Music is all about emotionally pleasing sound – concurrence and agreement. Anupama Bhagwat a sitarist of commendable calibre, disciple of the distinguished Pandit Bimalendu Mukerjee, was on a week-long programme at the K.M. Music Conservatory, A.R. Rahman's school of Music and Technology recently as part of a week-long special programme.
Replete with raga bhava
Anupama Bhagwat presented Yaman Kalyan slowly establishing the raga with a meditative alaap which then introduced the Jod and Jhala. She then continued by playing a composition in dhrut in teentaal replete with raga bhava, “langar too hee kachhi nahi bol” with a vigour that is the hallmark of the famous Imdadkhani gharana. She laced the raga with scintillating tans.
While Anupama introduced elements of the khayak gayaki into the alaap true to the Imdadkhani and Etwah tradition, she used ornamentations to systematically strengthen the interactions between the swara and the laya; the laya resounding to the rhythmic flourish of Rajesh Dhavale who played with abandon.
Following Anupama's performance there was an impromptu collaborative performance by Anoushka on the harp and Anupama; it was like a breath of fresh air. Anoushka played arpeggios (Arpeggios, originally called Harpeggios are chords whose notes are played in rapid succession rather than simultaneously) on the scale of D setting a definite sequence that was complimented by Anupama's gat toda with matching tihais.
The beautiful melodic background established by Anoushka on the harp led Anupama to play Khamaj set to the six-beat cycle, all the while to the thunderous accompaniment of Rajesh's strokes on the tabla. All together the three musicians created a sonorous deep-toned and rich mixture of sound, that was an exhilarating experience.
Anoushka is a student of Alison Maggart at the K.M. Music Conservatory, Foundation Programme.
