The HCL Concerts presented Ustad Amjad Ali Khan along with his sons and disciples Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash playing live, excerpts from their recently recorded album “Peace Worshippers” which has won gold medal at the prestigious Global Music Awards. Organised at the open air premises of Shiv Nadar School, Faridabad; this concert was also launched as the inaugural musical event in this part of the NCR.
The concert was originally planned to feature Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash along with Elmira Darvarova, the classical violinist from America, nominated for Grammy Awards, who is also part of the “Peace Worshippers”. However, since she was unable to make it, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan was invited to join. The audience were overjoyed to find Khan Saheb in this special appearance.
Accompanied on tabla by Satyajit Talwalkar and on mridangam by Sridhar Parthasarathy, Aman and Ayaan Ali Bangash had opened with two short pieces in raga Pilu and Desh. The introductory aalap of Pilu was outlined by Amaan with the main phrases of Pilu with joyous abandon while Ayaan filled it with the shades of Kafi and Shuddha Pilu with a tinge of Komal Dhaivat adding a little poignancy to it. This was followed with a dhun like composition set to the lilting gait of madhya-drut (a little faster medium tempo) dadra. Raga Desh was opened with a short aalap followed by a jhap-tala composition in medium tempo. There was also a ‘sawal-jawab’ sequence with tabla and mridangam before they proceeded towards jhala. But the chilly weather and the open air stage had a negative effect on the instruments.
Invited on stage thereafter, Ud. Amjad Ali Khan said, “I’m here as a substitute, but expressed his happiness on being in the midst of children and suggested they should sing “Sa Re Ga Ma. Pa Dha Ni.” at assembly time as a prayer because “Swara hi Ishwar hai” (music and the musical notes are divine). It is because of these notes that I feel connected with every song and every religion of the world.”
He played a self-composed tarana in raga Bahar and then gave a musical tour of different states of our country through their folk tunes. Opening with the Rajasthani folk tune in ‘maand’ set to Chaanchar Theka of Deepchandi, he proceeded to Bengal with Bengali kirtan and then the well known Tagore song “Ekla chalo re…” concluding with ‘Bihu’ folk tune of Assam with the melodious touches of Komal Nishad.
Khan Saheb then invited Aman and Ayaan to join him and the trio played raga Saraswati and Bageshree. The drut Ek-tala composition in Saraswati was followed by the melancholic aalap of Bageshree by Khan Saheb joined by Aman in madhya and Ayaan in mandra Saptak returning back the thread to Khan Saheb who after winding the aalap started the gat composition in medium tempo Teen-Tala. The crystal clear use of the bols, so specific to Sarod, were shared by all three of them taking turns to adorn the raga in their own way, according to their own individual imagination. The composition gradually proceeded towards the faster speed of jhala where there was also a Carnatic music like ‘Thaani Avartanam’ between the two percussionists, where Sarod kept the lehera refrain with just four notes, before all of them joining together for the crescendo that got them standing ovation.
Music in the Park
“Aur raga sab bane baraati, Dulha raga Basant / Madan-Mahotsava aaj sakhi ri, vida bhayo Hemant.” It was Pt. Jasraj invoking the bridegroom ‘Basant’ who was hailed by all other ragas attending his glamorous wedding. To herald the spring season after the winter break, Music in the Park concerts resumed with a bang.
Pandit Jasraj
Hundreds of music lovers thronged at the Nehru Park, blooming with colourful flowers to listen to the long awaited concert that opened with the sitar recital of Pt. Kushal Das, the melodious maestro of Maihar gharana. Opening with a detailed aalap, jod and jhala in raga Puriya Dhanashree, he played a vilambit (slow) and a drut (faster) gat composition set to slow and the medium tempo Teen-Tala in the traditional way. The laraj-kharaj ka kaam during the mandra aalap, so specific to his gharana, was played with striking grit and rich texture.
Ram Kumar Mishra on tabla gave a certain flair to his slow composition too, which is usually submerged in his calm and composure. His command on meend enabled the competent sitarist to express his deepest emotions. The rhythmic play also provided a mild distinction to his elaboration of the raga. The drut gat studded with a variety of taan patterns reached the jhala in fast speed but unlike his usual performances, the instrument could not maintain the desired musicality and became chaotic. The chilly weather again may be the reason for the strings getting off tune.
Pt. Jasraj, who has touched the 88th milestone of age last month had no traces of tiredness when he reached the lowest reaches of mandra saptak during aalap or touched the taar pancham and the ati taar shadja during the sturdy taans of his Khayal compositions. Opening with the disturbing bandish, “Bhayo mann bairagi…” in Bihagda that had dignity, poise and fine feeling of tension and repose, he developed the raga phrase by phrase in an appealing mosaic, while Shashank on flute underlined its beauty. The Teentala composition “Eri Aali ri albeli…” was vibrant and colourful, where Ramkumar on tabla and Milind Patkar on harmonium also got inspired by the octogenarian vocalist.
The lovely composition of Kunwar Shyam “Dekho mori rang mein bhigoye dari…” depicted the holi festival through the colourful showers of taans, where Ratan Mohan and Ankita would repeat the mukhada (opening phrase of the composition) while Pandit ji revelled in a variety of sargam and aakar taans. Then came compositions in Suha-Sughrai and Basant, the much adored “Lal Gopal, gulal hamari ankhiyan mein jin daro joo….” and the concluding “Om Namo Bhagawate Vasudevaya…..” that mesmerised the audience like always, bringing tears of joy and devotion in their eyes.
