The HCL Concertshave lately gone digital to make these live concerts available to music lovers across the globe. ‘Sounds of Sargam’, the latest HCL Digital Concert held at Triveni Kala Sangam last week, featured Ghulam Hasan Khan (Hindustani vocal), Ramprapanna Bhattacharya (sitar), and Prakash Sontakke (slide guitar).
Ghulam Hasan Khan, the grandson of Ud. Ghulam Sadiq Khan and son of Ghulam Abbas Khan is the musical heir of Rampur Sahaswan Gharana. Years of rigorous training and practice were evident in his vocal recital of raga Puriya Kalyan. The bada khayal, “Aaj so Banna…” set to vilambit Ek-tala had the systematic, leisurely barhat-vistar of the raga through aalap and bol-aalap, where he traversed through the mandra area also. After gradually rendering the shayee and antara, Ghulam Hasan proceeded to sargam and the rhythmic work, leading to a variety of well-rendered taans.
The bada khayal was followed by the manrang bandish, ‘More ghar aaja..’ and yet another chhota khayal, “Bahut din beete…” both in Teentala. He could have sung a tarana instead, this Gharana is famous for. Ghulam Hasan concluded his recital with a composition of Ud. Nisar Hussain Khan in raga Saraswati. Zakir Dhaulpuri’s subtle and probing harmonium accompaniment reminded one of Mehmood Dhaulpuri, his father and mentor. Roman Khan provided him with tabla support.
Ramprapanna Bhattacharya chose the evening raga Rageshri and played it splendidly with a first rate tonal quality of his instrument, a striking focus and, of course, a technical mastery that had power and resource in equal measure. The melodious aalap, the rhythmic jod and jhala adorned with the ‘ulta jhala’, with varied chhand patterns typical to this baaj, made an appealing preface for the slow and medium tempo compositions of the raga treated with gravity.
Accompanied on tabla by Zaheen Khan, Ram’s elaborations of the raga had a tightly economised approach, making each swara count and auditing the whole as the raga moved on. The right notes in the right sequence, the meends spanning and linking notes far apart, the drut gat vibrating with gamak executed with precision and the concluding jhala passionate and full of melodious sequences, left the listeners enthralled.
Trained in the guru shishya parampara of Ustad Vilayat Khan, Ramprapanna Bhattacharya has a formidable lineage. Initiated into sitar playing at a young age by his father, Ram was meticulously trained in the technique of this gharana under Pt. Kashinath Mukherjee, himself a senior disciple of Ud. Vilayat Khan.
Sontakke’s slide guitar was there perhaps to entertain the listeners of the lighter vein. The vilambit and drut compositions in raga Jog were literal, lethargic and without effervescence and so was the Yaman-based next piece. This was followed by a line of impulsively selected ragas meandering through Shivaranjani, Charukeshi and some Western patterns resembling Jhap-tala before he decided to play a thumri. This too opened with a Khamaj like aalap but surprisingly ended up with “Yaad Piya ki aaye…”, the famous Bhinna Shadja thumri immortalised by Ud. Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. He also attempted to play Khan Saheb’s lightening Sapat Taan but failed miserably. Prakash seemed quite fond of singing too in between each and every piece, especially sargam. He concluded his performance with ‘Vaishnav Jan to…’, which was perhaps the best of all that he played for the concert.
