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A Musical High

Curtains on Bengal Classical Music Fest

Aloke Kumar Sen and Zahangir Alom
The Bengal Classical Music Festival 2013 wrapped up on a high note, featured many evocative performances on the fourth and final night, beginning with Manipuri dance recital by noted Bangladeshi artiste Tamanna Rahman and her troupe.
Suchisree Ray came next to perform Raga "Anandi Kalyan," popularly known as Raga "Nand". With a vilambit ektaal bandish "E Baare Saiyan" performance, especially in the bol banao ang, the artiste rendered the traditional folk elements of Agra Gharana. Her drut bandish "Payal Mori Baje" was on teentaal. She also performed a purvi (a semi classical genre) - "Sawariya Peyare Mori Cuiyan" Gourab Chatterjee on harmonium and Abhijit Bandyopadhyay on tabla and Sarwar Hossain on sarangi accompanied Suchisree Ray.
Renowned santoor artiste Rahul Sharma performed Raga "Gorak Kalyan" at the festival. His vilambit composition was on Rupak taal while his drut composition was set on Panjabi Teentaal. The chalan of his recital was ornamented with various layakari that went on well with the main tempo of Rupak taal (7 beats). His fashioning of fabulous and sweet tehai amid the layakari presentation fascinated the thousands of audience. Raga Gorak Kalyan is sweet-romantic raga that belongs to thaat Khamaj. Each and every movement of the raga evokes romantic euphoria. Rahul in his recital of raga showcased the ecstatic ups and down of melody that seemed like a blissful wandering around of a spring-time hill. With generating the beautiful musical phrase - Re, Ma, Ni, Dha, Ma, Dha, Ma, Re, Ni, Re, Ma, Dha, Ma, Re, Sa - Rahul mesmerised the entire audience.
Pandit Ulhas Kasalkar, with his idiosyncratic style, always prefers to perform lesser-known ragas. This time was no exception of that. The Pandit immersed in the musical ocean through performing a difficult Raga "Kamod" at the festival, something only a maestro of his stature could have blossomed. The maestro's vilambit bandish "E Moti Malania," set on Jhumra taal and the madhyalaya teentaal bandish "Kare Janey Na Dungi" together with exquisite pukar, taan, gamak, murki, ragdari, vocal throwing and bolbut layakari augmented the beauty in madhya and taar saptak. Pandit Kashalkar also performed a romantic tarana (ananda) based on Raga "Adana" on teentaal.
Eminent maestro Ustad Baha'uddin Dagar presented raga "Chandrakauns" on his divine instrument Rudra Veena, an ancient instrument having connotation with Shiva. His gamaki alap, jod and jhala performance seemingly created a vast curiosity among the audience, especially its unique grave sound enthralled the Dhaka music lovers.
A total of 29,143 music lovers waited with bated breath for the cherished moment of when the forerunner of modern Khayal, Padmashree Ustad Rashid Khan would take the stage. They entire crowd welcomed the legend with rounds of applause.
Khan's sublime style of rendition has won him legions of disciples and ardent fans. Perfect diction, clarity in sur (musical notes) and gayaki (creative musical progression), command over all aspects of laya and rhythm, depth of composition and an unmistakable interplay between notes and words to evoke the desired mood and emotions have created the hallmark of Ustad Rashid Khan's music.
The Ustad on surmandal began with a rendition set on a meditative, profound and melancholic raga—Malkauns. An intimate bond between the human soul and the eternal soul was the essence of his bandish: "Tu Hain Malik Mero," based on vilambit ektaal.
Through articulating the word "Malik" repeatedly during the blossoming of the melodic alap, the Ustad tried to appease the divinity. Sarangi artiste Allarakha Kalavant
predominantly played the prayer-based alap and bistaar in between the bandish superbly, the sat sangat creating a musical mahol (ambiance).
With the words "Yaad Aawat Mohe Pi Ki Batiyan", the Ustad started a drut bandish on teentaal. The rendition was like flashes of lightning on a monsoon night. Tabla maestro Pandit Shubhankar Banerjee, with producing divine gamak on baya and vilambit ektaal theka, embellished the performance.
Reversing the melancholy into romance, Rashid Khan styled a musical high through performing another bandish "Aj Morey Ghar Aayi Re Balma," on drut teentaal.
Khan's disciple Krishna Bongane was excel-lent in vocal support.
Amid the performance, solo pieces by harmonium player Pandit Jyoti Goho were appeared as an added attraction. Another Chhoto Khayal on his own composed Raga "Sohini Bahar" followed.
A timeless thumri performance by the artiste moved the audience, of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan's immortalised "Yaad Piya Ki Aaye"; Rashid Khan's rendition, in all its nuances, magnificently portrayed the yearning in memory of the beloved.
Begum Parween Sultana appeared on stage to wrap up the four-day musical extravaganza. The thumri queen started off her musical flight set on a morning Raga "Gujri Todi". Her
vilambit bandish "Ghar Ayo Balma" (on ektaal) and drut bandish "Ja Re Ja Re Kagwa" (on teentaal) moved the audience as she gripped the 'Sa' of taar saptak, where a very impressive Abijit Bannerjee on tabla also won applauses. She also performed a Mishra Bhairvi thumri "Yaad Sataye Din Rayena Mitwa". And last but not the least, the artisste rendered her one of the most popular songs, "HameinTumse Peyar Kitna" (Film: "Kudrat") on request. The artiste was received with continuing rounds of applause, for bringing a fitting end to the festival.