GN Balasubramaniam | Live at Perambur Sangeetha Sabha, 1960 | 116th Birthday Tribute

As the hum of the gathering slowly settled, a presence entered the stage with authority. There was no need for announcement. GN Balasubramaniam—GNB—walked in with a regal ease, carrying within him a revolution that had already reshaped Carnatic music. His voice, at once brimming with brilliance and restraint, had the ability to elevate manodharma into something almost metaphysical. Seated beside him was the ever-elegant Lalgudi Jayaraman, whose violin did not merely follow, but conversed—anticipating, responding, and at times gently provoking GNB’s ideas into flight. On the mridangam was CS Murugabhoopathy, grounding the evening with rhythmic poise, allowing both structure and spontaneity to coexist in perfect balance. What makes this concert extraordinary is not only the stature of the musicians, but the musical terrain GNB chose to traverse that evening. Rare glimpses emerge into his handling of ragas such as Kharaharapriya, Arabhi, and the elusive Kuntalavarali—ragas that, in his voice, shed familiarity and revealed fresh contours. Each phrase carried the stamp of a mind unafraid to rethink tradition while remaining deeply anchored within it. Crowning the evening is a moment of singular historical importance: GNB’s rendition of “O Rajeevaksha”, a kriti of Tyagaraja. This concert stands as one of the two known recorded instance of GNB singing this composition—a precious fragment of musical history preserved against all odds. In that rendering, devotion and daring walk hand in hand, offering us a rare window into GNB’s intimate dialogue with Tyagaraja’s vision. On his 116th birth anniversary, this concert returns to us not merely as an archival document, but as living testimony—when sound, space, and spirit aligned; and when a grand master, with royal majesty and fearless imagination, left behind an echo that continues to resonate across generations. GN Balasubramaniam - Vocal S Kalyanaraman - Vocal Support Lalgudi Jayaraman - Violin CS Murugabhoopathy - Mridangam Alangudi Ramachandran - Ghatam 00:00:00 - Begada - Intha Chalamu (Varnam) - Adi - Veena Kuppayyar 00:03:12 - Jaganmohini - Shobillu Saptaswara - Rupakam - Tyagaraja 00:07:36 - Pantuvarali - Alapana 00:12:33 - Pantuvarali - Sundaratara Deham - Adi - Thyagaraja 00:20:50 - Abhogi - Alapana 00:27:20 - Abhogi - Manasu Nilpa - Adi - Tyagaraja 00:36:08 - Arabhi - Alapana 00:43:09 - Arabhi - O Rajeevaksha - Misra Chapu - Tyagaraja 00:50:19 - Kalyani - Alapana 01:07:56 - Kalyani - Nidhi Chala Sukhama - Misra Chapu - Tyagaraja 01:20:44 - Tani Avarthanam - Misra Chapu (Truncated) 01:24:18 - Suddha Saveri - Darini Telusukonti - Adi (2 Kalai) - Tyagaraja 01:37:14 - Chakravaham - Sugunamule Cheppukonti - Rupakam - Tyagaraja 01:45:55 - Thodi - Ragam 02:37:32 - Thodi - Thanam 02:45:38 - Thodi - Pallavi - Dasharatha Bala Ramachandrayya, Dayanide - Adi (4 Kalai) 02:53:19 - Suddha Dhanyasi - Himagiri Tanaye - Adi - Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavathar 02:56:55 - Ragamalika - Dikku Teriyada - Adi - Subramanya Bharathi 03:03:15 - Ragamalika - Shadvidamargini, Kuntalavarali, Kharaharapriya - Sloka 03:18:04 - Paras - Thanom Thanana (Thillana) - Adi - Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar 03:19:35 - Sourashtram - Ni Nama Rupamulaku (Mangalam) - Adi - Tyagaraja Through this initiative we aim to archive concerts by various artists and bring to our viewers the experience of listening to complete concerts. These concerts are carefully chosen from Vaak's archives and cleaned up for the best listening experience. The purpose of this upload is to assist the students and the lifelong learners of India in their pursuit of an education so that they may better their status and their opportunities and to secure for themselves and for others justice, social, economic and political. This has been posted for non-commercial purposes and facilitates fair dealing usage of academic and research materials for private use including research, for criticism and review of the work or of other works and reproduction by teachers and students in the course of instruction. Many of these materials are either unavailable or inaccessible in libraries in India, especially in some of the poorer states and this collection seeks to fill a major gap that exists in access to knowledge.