Impressions of Raagmala

Mayor Declares September 25 as Habib Khan's day!
By Ganga Dhar

Ustad Habib Khan conducted a bold and successful experiment in combining Indian classical raagas with a western symphony style orchestra. The opening transition from Djembe to tabla and simple beat to teental provided a nice contrast and intoduction to the format of the concert. The exposition of all the raagas beginning with Miya ki Malhaar was lively. The high points included the spirited vocals, delicate introductions on the sarangi and some good taans on the sitar and western instruments. The pace was nicely maintained and was gradually built up from raaga to raaga.

Raagmala had me tapping my feet to the rhythm of the final climax. The energy in the performance was palpable and the entire audience was connected to the performers in a manner that seldom happens. In these times when religion is used to divide, it was extra-ordinarily refreshing to see and hear religion used as a unifying force. The message of "one goal and many paths" was aptly conveyed in the blurring of styles and the inter-mingling of religious chants and prayers from Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism and Christianity.

When I go to an Indian classical concert I expect to hear one instrument or voice with percussion accompaniment. The beauty of Indian classical music is in the subtleties used to define and embellish a raaga. In Raagmaala, the sound was rich and lively. The contrasts in sound and sometimes of sound with silence were nicely crafted. The fusion of vocals with sitar as well as sarangi, guitar, saxophone and piano created a unique sound. Ustad Habib Khan relied heavily on his students in producing Raagmaala. Given the length and complexity of the piece, Raagmaala is a tribute to his vision and extra-ordinary organizational ability. In addition to imparting musical training he has also instilled confidence. They individually and collectively performed at levels they did not believe possible! Kudos to the chief organizer (Shobha Khan), the performers and Ustad Habib Khan! We all walked away feeling better about ourselves!

When the curtains opened, Raagmaala made a nice statement in the choice of costumes and colors. The larger stat ment was in the diversity of instruments and the spect ru m of performers assembled on the stage that spanned cultural as well as age boundaries.