M Balamuralikrishna MC UKS SK @ Carnatica BSU 2012

[mahavishnu]

Sri Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna - vocal
Sri M Chandrasekaran - violin
Sri Umayalpuram K Sivaraman - mridangam
Dr S Karthick - Ghatam

mahadEva sutam - Arabhi - BMK (S)
jayati SivA bhavAnI jagajjananI niranjanI - bhavAni MD
pakkala nilabaDi - kharaharapriya - T (RNST)
cAlu cAlu nI yuktulu naDavadu - sAveri - T
tillAna nadru dheem - kuntala varALi (short raga sketch)
bhajarE guru deivam - sindhu bhairavi - BMK
rAma chandrAya janaka rAja jA manOharAya mAmakA bheeshTa dAya mahita mangaLam - bhadrAchalam rAmadAs - navrOj.

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I listened to this concert thousands of miles away from the NGS auditorium where it took place. I can only imagine what the live experience must have been like. I was so blown away by what I heard that I felt that I ought to share my experiences.

BMK was just superb. Every sangati from this concert should be archived in a museum. That is the quality of what he produced today as an octogenarian. I could have sworn this was the vintage Mangalampalli-garu from the 60s-70s performing at the peak of his youth. Such energy, such creative insight and such playfulness, packed with the charm and gaiety of a "bala" murali.

Mind you, this was no light fare. The very classical Arabhi was followed by the solemnity of bhavAni, the uncompromisingly rigorous kharaharapriya and later by the soulfulness of sAveri. But even the sAveri had the frolicsome playfulness that Tyagaraja brings out in the Nowka charitram. BMK sang it as though it was from personal experience of being on a regatta on the yamuna with Krishna and the gOpis himself.

The kharaharapriya was sensational; he began the kriti from the anupallavi line "cukkala rAyani" and then there was no stopping him. The swaram exchange between BMK and MC was extraordinary. MC's enjoyment of the music was palpable even through the lossy digitized medium. What a great accompanist MC makes!

UKS played a superb tani, his perfectly tuned instrument sang along pakkala nilabadi. After UKS finished his tani, BMK started with "cAlu cAlu" as a compliment to the legendary mridangist almost as though he was addressing him directly with that statement. The audience broke out into serious laughter in appreciation of his spontaneous humour. Karthick played some very interesting passages with UKS in the tani.

BMK's telugu diction is superb. I feel like I can understand the music so much better when he sings it, with his own unique style of enunciation. I have never felt so lifted by the piece "cAlu cAlu" like I was from this rendition. It was dripping with sAveri.

The concert ended with BMK's tillAna in kuntalavarALi and his trademark "ramachandrAya" which makes me want to get up and do an Irish river dance every time I hear him sing it.

As I mentioned earlier, I was so blown over by this experience (just through my tinny notebook speakers) that I had to share it with the good folks here. When Bharathi said "Sundara telinginil pAttisaithu", I bet this is what he had in mind. To borrow from Blake, it was like packing eternity into ninety minutes.

Thanks, Carnatica for helping us relive and relish some of Carnatic music's greatest moments. If you release this concert commercially, I will be the first in line to buy it.

[sureshvv]

There was also a sindhu bhairavi there after saveri

[mahavishnu]

thanks, Suresh. I have edited the list.
I take it that you were physically there. Lucky you!

[mahesh3]

His quality is simply unmatched - the recent Udupi concert had me gasping - how can someone at 82 sing like this? The voice discipline, shruti suddham, the brilliant thought processes, the thalam variety, knowledge of thyagaraja kritis - and above all - his love for music even after 100s of 1000s of stage performances - really unfair how so many chennaivasis dismiss him. Kudos to Carnatica - not only for giving the doyen pride of place - but also finding a musician worthy of UKS's stature so that he could showcase his skills as well - its a joke to listen to UKS sir with lesser mortals!

[squims]

Sounds great. Missed this.

[Rsachi]

Guys, was there a live audio stream or time shifted broadcast? How come I missed it?

[mahesh3]

Yea - live audio stream was at radiowalla.in

[Rsachi]

My loss

[mahavishnu]

pictures courtesy Ramanathan Iyer/Carnatica/the ARTery (c)

[varsha]

It was a mind boggling concert .It was a treat to be there in the hall that evening
BMK operates in a zone of his own

[anandmurty]

The loveliness of Delhi pre-winter weather apart, there are times when I wish I was back in good ole Chennai to soak some of this musical flood!

Thanks mahavishnu for that detailed and evocative review - it made not being at the venue a little more bearable.
Earlier, in spite of Telugu being my mother tongue, I would find myself gravitating towards Dikshitar's compositions because I couldn't seem to make complete sense of Thyagaraja's krithis as sung by quite a few artistes. Then BMK, Voleti and MDR struck and it's never been the same again! The word-splits and pauses without sacrificing an iota of 'musicality' make the experience of listening a complete one.

My grand-father does his own Masulipatnam inspired version of the Irish jig when he hears that Kunatavarali thillana or the navaroj mangalam.

Can never say 'cAlu cAlu' to such singing!

[sureshvv]

thanks, Suresh. I have edited the list.
I take it that you were physically there. Lucky you!

Yep. I was here and it was memorable albeir a bit loud. Sound levels seem to have stabilized and it is much more pleasant now. Listening to a blissful expansive kapi narayani (sarasa sama dana) by neyveli santhanagopalan, narmada, mannarkoil balaji & guruprasad now full of playfulness & sowkhyam.

[Nick H]

Kunatavarali thillana

I feel that BMK must have been giggling when he composed this, as the basis of tha, tharikitataka is a very elementary mridangam lesson --- but I soon loose track of the nadais, even on the recorded version, and when he sings it in concert he does something different every time. I was sitting next to Sureshvv, who pinted out that even Sri Chandrasekaran was having a little trouble keeping up with the iterations, but that UKS was absolutely sharp and crisp, literally never missing a single beat. Along with the wonderful quality of BMK's ageless voice was the wonderful quality of UKS's ageless fingers, and the very beautiful nadam of his mridangam.

[padavarnam]

What resonance and tonal richness his voice possesses even today! His charming manner and grace is timeless and ensured that his accompanists (who can and sometimes do overshadow many main artists) were completely under his thrall, doing his bidding, hypnotized as it were. A concert to cherish!

Was mighty disappointed to see a hall that was only 60-70% full. The Chennai audience doesn't stop surprising you, does it?

[Nick H]

Yes. I expected that I wouldn't even be able to get in the hall. Surprising and sad that I could have sat in the front section easily.

[nadhasudha]

Mahavishnu - thanks for the review. Missed this concert

Currently listening to Nithyashree Mahadevan rendering the Yadukulakambhoji piece Kamakshi Ekamreshwari. I hope Carnatica makes the concerts available on demand for the listeners in different time zones.

[hamirkalyani123]

Excellent review by mahavishnu. Thanks so much. You really presented it such that even for those who are miles away from it, we can literally feel the whole concert. Kudos mahavishnu