Last year, Hariprasad Chaurasia was one of the few major stars to play live at the Saptak Music Festival before it was shifted on-line because of a resurgence of Covid. He took the opportunity to crib about the mahol of social distancing, masks and the night curfew that obliged him to start his performance at an early hour. This year, the octogenarian flautist was back on the third day of the festival, looking much more robust and cheerful and the packed house gave him a standing ovation when he made his entrance.
Pandit Chaurasia regaled the appreciative crowd with Rag Vachaspati, followed by Raag Desh. Complimenting the soothing melody sound of the flute with the gentle rhythm of his tabla was Ustad Fazal Quereshi, brother of Ustad Zakir Hussain and son of Alla Rakha.
The first performance of the evening was by Pandit Birendranath Mishra on the sitar and Pandit Puran Maharaj on the tabla. They performed Raag Jhinjhoti, followed by a semi-classical Dadra. Both musicians of the Banaras Gharana (Pandit Mishra teaches music at Banaras Hindu University), this was their first time playing together as a duo.
The second performance of the evening was by vocalist Gautam Kale, a disciple of the late Pandit Jasraj and currently the Founder Director of the Sangeet Gurukul in Indore. Great vocal performances always energize the Saptak audience and Gautam Kale’s soaring rendition of Raag Jog, followed by a Hanuman Bandish (it was a Tuesday after all), was truly engaging.
Shri Kale is the 2019 winner of the coveted Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar from the Sangeet Natak Academy, which is awarded to outstanding artists under the age of 40.
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