Lone ranger Why Indians are not good at harmony

Three days before his performance with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in Mumbai, Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan tells Bhairavi Jhaveri how he is currently "flirting" with music

Lone ranger Why Indians are not good at harmony

Three days before his performance with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in Mumbai, Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan tells Bhairavi Jhaveri how he is currently "flirting" with music

International musicians have always wondered why Indian musicians don't compose symphonies. On a telephonic chat with Amjad Ali Khan, ahead of a performance with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, I asked him the reason. "Can you imagine 150 Indian classical musicians creating a collective piece? They would break each other's heads!" he laughed, before returning to his soothing tone laced with a calm, peace-loving hum. My confused silence led him to explain that Indian culture is all about the flavour of the individual. "Everybody is a solo player. Just like in politics, everybody wants to be PM or CM. Collectiveness is

our weakness."

Samaagam exposes new side to him

His sons, Amaan and Ayaan Ali Khan belong to the seventh generation of musicians in the family. And the legendary lineage is what lead the Sarod maestro to take this long to collaborate with European classical musicians, despite admiration for them, and their sense of discipline to work in harmony. Last year, he broke the chain for the first time in 40 years, when he collaborated with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in June 2008 at the Orkney island in Scotland. "David Murphy, the conductor showed a keen interest in learning about Indian classical music. He knows a lot already, and his thirst is unending."

From there on, the performance travelled to Glasgow and Edinburgh, before concluding in London. This year, he thought India should see Amjad Ali Khan in the new avatar, one where he's experimenting while maintaining the norms of the Indian classical school. "It's a musical flirtation; I am flirting with music through this performance, and it's very satisfying."

But, it was far from easy to convince the Western musicians to visit after November's terror attacks. They agreed eventually, and a 6-city tour has been planned, kickstarting in Mumbai this Sunday, and travelling to Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh and Delhi. The musician has written the symphony for the Orchestra, and says that Samaagam, the title of the fusion show, will be all about "sounds", melodious ones.

Often, the marriage of Western and Indian music becomes "noisy" due to heavy percussion, but this one will see the Sarod blend with the flute and violin among other mellow instruments.

Collaborations with the Taipei Chinese Orchestra and Australian musicians are up next in line.

Jaldi 5 with Amjad Ali Khan
1.u00a0Best time of day for riyaz: Early morning or late night.
2.u00a0An ideal Sunday: The day I'm not working, is a Sunday for me.u00a0
3.u00a0When I spend time with the Amaan and Ayaan: We discuss our experiences and future plans.
4.u00a0A non-music activity I enjoy: Walking. Even on international tours, you will find me in my tracksuit and walking shoes.
5.u00a0Favourite performance venue/s: Albert Hall in London and Carnegie Hall in New York.

100 Piper's legends live featuring Amjad Ali Khan and The Scottish Chamber Orchestra at Tata Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point on February 8, 7 pm onwards.

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