A santoor recital by music maestro Abhay Rustum Sopori mesmerised listeners at the SaMaPa Aalap Festival 2014 at Calliope Institute in Jammu today.
The Festival is being presented by the Sopori Academy of Music And Performing Arts in collaboration with Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Jammu & Kashmir Police and Department of Tourism, Jammu.
The performance was witnessed by more than 800 students and music listeners in the open gardens of the Calliope School and Calliope B.Ed College, Malpur Doomi on Jammu Akhnoor Highway.
Abhay Sopori presented Raga Basant Mukhari. He commenced his recital with brief Aalap-Jod followed by a Sufiana Tarana, composition by Abhay’s great grandfather and great Master musician Pt. Samsar Chand Sopori “Dim Tanana, Yarey Man” in Ektaal, Bandish “Ek Pal Na Lagey Jiya Mora” in Teentaal and a faster composition, Gat in Drutlaya Teentaal. Earlier Sopori gave a brief about the instrument Santoor explaining the subtle nuances of Indian classical music.
He was accompanied on Tabla by Mithilesh Jha. He has created a Cultural Revolution in the Jammu and Kashmir State bringing the youth together through music. His efforts and initiatives have been path-breaking creating a new generation of music connoisseurs and bringing more recognition to the art and culture of the country.
The concert was followed by an interactive session where the young students came up with various queries on music and culture. Abhay asked the students to maintain a balance between academic studies and music.
Pandit Bhajan Sopori is himself expected to perform at a concert organized by the Department of Tourism at the Mubarak Mandi complex on the 22 February. The programme will also feature Ragini Rainu’s Sufi vocal and maestro Abhay Rustum Sopori.