It was a grand feast for classical music lovers at Bengal Rowing Club on a Sunday evening as Amaan Ali Khan, Rashid Khan, Hariharan and Tanmoy Bose came together for soulful renditions at Kings In Confluence, in association with The Telegraph.
The concert was presented by Bengal Rowing Club and The Fifth Note, a new vertical of Shakhri Begum Memorial Trust. “It is an initiative of The Fifth Note, which is my wife’s concept. We will be trying to support young, aspiring musicians and give them a platform for performance. The motto is to continue the legacy,” Rashid Khan told t2, before taking the stage on November 13.

“It was an honour for the club to have such great artistes. They left the members totally spellbound,” said Piyush Bhagat, the BRC president.

The evening started with a sarod recital by Amaan Ali Khan, followed by vocal performances by Rashid Khan and Hariharan. It was a triple treat when the two vocalists, Rashid Khan and Hariharan, presented a dadra and a thumri together — Baton baton mein beet gayi raat and Yaad piya ki aaye — accompanied by Tanmoy Bose on the tabla. The show came to an end with a percussion soundscape by Tanmoy Bose and his troupe.

Amaan Ali Khan took the stage with a composition in raga Jhinjhoti on sarod followed by raga Durga. He was accompanied on the tabla by Tanmoy Bose. “With Pandit Tanmoy Boseji I have been performing since I was very young… with my father, with my brother, me solo…. With Ustad Rashid Khan sahab, I have had the honour of playing before him at festivals. But this is the first time I am playing for his organisation (The Fifth Note). This is the first time I am sharing a stage with Hariharan sir. So for me it’s an honour and a pleasure as they are the stalwarts of music and I am just a beginner!” Amaan Ali Khan told t2 before his 20-minute recital.

Hariharan began with two ghazals, Kaash aisa koi manzar hota and Main khayal hoon kisi aur ka, and ended with the Bombay superhit Tu hi re. He was accompanied on table by Shahdaab Bhartiya. “I love to sing for Calcuttans and I will keep coming here as long as you listen to me. My wife (Lalitha) is from Calcutta... the first time I came to Calcutta was in 1982 with Ashaji at a concert in Netaji Indoor Stadium. Singing with Rashid bhai is always a pleasure because he surprises me. For my fans, I am coming up with a different kind of album, which will dwell on Rajasthani and Punjabi sufi. It will be out within a year’s time. Plus, I have worked with my son (Akshay) on an album featuring EDM with classical bandish,” he told t2 while sipping green tea before the show.

Rashid Khan began with a popular dadra, Deewana kiye shaam kya jadoo daara, and finished with his Bolly trademark Aaoge jab tum (Jab We Met). Tanmoy Bose was on the tabla with him. “Hariji and I are from the same gharana. So singing together on stage is going to be a great experience. The only concern before going on stage is whether people would love the performance or not. Today, each artiste has got 20 minutes on an average… this is a new concept and I think today’s audience will love this,” he told t2 before the show.

What’s The Fifth Note?
We always associate the word ‘struggle’ with artistes. You don’t hear a struggling doctor or a struggling engineer. To beat that concept, we have created The Fifth Note, which is a phy-gital (physical and digital) platform that combines the core of the age-old gurukul system with the modernity of the digital world to support aspiring musicians. It is not an academy. We are there to make a route map for you with the help of scholarships, competitions and mentors. We are going to take demonstrative classes deep into the suburban areas for children who can’t travel to the main city. After training in music, they should not face the question ‘what’s next?’ — Joyeeta Basu, MD of The Fifth Note and wife of Rashid Khan

Percussionist Tanmoy Bose presented Filigree, a design of sounds with drums, jembe, tabla and dhaak, with his group. “I have never played with Hariharanji. I have grown up with Rashid Khan, and Amaan bhai is like family. I am excited about the agenda of The Fifth Note. I know that this will be the greatest service to the art fraternity,” said Bose.

Text: Sibendu Das
Pictures: Pabitra Das