Shounak Abhisheki and Anand Bhate acting at Barkha Ritu
| Photograph Credit score: Courtesy: Banyan Tree
Thematic concert events have made listening to classical music an thrilling expertise. Curators are without end trying to current music in new methods. Banyan Tree’s Barkha Ritu is one such sequence, which explores the traditional join between monsoon and music. This yr marks the twenty third version of Barkha Ritu.
In Delhi, the pageant opened with a vocal jugalbandi of Shounak Abhisheki and Anand Bhate. Regardless of belonging to completely different gharanas and having completely different voice pitches, the Pune-based duo have carried out collectively earlier than. Shounak is the son of Pt. Jitendra Abhisheki, whose singing type mixed options of varied gharanas, together with Agra and Jaipur. As well as, he was one of the crucial prolific lecturers and composers, with an enormous repertoire and a wealthy legacy.
Anand Bhate belongs to the Kirana gharana and is a disciple of Pt. Bhimsen Joshi. His vocal dexterity and advantageous breath management lead to intricate taans. Listening to each of them collectively was a pleasure, as every introduced a distinct slant, making the live performance gratifying and multi-layered.
The live performance began with Shounak singing raag Mian ki Malhar. His delineation, highlighting uncommon points, created a healthful image of the raag. The uncommon madhya laya composition ‘Sakhi kaase kahoon’ by Pt. Ratnakant Ramnathkar ‘Premrang’ was in Jhaptaal. His evocative rendition allowed to expertise the raag in all its dimensions.
The second Teen taal drut bandish was once more not an oft-heard one. A composition by Pt. Sharad Chandra Arolkar, Shounak started unusually from the twelfth beat, like many instrumental compositions. The lyrics of the antara ‘dharak dharak chateeya’ have been sung with gamak actions, which echoed clearly on the tabla performed by Bharat Kamat. On the harmonium, Suyog Kundalkar was cautious to not intrude through the raag delineation. Abhed Abhisheki as an accompanying vocalist showcased his prowess. Although the period of the recital was lower than half-hour, it lingered on.
Anand Bhate sang Surdasi Malhar; a Malhar attributed to saint-composer Surdas. Therefore this Malhar has a extra devotional enchantment. Although Mian ki Malhar composed by Tansen across the identical time is extra standard and thought to be the Malhar, Surdasi has its personal stunning flavour. Anand sang a sluggish, extended and conventional Ek taal composition, showcasing the Kirana gharana options.
The drut Teen taal ‘Badarwa barasan’ was redolent with breathtaking swaras. Suyog on the harmonium incessantly stepped in, assured of his function to reinforce the music. This 30-minute exposition was beautiful, fairly completely different from Shounak’s, who used raga vidya to captivate the listeners.
The singers concluded the live performance singing collectively ‘Abhir gulal’. Tuned by Pt. Jitendra Abhisheki, this abhang by no means fails to uplift the spirit of the viewers.
The night concluded with a live performance by sitar exponent Shujaat Khan, who was accompanied by two younger Delhi-based tabla artistes, Shariq Mustafa and Zuheb Ahmed Khan.
Shujaat Khan with Shariq Mustafa and Zuheb Ahmed Khan
| Photograph Credit score:
Courtesy: Banyan Tree
Shujaat determined to play raag Bihag as a substitute of one other Malhar. He stated concert events themed on the monsoon are likely to get boring with the main target being solely on Malhars. His Bihag was expansive and lyrical. Within the jor part, he selected to current rudra veena-inspired stroke work, with a dhrupad-style tabla accompaniment. Shujaat shared his taking part in was impressed rudra veena maestro Ustad Dabir Khan, whom he had heard as a toddler. Shujaat concluded with Bhairavi.
