Khan and Hussain presents a splendid music performance
It was a divine confluence of rhythm and melody that the Bangaloreans witnessed in the scintillating symphony by the two virtuosos of Hindustani Classical music, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Ustad Zakir Hussain, who performed together in the city for the first time yesterday.
The sarod maestro who chose to play rare compositions from his album “Moksha”, unveiled the concert with an evening raag Kamalshri. “Kamal which means lotus and also Rajiv was created by me as a tribute to late Rajiv Gandhi, the day he was assassinated. It was mutual admiration for both us. It was a very sad day for me and decided to express myself through this raag”, he said.
Cascading from the bass notes (komal swaras) to the higher notes (shuddh swaras) through the aalap, the villambit gat, dhrut and the jhala, the musician who represents the sixth generation of illustrious Bangash legacy of Gwalior, brought out the pain and the pathos of the raag in a serene manner.
Moving on the a celebrative mood, he warmed up the tempo with a unique, brilliant composition in Raag Ganesh Kalyan called “Vignraja”, full of effervescence where the “meends” (long notes) played by the Ustad were like embellishments.
It was the vibrant, pentatonic (five notes) raag Durga with the folk flavour of the hills that was the show stealer. Each note played by the maestro was matched effortlessly by tabala wizard Ustad Zakir Hussain. It was a playful, musical dialogue that the audience were treated to.
It was a kaleidoscope of lyrical appeal that was brought out by the sarod maestro in Raag Zila Kaphi, the raag in which most of the spiritual songs are composed. The poetic beauty and ethnic flavour of the raag reminiscent of thumri and kajri and chaiti which celebrate the different seasons and moods was evident in the rendition perfectly timed with the ensuing “holi” festival.
Moving on to a small compostion in Raag Saraswati, paying obeisance to the goddess of learning, the maestro chose Raag Kirvani and a Raag Maalika in this raag for the grand finale.
It was an unspoken musical repartee that the duo engaged in this composition. Fingers moving deftlessly on the sarod were matched by the wizard whose fingers literally flew on the small round mooden instruments.
— PTI
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