A Soulful Vintage Concert Based Solely on Kriti Renditions - Dr M Balamuralikrishna - 18.12.1972

“What is Creativity?” , someone asked.
The master replied, “ Creativity is not creating something, it is a quality that you bring into your work!”

The quality that is mentioned above is the hallmark of Muralīgānam and Dr. M Balamuralikrishna (BMK) has continuously worked in this realm to explore, experiment and enhance the joy of listening to music.

BMK has demonstrated in his concerts that his approach to creativity is only a means to an end, that is, to experience the rasānubhava (the experience of pure joy effortlessly) and not an end in itself.

Looking at the repertoire of recordings left behind by him, we could gather that his penchant for the search for creative expression of his music majorly happened and touched new heights in the concerts of 1970s.

Be it his voice culture and development (spanning over the three octaves), the rāgas he elaborated (both familiar and rare ones), selection and rendition of kritis (both known and unknown from the vast variety of composers in various languages) or his svara-vinyāsam (intricate patterns of beauty and intelligence appearing seemingly simple to the listener) show a step change in the recordings, especially in the concerts of 1970s.

These recordings also show us how he has also experimented with his performance by adopting accompanying instruments such as veena or flute, and even performed without any accompanying or percussion instruments. These recordings, when listened to, show us that it is possible to experience rasānubhūti without any of the conventional concert setup, if the music rendered is synchronized with the nature of bhāva, rāga and laya.

The album “A Soulful Vintage Concert Based Solely on Kriti Renditions” presented here, is also one such innovative approach of BMK.

This concert, held on 18.12.1972 in Chennai, features rendition of just kritis. The presentation of each and together is a wholesome package of bhāva, rāga and laya. Most importantly, it makes an ordinary listener to access the treasure house of rasānubhava quickly and easily, and holds the well-informed listeners in awe as to how BMK could pull off such a feat effortlessly.

Like it is said “brevity is the soul of wit’, the same can also be said of this concert of 17 kritis presented so concisely which touches our soul to anchor with rasānubhava.

💐We take this opportunity to wish you and your families a very happy and prosperous Ugadi 2024.

00:00 💐 Welcome to the Album.
00:00:06 🔸01 - Haimavatim bhaja manasa - Shadvidhamargini - Rupakam - BMK
00:06:50 🔸02 - Kamalapta kula - Brindavana Saranga – Adi - Tyagaraja
00:12:04 🔸03 - Tulasi Jagajjani – Saveri – Rupakam - Tyagaraja
00:19:10 🔸04 - Avaraku tathyamai - Kutuhalam – Adi – M Venkatasubbayya
00:23:24 🔸05 - Toli ne jesina - Shuddha bangala – Adi - Tyagaraja
00:28:40 🔸06 - Ganamalinchi – Kalyanavasanta – Adi - BMK
00:34:13 🔸07 - Palukutache phalamemi - Phalamanjari - Rupakam – Patnam S Iyer
00:39:19 🔸08 - Mariyada gadura – Shankarabharanam – Adi - Tyagaraja
00:51:04 🔸09 - Kavave Kanyakumari - Shahana – Mishra Chapu - BMK
00:55:54 🔸10 - Ganalola – *Ragamalika – Rupakam - BMK
01:06:20 🔸11 - Tatvad jeevatwam - Kedara – Adi – Sadashiva Brahmendra
01:10:20 🔸12 - Narayana te Namo - Behag – Adi - Annnamacharya
01:19:11 🔸13 - Harirasama vihari - Hindola – Adi - Annamacharya
01:26:15 🔸14 - Stirata nahi nahi re - Amritavarshini – Adi – Sadashiva Brahmendra
01:31:15 🔸15 - Endrum tunai niye - Charukeshi – Adi - BMK.
01:35:58 🔸16 - Ninnu vidasi - Tatwa Padam
01:38:58 🔸17 - Nagumomu - Madhyamavati – Adi - Tyagaraja

*Gamanashrama, Ahirbhairavi, Abhogi, Mayamalavagowla & Madhyamavati