03 July,2015 08:04 AM IST | | Suprita Mitter
In its sixth edition, the Bandish festival will showcase artistes like Shubha Mudgal, Shankar Mahadevan and Ashwini Bhide Deshpande over a three-day celebration
Shubha Mudgal and Shankar Mahadevan
The word bandish means a well-structured composition, based on which a raga or a performance can take shape. In July 2010, NCPA launched Bandish, a festival that celebrates legendary composers, giving audiences a chance to relive their music.
Shubha Mudgal
The sixth edition of the festival will see a variety of versatile artistes like Shankar Mahadevan, Shubha Mudgal, Uday Bhawalkar, Ashwini Bhide Deshpande and Ajoy Chakrabarty who will bring to life works of legendary composers of Hindustani Classical Music. The three-day musical fiesta will present treasured works of Miyan Tansen, Nandlal Sharma (Lalan Piya), Sadarang and Adarang and Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. "Bandish is a great platform to showcase creations of legendary figures that have been passed on to us through generations and is still significant in today's time," cites Suvarnalata Rao, Head Programming - Indian Music, NCPA.
Shankar Mahadevan
The first day of Bandish will feature Uday Bhawalkar presenting Dhrupad compositions of musical genius, Miyan Tansen, one of the nine gems of Emperor Akbar's court. Dhrupad is believed to be the most ancient form of Hindustani classical music that reached its peak during the reign of Emperor Akbar. Ashwini Bhide Deshpande will recreate compositions of Sadarang and Adarang, who played a key role in popularising the Khayal style of Hindustani music.
On the second day, there will be a variation within semi-classical genres with performances by Shubha Mudgal rendering Bandish Ki Thumri (also known as Bolbant thumri) compositions of legendary composer Lalan Piya, this is usually a faster kind of Thumri often used by Kathak dancers. Ajoy Chakrabarty will present Bolbanao Thumri and Dadra compositions as a tribute to Bade Ghulam Ali Khan.
The festival will conclude with Shankar Mahadevan's Baithak to Bollywood where the singer will explore the role of Bandish in melodic improvisation across genres like Classical, semi-Classical, light and Pop. "Baithak to Bollywood represents my journey in music. I am going to present this journey from pure Classical to Bollywood music. I like to get involved in various genre of music that exist in our country. As a musician, I always try to offer my audience Classical music with a modern twist to hold their interest," shares Mahadevan.
On: July 3 to 5, 6.30 pm
At: Tata Theatre and Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point.
Call: 66223724
