Prañava Nāda Priyam : A Vintage Live Concert of Dr M Balamuralikrishna & Co-artistes (Early 1970s)

🕉️ “Prañava Nāda Priyam” is a vintage live concert of Dr. M Balamuralikrishna (BMK) from the early 1970s. Like many of his concerts, this vintage concert too has renditions that are charged with great music together with lyrical beauty and presented impeccably. So many things play together here making the listening experience of this concert wholesome.

🕉️ The concert is also a great example of yore in the demonstration of creating a fine piece of art that stands out for everything in music, technical content, melody, lyrical accuracy impregnated with beauty, a fineness in expression of emotions, and visibility of experience experienced by both the performer and some attentive listeners.

🕉️ It is not an exaggeration to say that peace in the world would prevail by the music that has originated from the primordial sound of Om (prañava).

🕉️ This aspect of bringing peace through music has been proved by masters; and it is so with the rendition of such a piece by a maestro like BMK, in this concert. The main piece of the concert (Shankarābharañam) highlights the ethos of the primordial sound Om through the sahitya-vinyāsam, followed by svara-vinyāsam for the line Prañava Nāda Priyam .

🕉️ Another highlight is the Tódi piece, particularly the beautiful rāga ālāpana. BMK starts slowly but warms up very quickly to present the full glory of Tódi, with all the melodious vibrations and appealing gamakas of the rāgam. His command over the higher octaves and the effortless movements between different octaves is very enjoyable.

Here are the complete details of the concert.
00:00 - Welcome to the album - Prañava Nāda Priyam
00:00:06 1️⃣ Vātāpi Gañapatim Bhajé – Hamsadhwani - Ādi – M S Dikshitar
00:19:08 2️⃣Sogasu jūda taramā? – Kannadagowla - Ādi – Tyāgarāja
00:24:23 3️⃣Mérusamāna Dhīra – Mayamalavagowla - Ādi – Tyagaraja
00:32:00 4️⃣Toli Né Jésina – Shuddhabangāla - Ādi – Tyāgarāja
00:37:10 5️⃣Édāri Sancharinturā? – Shrutiranjani - Ādi – Tyāgarāja
00:42:10 6️⃣Emi Jésiténémi – Tódi - Chāpu – Tyāgarāja
01:17:33 7️⃣Srī Subrahmanyam – Shankarābharañam - Ādi – BMK
01:56:17 8️⃣Nārāyanate Namó – Behāg - Ādi – Annamāchārya
02:02:54 9️⃣Tillāna – Kuntalavarāli - Ādi – BMK
02:07:53 🔟 Jamunā Kinaré – Mishra Pīlu - Swati Tirunāl
02:14:30 *️⃣ Sitā Kalyana Vaibhógamé – Kurinji - Tyāgarāja
02:08:04 *️⃣Mangalam – Madhyamāvati – BMK

✳️ All these compositions have been sung by BMK several times and what makes them more interesting is our own ability to observe the nuances that he brings into the same composition, as if they have just blossomed freshly in the garden of music. These nuances are quite different at different points in time and they are seldom repeated. This aspect would enable us to easily understand BMK’s innate creativity of singing different versions of the same composition and each one of them would be so unique and would leave the listener absolutely spellbound. This concert too has many such features and captures a keen listener’s attention best.

✳️ Several versions of the audio recording of the same concert have been used for reconstruction, restoration and remastering of the audio presented here. I am grateful to all those who have shared the recordings in their possession. I am also grateful to the Cultural Resources of India for providing the details of this concert.

✳️ Here, BMK is accompanied by Kommanduri Krishnamachari (violin), Mullapudi Sriramamurthy (mridanagam) and Kovai Balu (morsing).

💐Let’s listen to enjoy the music, learn something new and discuss our reflections with others.

💐Finally, to facilitate the process of music for posterity by sharing and listening with the younger generation.