Amjad Ali Khansarod

Amaan Ali KhanAyaan Ali Khan

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Amjad Ali Khan at Wigmore Hall

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Walking straight-backed onto the famousWigmore Hall stage, Amjad Ali Khan receivesa standing ovation before he plays a note. Therenowned sarod player has been a regular visitorto London for nigh on three decades; he’s saidthat Britain’s capital holds a very special placein his heart. This concert, the first since histriumphant debut performance at Wigmore Hall in2008, sees a rapt audience in saris and suits greethim with the respect afforded the truly gifted.

In India, where his ancestors are said to haveinvented the sarod, Amjad Ali Khan is reveredas a virtuoso of almost heavenly proportions. Butwhile largely responsible for positioning the sarodas one of his country’s most popular classicalinstruments, the New Delhi-based Khan hasnever courted Western pop success; in Europeand America he is celebrated nonetheless for hisaccessible, exciting style. Newcomers to his œuvreroutinely fall in love with North Indian classicalmusic within moments of hearing him play.

Amjad Ali Khan’s two sons, Amaan Ali Khanand Ayaan Ali Khan, join in the applause asthey sit cross-legged on a small raised platform,Amaan in a yellow tunic, Ayaan in a purple tunic,their sarods resting in their laps. To their left,dressed all in white, acclaimed tabla playerSatyajit Talwalkar bows low over his hand drumsat the entrance of the maestro. Amjad Ali Khan –distinguished, silver-haired, wearing blue andgold – receives the adulation with a smile thensettles into the space between his sons. Taking up

his sarod, whose unfretted steel fingerboard isadorned with a single tassel, he begins the first ofthree Ragas (rhythmic cycles): Raga Shyam Shree,an evening Raga for solo sarod that he firstcreated in the 1970s.

‘I treat every Raga like a living entity’, he hassaid. ‘Even though the literal meaning of a Ragais improvisation within a set framework of ascen-ding and descending notes, I feel a Raga has to beinvoked.’

The clear, ringing sound of this most lovelyof stringed instruments sweeps around theauditorium, caressing ears and awakening senses.Smaller than the sitar, looking like a crossbetween a guitar and a banjo, the 25-string sarodhas a lithe, lean muscularity and a lyricism that –especially under Khan’s plectrum – verges on thesublime. Right from the sarod’s invention in thesixteenth century listeners have found a spiritualelement in its balance of rhythm and melody,in its haunting overtones, powerful patterns anddecorative filigree. Indian classical music isregarded as a reflection of the divine spirit – andthe sarod-playing of Amjad Ali Khan is as spiritualas it gets.

‘Since childhood I always wanted my instru-ment to be able to express the entire range ofhuman emotions … to sing, shout, whisper andcry’, the great Indian musician has said. ‘It hasbeen a long journey and by the benevolence ofthe heavens, my sarod has become far moreexpressive than it was.’

left to right AMAAN ALI KHAN, AMJAD ALI KHAN, AYAAN ALI KHAN

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alongside the tabla of the Mumbai-basedTalwalker, who keeps up a percussive rhythm withhis fingers, palms and the heels of his hands,complementing the melody all the while. Eyesshut, Amjad Ali Khan loses himself in the Raga,pushing against the boundaries of a frameworkthat allows for endless variation, improvising afew contemplative passages there, a few rapid-fire flurries here, stunning all with an instrumentwhose sound is often compared to that of thehuman voice.

In between, Amjad Ali Khan files hisfingernails – essential maintenance, given thathis style of playing involves stopping the sarodstrings with the nails on his left hand – asTalwalker tunes his tabla using the wooden blocksknown as ghatta. The second Raga, Raga Pila, islighter, dreamier, than its predecessor; commonlyplayed at any time of the day, this Raga is used toexpress joy, devotion, happiness and love. AmjadAli Khan begins by outlining the melody over thedrone, bestowing each melodic phrase with itsown dynamic character. His sons play powerfully,precisely, enjoying the accelerating unisonpassages with their father and with each other.

‘Too many people look for shortcuts in life’,says Amjad Ali Khan, in his mellifluous voice,afterwards. ‘My hope is that youngsters coming toclassical music realise it is a long journey whichneeds patience, peace and serenity.’ He proceedsto introduce his sons, beginning with Amaan –

older than Ayaan by two years – before declaringthat he has dropped the Raga originally listed infavour of Raga Kirwani (an early night/lateevening Raga) because, well, he feels like it.‘Since we don’t have a written score [what isplayed] has something to do with theaccommodation of moods and emotions of anartist on that day’, he writes in the programme,forewarning us.

An E harmonic Raga in the South Indiancarnatic style – one of the oldest systems of musicin the world – Raga Kirwani is the perfect Ragawith which to illustrate the adeptness of all fourartists onstage. Without any rehearsal, largelyunaware of what the other is going to do and yethaving to perform like a rehearsed orchestra, eachartist embraces the roles of performer, composerand conductor alike. All do so elegantly, breath-takingly, with Amaan and Ayaan mirroring theirfather’s phrases, laughing in delight at eachother’s virtuosity, creating a sort of three-mansymphony. Talwalker joins in the call-and-response as Amjad Ali Khan’s phrases becomeincreasingly complex. It all ends in dazzlingmusical fireworks – and another standingovation.

