In memory of a maestro

Melodious renditions

Muskurahat, a concert presented by Shrutiyaan in memory of tabla maestro Pandit ChaturLal, saw veteran flautist Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia performing along with other artistes at the Indiranagar Club recently.

The concert commenced with a sitar recital by Shubhendra Rao, who was accompanied by Pranshu ChaturLal on tabla and other percussion instruments like western and Turkish drums. The duo performed a pure classical yet experimental set, which was appreciated by the audience.

This was followed by the long-awaited performance of the veteran flautist. Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia started with a composition in raga hemavati based on natta taal which consisted of nine beats. The beautiful evening raga set the mood of the concert and he mesmerised the audience with an elaborate alaap and jhala.

It was amazing to see the septuagenarian play with such energy and vigour and hold the attention of the audience from the start till the end. Just as the audience thought that the concert had ended, he surprised them by offering to play for some more time. Raga desh was chosen by popular consensus and he played a popular bandish and enhanced the experience with a short taan and tukda.

Pandit Vijay Ghate and the live painting by Sandhya K Sirsi added to the experience in strong yet subtle ways. The concert concluded with yet another popular raga – raga pahari. At the end, Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia pulled out a smaller flute, which had a sharper tone, and it was as if he had transported the audience to a different world.

“I am glad that people have turned up in such large numbers today. This goes on to show that the music culture is still alive in the City,” he noted.

The audience loved each and every aspect of the performance and was full of praises for the entire team. “Listening to the veteran artiste live is a different experience altogether. I loved the way he interacted with the audience and asked us to choose the ragas,” said Adithyan, who had come for the show.

Nalini, a senior member of the audience, said that she loved the compositions played by the maestro.

“All the compositions that he played were very soothing. I am glad that I made it to the show,” she summed up.