Time stood still as three great Hindustani classical musicians took the stage at the 18th Quarterly Baithak of Pracheen Kala Kendra at Triveni Kala Sangam. They mesmerized an auditorium full of people with sheer skill and it was awe-inspiring to witness.
The program kicked off with artist Nabeel Khan who set the perfect base for a musical evening with his sarangi performance. Accompanied by Shahbaaz Khan on tabla, he also played one of his original creations – The Arrival of Sultan, and left the audience in complete awe. Nabeel then performed Raag Saugandh – Ek Taal Vilambit which is the opening of the raga. Then Drut Teen Taal based in 16 beats time cycle composed by his grandfather legendary Sarangi maestro Ustad Sabri Khan sahab. Raag Saugandh is very unique and difficult raga to play on Sarangi.
This raga translates the emotions of one travelling down the memory lane in time with the feel of deep connection with nature and life. This raga is very deep and difficult to play on Sarangi. It’s a unique Indian classical raga. Next song performed by him was The Arrival of Sultan – original composition based on Desert theme.
This music piece covers the journey of a Sultan trying to re-establish his glory through the struggles of the day in the desert.
The melody is a combination of several Arabic and Indian classical instruments which come together to form a mystical and enchanting piece. It’s a grand and royal experience to be able to engage with the melody throughout.
Following him was a classical vocal maestro, Geetesh Mishra, who cast a wonderful spell over the audience with his performance.
The baithak ended with sitar performance from Mehtab Ali Niyazi who gave the ideal wrap up to a mesmerizing, inspiring evening dedicated to classical music. The seamlessly planned event and the ambience created truly made the event memorable. In a candid conversation artist Mehtab Ali Niyazi said, “I was very excited to perform for one of India’s prestigious music foundation. Since it happened in Delhi I must mention that it’s always a pleasure performing before the able connoisseurs of Delhi.”