Amjad Ali Khan smiles, nods and stands tobow. Then to thunderous applause, his shawlover his left shoulder, his sarod in his right hand,he goes out the way he came in.

Notes by Jane Cornwell © 2011

Nowhere more expressive, perhaps, thanwhen accompanied by his thirty-somethingsons – both celebrated players in their own right –here at Wigmore Hall. Their very presence under-lines the fact that this sarod-playing triumviratehail from a long line of hereditary musicians,a line that stretches back six generations toAmjad Ali Kahn’s great-great-great grandfatherMohammed Hashmi Khan Bangash, who in themid-1700s brought his Afghan rabab lute tothe court of the Maharajah of Rewa in MadhyaPradesh – the Indian state where the KhanBangash family continue to live and play.

The staccato rabab was modified into themore lyrical sarod (a name derived from thePersian word for melody) by Mohammed HashmiKhan Bangash’s grandson, Gulam Ali KhanBangash. The latter became a court musician inthe Khan’s home city of Gwalior and with hisgrandson Hafiz Ali Khan received tuition fromthe descendents and followers of Miyan Tansen(c1520–1590), one of the seminal figures inIndian music and a court musician to the greatMoghul emperor Akbar. A holy tamarind tree byTansen’s tomb is alleged to grant musical powers;the Khan’s family home in Gwalior, now a musicalcentre, seems like proof of their devotion.

Combining the family’s own school of sarod-playing (the Bangash gharana) with the traditionof instrumental music from Tansen (the Seniagharana), as taught to him by his father HaafizKhan, Amjad Ali Khan made his debut perfor-mance at the age of eight. Years spent perfectinghis craft – performing everywhere from New York’sCarnegie Hall to, indeed, London’s Wigmore Hall,and receiving India’s esteemed civilian honour,the Padma Vibhushan, along the way – hasresulted in a prowess that is currently unequalled.Now aged 65, Amjad Ali Khan is at the heightof his inventive powers – which are capturedbeautifully here.

Raga Shyam Shree unfolds slowly, like aflower. Once Khan has established the initialpattern – the blossoms, if you like – the musicspirals out in ever-expanding circles from acentral core. An electronic drone emulates thatof the tanpura lute, offering accompaniment

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SATYAJIT TALWALKAR tabla

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In a career spanning over 50 years, Amjad AliKhan has single-handedly elevated the sarod toone of the most popular instruments in theNorthern Indian tradition. Taught by his father, thelegendary Haafiz Ali Khan, he is the sixth in anuninterrupted lineage of music masters known asthe Senia Bangash School.

Amjad Ali Khan has to his credit the creationof many new Ragas which earned him unanimouspraise for successfully striking the delicatebalance between innovation and respect of atimeless tradition. His Concerto for sarod andorchestra, Samaagam, the result of an extra-ordinary collaboration with the Scottish ChamberOrchestra, is the latest embodiment of his uniqueability to give new form to the purity anddiscipline of the Indian classical music tradition.

Amjad Ali Khan appears regularly in theworld’s most prestigious halls, including Vienna’sKonzerthaus, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw,London’s Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall,Barbican Hall and Royal Albert Hall, the Palais desBeaux Arts in Brussels, the Théâtre de la Ville inParis, New York’s Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Centerand Town Hall, Washington’s Kennedy Center,Chicago’s Symphony Center, Tokyo’s Suntory Hall,and the Sydney Opera House.

Amjad Ali Khan’s extensive discography,available on World Village, Real World, Navras,Radio-France OCORA, Chandha Dhara (Germany),HMV India, CBS and Hindustan Records, hasattracted some of the most prestigious awardsfrom the international music press.

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Amjad Ali Khan

Amaan and Ayaan Ali Khan represent the seventhgeneration of a musical lineage known as theSenia Bangash School. Accompanying theirfather, Amjad Ali Khan, to various music festivalsin India and abroad, they have carved out nichesfor themselves. Awards and accolades came theirway early in life yet both Amaan and Ayaansteadfastly pursued their family’s inheritance andlegacy. They have performed widely in the mostprestigious venues in Europe and the USA, as well

as touring Australia. Both Amaan and Ayaan haverecorded solo CDs, and have also collaboratedwith among others cellist Matthew Barley, inperformance and workshops with the NationalYouth Orchestra of Great Britain, and percus-sionist Evelyn Glennie; they have appeared atnumerous world music festivals, and performednumerous times for Prince Charles. They have co-authored two books.

Amaan Ali Khan & Ayaan Ali Khan

Engineered by Steven PortnoiProduced by Jeremy HayesRecorded live at Wigmore Hall, London, on 8 April 2010Director: John GilhoolyWigmore Hall Live — General Manager: Helen GrangerPhotography by Benjamin EalovegaManufactured by Repeat Performance Multimedia, London

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Amjad Ali Khan sarod

Ayaan Ali Khan, Amaan Ali Khan sarod

Satyajit Talwalkar tabla

Recorded live at Wigmore Hall, London, on 8 April 2010

Indian Classical Ragas

01 Raga Shyam Shree 20.59

02 Raga Pilu 15.31

03 Raga Kirwani 25.53

Total time: 62.26

WHLive0047Made & Printed in England

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