DOUBLE BILL Witness the extraordinary tabla solo as the Khan works his magic and three of the finest young masters on the sitar, sarod and tabla.

The Darbar Festival opens with two of India’s most loved instruments, the iconic sitar, and sarod. Sengupta and Shrivastav, some of the best-emerging talents in India, perform a duet of captivating music through soul-stirring ragas from the Hindustani tradition of north India. They are accompanied by another young rising star of the tabla, Patitundi. Savour the development of the raag develop through its three stages: the alaap (untimed exploration of the raag), jor (with a slight pulse exploration), jhalla (with a strong pulse) to when they are joined in crescendo by the tabla. All three make this their Darbar Festival debut concert.   

A unique chance to glimpse into the greatest tabla master minds who invented an accompaniment soundscape for the ghazal form of music.  

Considered the greatest master of tabla accompaniment for the ghazal genre, Khan uniquely invented a new tabla soundscape or trademark style for the 6 and 8 beat rhythmic cycles and in doing so he became a global sensation and trendsetter. Khan’s ability to maximise tension and release during his accompaniment concerts have left audiences in awe.  He has accompanied ghazal singer, Ghulam Ali, as well as the late great masters, Mehdi Hassan and Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, to name but a few. Trained in the Punjab gharana (school of music), he is the student of Ustad Miyan Shaukat Hussain. Born in Lahore, Pakistan from a traditional rababi family (musicians who performed in the Golden Temple, the sanctum sanctorum of the Sikh gurdwaras). In this first major UK tabla solo, Khan takes you on a tour of the Punjab style of tabla and mesmerises you with the magical improvised rhythmic patterns he become known for.   

Once in a thousand years such an artist emerges…today, he demonstrated intricate tihai (a polyrhythmic technique often used to conclude a piece) and unbelievable rhythmic patterns. Pandit Anindo Chatterjee