A Sadhana is a ritual prayer that can be in the form of chanted meditation. The purpose being to help to pacify the mind and remove internal and external obstacles. While this performance is not a sadhana in the exact sense brothers Rajan and Sajan Mishra are renowned for their ability to create heavenly music that soothes the mind body and soul. These wonderful singers hail from the artistic quarter known as kabir Chaura in the ancient city of Benares and represent the tradition of Gharana named after the city.
The lineage of Indian classical music germinated and evolved around various places of patronage and places of religions importance. Maintaining the finer nuances of the tradition the term gharana is basically the practice of carrying forward the rich cultural legacy of banares has been threaded together over centuries and generations by the sacred bond of Guru Shishya parampara whereby the guru (teacher) passes on his skill base to the Shishya (Student) Devout Hindus consider Benares to be a city of enlightenment where Lord Shiva is said to have made his permanent abode since the dawn of creation. Its vibrant musical life has given birth to generations of brilliant kathak dancer, tabla, shehnai and sarangi players as well as many find vocalists.
Both Rajan and Sajan grew up in an atmosphere of intense musical learning at first taking instruction from both their father, the late Hanuman Prasad and their uncle. Gopal Mishra, blessed with melodies voices Rajan and Sajan made remarkable progress in their lessons and were able to assimilate the essence of the age old Banares Gharana with consummate ease. Apart from learning the magnificent compositions which have been handed down through generations an integral part of their training has been the analysis and appreciation of the music of great masters of the time irrespective of distinctions such as gharana. The brothers were confident singers and soon developed a beautiful understanding between them whey they sang together. Finally it was their natural talent that enabled their father to take the crucial decision to groom them as full fledged vocalists. The hallmark of their style is the superb intonation beautiful imagination and yet tradition approach to the music in which they include old compositions as well as their own original music using amazing vocal range and technique. They have been showered with numerous awards in India and are recognized all over the world for their artistry. The Mishra brothers define their music as an act of devotion and gratitude towards Saraswati the Hindu goddess of music and learning. The richness and depth of their combined voiced creates a sublime tonal texture. In their development of the raga in jugalbandi or duet performance they are able to mould and transform the mood of the listener.
This double CD Pack combines both live and studio performances giving us an insight into the range of compositions which make up their vast repertoire including lesser heard but nonetheless authentic traditional ragas. The recital begin with the popular raga hansadhwani a south Indian raga that has been successfully absorbed into the North Indian music system over the last one hundred years. The compositions is set to a slow rhythmic cycle of sixteen beats. It is followed by four faster compositions form which uses the syllables of tabla to make up its verses. At times it is as if the two brothers are vying with each other in virtuosic melodic runs and flourishes.
Disc 2 Begins with the soothing tones of Raga Jhinjhoti and a composition set in a slow tempo jhaptaal a ten beat rhythmic cycle. This is followed by compositions in ragas from the Kanada family in response to a request from the audience. Originally a south Indian raga, centuries old Kanada has inspired many other ragas which have developed their own distinct characters while using characteristic melodic phrases of the original. Some of them achieve this through the combination of two separate ragas as with Shahana Kanada which demonstrates elements of both Shahana and Darbari Kanada. Both Suha and Sughrai are two separate daytime ragas which have been successfully joined to make an evening raga. North Indian classical Music seeks to establish a close correlation with natural cycles and so evoking the emotions associated with them. Ragas are classified and performed not only to the times of the day but also the seasons of the year and are rendered according to the moods that are considered aesthetically compatible to them Tu Hai Mohammad Shah’s is a composition attributed to Sadarang a pioneer of the Khayal form born in the seventeenth century.
CD 1 1. Alap & Bada Khyal in Vilambit Teentaal 2. Bandish in Madhyalaya Ektaal 3. Bandish in Drut Teentaal 4. Tarana in Drut Teentaal
CD 2 1. Raga Jhinjhoti 2. Raga Shahana Kanada 3. Raga Suha Sugharai 4. Raga Sugharai 5. Raga Suha
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