Abhogi -The unison of raga, swara and laya - Tyagaraja's Nannu Brova - M Balamuralikrishna (1998)

Every time we hear Balamuralikrishna (BMK) render Saint Tyagaraja’s “Nannu bróva-nīkinta tāmasamā? ” (rāga–Abhógi, Adi-tālam), we experience an aural treat to begin with and then an emotion that evokes a connection with the saint composer to empathise, followed by a rewarding after-glow that envelops our mind with the music & lyrics which would remain with us for a long time. BMK has sung this composition in many of his concerts, quite frequently during the 1970s and early 1980s and each rendition, including the one that has been rendered with a flute as an accompaniment is a testimony for BMK’s idiom of presentation and a great treat to listen. But, the rendition that is presented here is neither from1970s nor from 1980s, it is from the recent times – 1998 ! An unhurried presentation that lasts over 68 minutes radiantly portrays the aspects of Rāga, Kriti-Swara and Laya distinctively spanning around 20 minutes each. BMK together with his accompanying artistes’ Sri. V V Subramaniam (Violin), Sri. U K Sivaraman (Mridangam) and Sri. G Harishankar (Khanjira) collectively brings out a piece of art that characterises the purity and a balance of Shruti, Swara, Gamaka and Laya. When we are enveloped by the purity, what happens to us is only to be experienced, isn’t it? And, here is an invitation! 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. The audio is restored from an excerpt of live concert (23.05.1998) and has been digitally remastered for your joy of listening and for posterity.