[1]Soulful compositions welcomed guests as they entered the India International Centre auditorium on Saturday. Saraswati Foundation's “Swar Andolan” had musician Pt. Rajeev Janardan playing melodious ragas to pay a tribute to Pt Omkarnath Thakur. In today’s times and age, where most traditional instruments have been replaced by their trendier versions, this was an evening of surbahar and sitar recital by Janardan.
“I will play something that denotes the tiredness of the evening,” said Janardhan. What hooked the audience were the various emotions and moods evoked. While some notes stirred emotions, others were relaxing. This found reflection in the long rounds of hearty applause he received from the audience.
What’s interesting is the way Janardan hooked the audience, especially youngsters. Vidhi Arora, who attended the concert, shared with us, “The real challenge for many classical musicians is to connect with the younger lot. I have taken classical music training but still don’t know much about surbahar but Rajeev’s music gripped me.”
Accompanied by Akhtar Hasan on the tabla, the ambience resounded with soulful music, traditional yet contemporary, restless notes yet relaxing in their own melodies.
Links:
[1] http://archive.asianage.com/surbaharjpg-777