowl of salad! And the Arabhi piece felt exactly like that! The vegetables were the sahityam and the Balsamic vinaigrette was the swaraprastara. To me, it is one of the main highlights of the concert! Annavarapu seems energized and Tanjore Upendran fabulously alternates between the softer and louder percussive phrases throughout without spoiling the mood. Palukutache and Enta Muddu Enta Sogasu are rendered superbly. Next comes one of the main pieces, Nannu Palimpa. This is the longest alapana of the concert and BMK makes every note matter, whether they be high or low. His range never ceases to amaze me; did he really hit a hi PA during the faster moments? Annavarapu's response is awesome; his playing during the faster moments is magnificent. But what I find most astounding is that BMK begins the krithi with the Anupallavi (is this the first time he is doing it or was there a pallavi recorded before that is unavailable for us?). Regardless, the krithi rendition is fantastic as always; BMK nails Thyagaraja's feelings for his Lord Rama and we can visualize it within our minds. Na Prana Natha is evergreen as always. The swaraprastara as always is superb and we get to hear tisra gathi. After that, the trademark Nagumomu comes and even though it is short, it is always enjoyable to hear time and again. An interesting thing about this is that the surrounding sound switches from mono to stereo when BMK starts the charanam. The neraval during "Jagamele Paramathma Evaritho Moralidudu" is glorious. I loved that he explored the neraval with different gathis, especially kandam; you can hear Tanjore Upendran's approval throughout the process. I wonder if this is the first time he introduced kandam to the neraval. The swaraprastara is brief but impressive. The Amritavarshini-Anandabhairavi RTP is next and it is delightful. Many people would feel this version is more polished than the famous 1963 Academy version. Here, BMK is in complete control. The alternation between two ragams is spellbinding. Pay attention to how he easily switches from one to the other. Not a single false note is there. Tanjore Upendran's brief thani is wonderful. The rest of the pieces are great; my favorites being Ekkadi Manusha, Nanati Brathuku and the immortal Sita Kalyana Vaibhogame. I thank my friends Sris GV Giri and Krishna for sharing their portions which I put together. I also noticed some parts of the concert had sped up so I lowered the sruti a bit. Those who attended this concert 40 years ago, please share your reminiscences. Long live muraLi gANam!