Classical magic with strings!

The mesmerising tunes of sitar and jugalandi with tabla enthralled music lovers at the Classical Night held at a city café recently

The mesmerising tunes of sitar and jugalandi with tabla enthralled music lovers at the Classical Night held at a city café recently. Vinayak Sharma an assistant professor of music at Banasthali Vidyapeeth, Jaipur, who comes from ImdadKhani-Etawah Gharana, performed with Arunesh Pandey on the tabla.

Sitarist Vinayak Sharma performing with Arunesh Pandey in Lucknow.

“I have been in love with Lucknow for long. There is something about heritage, culture and its music. I have twice performed here but that was as with a rock band. It was a fusion performance but this one was pure classical. So, when you have a good ambience, intellectual audience and organisers who respect artistes, then your spirit is high and you give your best. Probably that is what happened,” says Sharma.

He started his recital with a presentation of raag bihag wherein he played two compositions — first a slow tempo ‘masitkhani gat’ and the second a fast tempo ‘rajakhani gat’. He then made the bihag presentation which was followed by famous Anaar Anaar composition which was popularised by the legendary late Ustad Raees Khan. He concluded the evening with a traditional composition in bhairavi which delighted the audience who gave him a standing ovation.