A vintage Abhéri in Rāgam tānam & Pallavi - BMK - MSG - TVG (1965)

“Every time Balamuralikrishna sings the rāga Abhéri, a new facet is shown while the other familiar facets shine brilliantly ”, said a veteran music critic of the past. I wonder, what he might have said on listening to this beautiful RTP (rāgam-tānam & pallavi) rendered when the three maestros unite to present it together.

This RTP is an excerpt from a vintage concert. M S Gopalakrishnan (Violin) and T V Gopalakrishnan (Mridangam) accompany M Balamuralikrishna in bringing out yet another milestone in Abhéri. My special thanks and appreciation to Sri. D V Mohana Krishna for his help in identifying and proving some details of the tālam used here.

The RTP is rendered in Trishra jāti triputa tālam. It’s sung in Khanda-gati (nadai). The off-set (Ettugada / Edupu) for the take-off of pallavi is after the 4 akshrās of the last phase of tāla cycle (after 4 akshrās in the last kriya -7) . And the pada-garbam / arudhi (end of the pūrvāngam, the first half of the pallavi ending at the strike of the
beginning of the second half of the tālam cycle) is 5 counts.

Let’s listen to enjoy the music, learn something new and discuss our reflections with others and finally facilitate the process of posterity by sharing and listening with the younger generation.