Balamuralikrishna is an artist that people either love or cannot tolerate !!

An interesting comment by a good friend of mine when he was growing up “My brother asked me to start listening to MBK which i did and then a few years later the very same brother asked him to stop listening to MBK for a variety of reasons”. !!!

His concerts from the 60s and 70s were without a doubt fantastic; from the 80s he got into a mode of singing all-self composition concerts and with most of the leading accompaniments no longer playing for him, his concerts did become sort of one dimensioned and perhaps caused a lot of people to stop listening.

One TV concert that remains etched in my mind is when he sang with Bhimsen Joshi – a jugalbandi. He was absolutely stunning.

The magazine Sruti had an article about the accompaniments for him. There was a period when Lalgudi Jayaraman and U K Sivaraman were the ones to accompany him. Later it was M S Gopalakrishnan and T V Gopalakrishnan – which apparently lasted for a very long time in the 60s. So let me start off with recordings of this trio and then follow up with others.

with M S Gopalakrishnan, Ramanathapuram CS Murugabhoopathy and Vivaldri Iyer – 1964

• varnam – todi – adi – MBK
• vAtApi gaNapatim – hamsadwani – adi – MD
• enta nercina – sAveri – PS Iyer
• mAravairi ramani – nAsikabhooshaNi – tisra triputa – tygAgarAja
• rAmA neeyeda – karaharapriyA – adi – tygAgarAja (incomplete)

You can listen the complete concert on youtube below (thanks to the post by Raju Asokan)
https://youtu.be/ryXu-2eT6_A

with M S Gopalakrishnan and U K Sivaraman

• varnam – kalyani
• sri ganapati – saurashtram
• devi brova (in madyama sruti) – chintamani
• devadi deva – sunadavonodini
• rAmA neeyeda – karaharapriya
• nagumOmu – Abheri
• RTP – tODi
• gayati vanamali – hamsadwani
• ashtapadi (incomplete)

with M S Gopalakrishnan and T V Gopalakrishnan – 1964

• varnam – karaharapriyA – MBk
• gAna sudhArasa – nATa
• manasulOni – hindOLam
• kEla pAlimpa – kAmbhOji
• poorna chandra – nArAyani?
• sadA tavapAda – shanmukapriyA
• rtp – amrutavarshiNi – Anandhabhairavi
• various

with M S Gopalakrishnan and T V Gopalakrishnan

• varnam – sankarAbanaraNam
• kanukonu – nAyaki
• nannupAlimpa – mOhanam
• rtp – amrutavarshini + Anadhabhairavi
• various
•  
• rtp – kalyANi

with M S Gopalakrishnan and T V Gopalakrishnan

Starts from the middle and incomplete

• kEla palimpa – kambhOji
• EdAri sancharinturA –
• nagumOmu – Abheri
• Alapana – tODi (incomplete)

with M S Gopalakrishnan and T V Gopalakrishnan at Parvati, Mysore 1965

• varnam – tODi(MBK)
• vandEnishamaham – hamsadwani
• tAmralOchani – latAngi
• Emi nEramu – sankarabaranam
• nagumOmu – AbhEri
• anAkruta
• pibarE rAma rasam – Ahir bhairavi
• nAinAbhiyE (ashtapati)
• various

with M S Gopalakrishnan, T K Murthy & G Harishankar – January 3, 1996

• varnam – shanmukapriya – MB
• sri hanumantam – mAnavati – adi – MBK
• endaro mahanubhavulu – sri – adi – tyg
• hanumA – sarasAngi – – MBK
• nagumomu – abheri – adi – tyg
• Speech
• nannupalimpa – mohanam – adi – tyg – incomplete
• various

with M S Gopalakrishnan, U K Sivaraman, G HArishankar & V Nagarajan – Maruthi Baktha Samajam, Nanganallur 1997

• speech
• vatapi – hamsdwani – adi – md
• sadinchane – arabhi – adi -tyg
• teluvakamAtalu – saveri
• nannupalimpa – mohanam
• speeches (looong)
• various

with M S Gopalakrishnan and Tiruchi Sankaran – RTP in tODi

The above could from the concert from this concert on youtube

with M S Gopalakrishnan & T V Gopalakrishnan – Andhra Maha Sabha, Mumbai, 1962

• varNam – rAmapriyA – MBK
• vAtApi gaNapatim – hamsadwani 
• sujanajeevana -kamAs  
• gAnarasikE – hindOlam – MBK
• sundari nee divya – kalyANi 
• gAnamAlinchi – kalyAnavasantam – MBK
• bruhadheeswara – kAnaDA – MBK
• marulu konnAnE – jenjooTi – Javali – MBK
• tillAnA – mOhanam – MBK
• mangalam

with M S Gopalakrishnan & Tanjavoor Upendran – Music Academy, 1966

with Lalgudi Jayarman and U K Sivaraman – Shankmukananda Hall, Mumbai – 1963

The recording quality is not that good, but the music is very good. The ‘sundari nee divyaroopamunu’ in kalyani is an absolute gem. The sruti bedam both by Balamurali and Lalgudi are mind boggling.

