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A Journey - Vikas Gupta . |
Vikas Gupta - Sitar
Akram Khan – Tabla
Raga Gaud Sarang
1 Alap 12.51
2 Jor, Jhalla 8.01
3 Gat in jhaptaal (10 beats) 8.23
4 Gat in teentaal (16 beats) 5.18
5 Gat in drut teentaal l3.01
Raga Pilu
6 Alap 15.09
7 Jor 9.55
8 Gat in drut teentaal 6.03 |  |
A Journey
Vikas Gupta has gained recognition both in India and abroad as a highly skilled and creative sitarist. His fast growing reputation has been built on his ability to articulate improvised passages with great speed and clarity based on sound raga structure, combined with the skilful control of meend, the technique of pulling the main melodic string across the fret of the sitar in order to vary the pitch of the note. This method of
playing allows the sitarist to closely mirror the ways in which the voice is used in Indian music.
Sitar is the best known and most popular stringed instrument in the Northern part of the Indian sub-continent. India is home to a plethora of highly talented and well practiced sitarists, who are sound evidence of the enormous appetite that continues to exist for classical music in this country rightly proud of its cultural riches. The fact that Vikas has managed to attract widespread acclaim from both audiences and critics is testament to his devotion and dedication to music.
Vikas Gupta hails from Jaipur, the attractive 'pink' city situated in Rajasthan. In recent years he has become a familiar and most welcome face with audiences in Europe and the States, where his playing has both charmed and thrilled listeners. In his formative years he reaped the benefit of exhaustive training from such luminaries as Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Guitarist Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Sarod player Shri Damodar Lal Kabra and Sitarist Smt. Annapoorna Devi, the first wife of Pt. Ravi Shankar. Vikas was first initiated into music at the tender age of five with lessons in vocal music at the feet of Shri Man Mohan Bhatt. Subsequently, at the age of ten he took to instrumental music under the guidance of Indian guitar pioneer Vishwa Mohan Bhatt.
His playing represents the tradition of Maihar and Senia Gharana, a style of playing crafted by Baba Allaudin Khan, perhaps the most influential Indian musician of the twentieth century. The concept of gharana is peculiar to North India Classical Music. The word "gharana" literally means "of the house" and traditionally refers to the home of the teacher from where the source of the knowledge and inspiration is derived. It is linked to the very ancient concept of the Guru-Shishya-Parampara (lineage of teacher /disciple) which encompasses the sacred bond between mentor and disciple.
'Being a disciple of Babas' Maihar Gharana', I consider each raga as a deity and play sitar with a feeling of eternal ecstasy. My music goes over body, mind and intellect, touching and stirring the soul. Balance between 'Gayaki (vocal) and 'Tantrakari (Instrumental nuances) is the pattern of my recital mindful of raga structure, sustainability of notes and vibrancy in the sound.' Vikas Gupta
For this recording Vikas has chosen two ragas of contrasting moods, Gaud Sarang and Pilu.Gaud Sarang is an energetic raga which evokes feelings of aspiration and hope. It is traditionally performed in the afternoon, which makes it rarely heard outside of India where most concerts take place in the evening. The name suggests it to be a combination of the now obsolete Raga Gaud and Raga Sarang, though its melodic movements are not typical of other Sarang family ragas. Its 'zig-zag' melodic motifs make it a technically challenging raga to handle especially in faster tempo.
The recital begins with the traditional Alap. In 'My Music, My Life' Ravi Shankar claims 'of all the forms of singing and playing in Indian music, the highest place is given to the alap'. The alap is slow, meditative and serene, gently and deliberately outlining the personality of the raga. A rhythmic pulse is added for the Jor part of the Alap (track 2), the pace gradually increasing as the improvised phrases become more intense and intricate. As the momentum builds, the performance moves into the jhalla, the spaces between melodies now filled with the resonance of the repeated strokes on the chikari strings. The initial composition, or gat, is set to jhaptaal, a rhythmic cycle of ten beats. Here Vikas is joined by accompanist Akram Khan on tabla, India's most popular and versatile percussion instrument. Akram Khan is the foremost exponent of the Ajrara gharana of tabla playing, a tradition that stretches back several generations. Throughout the performance, Vikas periodically returns to the gat melody giving the tabla accompanist the opportunity to express himself more freely with some elaborate improvised rhythmic patterns played within the framework of the structure of the time cycle (taal).
Raga Pilu is a romantic raga that is associated mostly with lighter classical vocal genres such as thumri. After the introductory Alap (track 7) and Jor (track 8), Vikas plays a lively composition in the popular teentaal, a rhythmic cycle of sixteen beats, which features fluent and precisely articulated taan patterns which serve to enhance both the beauty and integrity of the raga.
'It was a very happy and memorable experience to me for being at 'Virtual Studio' in Anand.
The studio is beautifully designed, and situated, keeping in view the aesthetics of classical
music. Its surroundings are captivating. I felt mesmerized and highly charged emotionally
while playing Sitar for the studio recording. Sense producer Derek Roberts was so creative
and imaginative that he could bring out my best for the recital of Pilu and Gaud Sarang'.
Vikas Gupta
Notes: John Ball
In memory of Dorothy Burnand (nee Doherty)1927 to 2004
A life of love and laughter. |
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