How A.R. Rahman is reimagining himself for the stage

The large cheer from the Chennai assemblage astatine A.R. Rahman’s performance past Sunday, arsenic portion of his Wonderment Tour, echoed done the chill nighttime sky. It was a dazzling fusion of lights, beats and deed melodies. In the past fewer months, Rahman has emerged arsenic a performer, who loves to prosecute with antithetic genres of music.

Audience successful Mumbai and Delhi witnessed this precocious arsenic the Oscar-winning composer delved heavy into Classical ragas and sufi mysticism. Aptly titled ‘JHALAA’, it wove unneurotic his philharmonic and spiritual thoughts. In doing so, Rahman reminds america that the aboriginal of civilization lies not successful reinvention alone, but successful thoughtful continuity—where beauty, subject and meaning endure crossed generations.

Formed aft a planetary endowment hunt that received implicit 500 entries, JHALAA brought unneurotic 12 young artistes, trained successful Indian classical arts, and mentored by A.R. Rahman. The ensemble is defined by its committedness to live, acoustic performance, escaped from pre-recorded tracks oregon integer enhancement. Its repertoire spans compositions by legendary masters specified arsenic Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Munna Shoakath Ali, Oothukkadu Venkata Subbaiyer, Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan, Pt. Laxmanprasad Jaipurwale, Kunwar Shyam Ji and Amir Khusrau, alongside prime works by Rahman.

Each show unfolded arsenic a cautiously structured travel done dependable and movement. It began with a bandish successful raag Bhatiyar, a greeting raag, which belongs to the Marwa Thaat. A favourite of Rahman, it was delineated beautifully enveloping the full spot with its question in Vakr — Sa dha, pa, dha, ma, pa, ga, ma, dha, Sa; successful Aroha Re; successful Komal touching tivr Ni — creating a stir, arsenic the alaps and the taans overlapped harmoniously.

The evening besides featured compositions specified arsenic ‘Aao balma’ successful raag Yaman Kalyan, ‘Bhor bhayi’ successful raag Gurjari Todi and Carnatic compositions similar ‘Alaipayude’. Classical creation forms, including Kathak, Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi were seamlessly interwoven, astir strikingly successful ‘Aigiri Nandini’, wherever the trishul became a ocular invocation to Devi.

Across its presentations, JHALAA brought live the Navarasa—the 9 indispensable emotions of Indian aesthetics — with clarity and restraint.

Introduced connected respective occasions by A. R. Rahman himself, and astatine different performances by Sai Shravanam, JHALAA stands arsenic a corporate alternatively than a show of idiosyncratic virtuosity. Its increasing travel crossed India and the satellite seems to bespeak a deeper purpose: to reaffirm Indian classical euphony and creation arsenic surviving traditions. This besides spotlighted a antithetic magnitude of Rahman’s philharmonic sensibilities.

The set is Rahman’s effort to sphere the philharmonic memories of classical maestros by taking it to the adjacent generation. In interviews aft the show helium said helium was highly humbled by audience’s response, and however it showed the unifying facet of art. Throughout this show, determination were nary requests from the assemblage for movie songs.

Complementing Rahman’s classical enactment is different profound taste offering — his Sufiyana vision. It his planetary articulation of Sufi doctrine arsenic a cosmopolitan quality path, helium draws inspiration from Sufi saints and mystic poets crossed regions and centuries. Though this was evident successful this concert, the essence of this doctrine has ever defined his works.

What besides stood retired astatine his caller presentations successful Mumbai and Delhi was Haazri, conceived arsenic a tribute to Rahman’s guru Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan. The show brought unneurotic immoderate of India’s astir respected voices including Sonu Nigam, Hariharan and Shaan, who joined successful honouring a lineage that has shaped generations of music-making.

The Ustad on with his sons had collaborated with Rahman for ‘Aao balma’ for a Coke-Studio MTV play song. An exponent of Rampur-Sahaswan gharana, Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan has mentored galore musicians including Asha Bhosle, Hariharan, Shaan and Sonu Nigam. Apart from performing classical concerts, the Ustad had besides sung for films. He had fixed dependable to much than 50 documentaries made by Films Division.

The repertoire opened with ‘Ik Onkar’ from the Guru Granth Sahib, a contemplative invocation, reflecting the elusive yet all-pervading beingness of the divine. It past journeyed effortlessly done immoderate of Rahman’s astir transcendent compositions, including ‘Khwaja specified khwaja’, ‘Kun faya kun’, ‘Piya haji ali’, and ‘Deewana deewana’, (one of his caller works), earlier moving into accepted Sufi offerings that person echoed crossed centuries.

Pieces specified arsenic ‘Tu kuja mann kuja’, ‘Dum mast qalandar,” and ‘Phool khile bagiyan mein’ unfolded with meditative grace, culminating successful Rahman’s caller creation ‘Ladle farid ke, peere Nizamuddin’, acceptable successful raag Basant Bahar.

From workplace to the stage, from movie euphony to sufiana Kalaams, Rahman shows however euphony is an every-widening horizon, 1 that helium perpetually chases.