A Must hear concert without a doubt for the Balamurali doubters 😉

• varnam – rAmapriyA
• gaNAyakam – nATa
• sObillu saptaswara – jaganmOhini
• sujana jeevanA – kamAs
• sundari nee – kalyANi
• nagumOmu – Abheri
• RTP – hamsavonOdini
• various

with M Chandrasekharan and Karaikudi Mani

• sAdinchanE – Arabhi
• entamuddhO – bindumAlini
• sri hanumantam – mAnavati
• deivamu neevE – gurupriyA
• chetulara – bhairavi
• various

with M Chandrasekharan and Tanjavur Upendran

• entamuddO enta sogasO – bindumAlini
• nee sATi – chandrikA (chandrakauns)
• pEriDi ninu – karaharapariyA – Adi – tyAgarAja
• paramapAvanamu – kEdAragowLa – Adi – MBK
• dEvAdi dEvA – sunAdavinOdini
•  

with M Chandrasekharan and ??? – RTP in hamsadwani

with V V Subramaniam and Palghat Raghu, AIR Madras 1973

• nagumOmu – madyamAvati
• intanacu varNipma taramA – gunDakriyA
• dEvAdi dEva – sunAdavinOdhini
• Emani vigula varnintu – tODi

From some other concert

• varnam – bhairavi – aTa
• upachAramu jesEvAru – bhairavi

with V V Subramaniam and Tanjavur Upendran – AIR National Program

• varnam – nATa – adi- MBK
• nAdatanumanisam – cittaranjani – Adi – tyg
• tulasidalamulache – mayamalavagowla – roopakam – tyg
• deivamu neevE – gurupriya – Adi – MBK (incomplete)

with Annavarapu Ramaswamy and Mullapudi – AIR Hyderabad/Vijayawada

• pari pari nee pAdamE – hamsadwani
• prakkala nilapaDi – karaharapriyA

with Annavarappu Ramaswamy and Umayalpuram K Sivaraman

Music Academy, Madras 23 Dec 1978

• sAma vEdam- recitation
• sAdinchane – Arabhi
• tatvameruga tarama – garuDadwani
• bAavamE – kApi – MBK
• neerajAkshi – hindOLam
• RTP – Kalyani
• OTrumai seivadu – mOhanam
• tuNai neeyE – chArukEsi
• thillAna- priyA rAgamAlika (“gurupriyA, Rasikapriya, gAyakapriyA, sunAthapriyA, karaharapriyA”)
• various

Concerts with unknown accompaniments

• gAnasudArasa – nATa – adi- MBK
• sree ramyacitta – jayamanOhari
• palugavEmi – poorNachandrika – Adi – tyg
• apparAma bakti – pantuvarALi – roopakam – tyg
• cAlu cAlu – sAvEri
• paramAtmuDu – vAgadeeswari – Adi – tyg
• RTP – mOhanam + kalyANi + anandabhairavi
• various

recording – hiss and distortion
Collection from different radio concerts
starts from middle of swarakalpana

• sAmajavaragamana – hindOLam
• entamuddO – bindumAlini
• anurAgamulE – saraswati
• buddhirAdhu – sankarAbaraNam – tyg
• bogachAyAnATakapriyE – chAyAnATakapriyA

T Kesavulu – violin

• harine smaranE – bEgaDA
• varuga varuga – pantuvarALi – adi – MBK
• bAmarO – Anadabhairavi – tisra triputa – kshetragnya
• ashTapadi – bAgeswari – jayadeva

• sri ramanavibhO – arabhi
• mA mAnini – tODi – MBK (swaraksharam composition)
• sObillu – jaganmOhini – roopakam – tyg
• tillAna – rAgamalika – MBK
• akilandEswari – karnATaka kApi – syAmA sAstri

• sObillu – jaganmOhini
• prakkala nilapaDi – karaharapriya
• sAdinchanE – Arabhi
• RTP – kalyAni
• various

• mEru samAna – mAyAmALavagowLa
• kanukOnu sowkyamu – nAyaki
• samukAna nilpa – kOkilavarALi
• Emani mATADitivO – tODi
• tillAnA

• varNam – vAchaspati
• sAkshi lEdanuchu – bangaLA – tyAgarAja
• duDukugala – gowLa
• nannu brOvamani – kalyANi
• RTP – amrutavarshiNi and Anandabhairavi
• various

• chandram bhaja – asAvEri
• bhogAchayAnATakapriyE – bhogAchayAnATa
• sri neelOtpalanAyikE – reetigowLa
• chintayAmi satatam – mArgadEsi
• sri bAlasubramanya – bilahari
• sringAra rasamanjari – rasamanjari
• mAyEtwam – tarangiNi

RTP in rEvati

Jugalbandhi’s

with Bhimsen Joshi

with Kishori Amonkar

Concerts from web