Amjad Ali Khan, Ayaan Ali Bangash and Amaan Ali Bangash have returned from their tour of Australia and New Zealand with two of the most important and widely attended world music festivals, WOMADelaide and WOMAD New Zealand.
Performing five concerts in Adelaide, Melbourne and New Plymouth over 13 days, and bringing the sarod to new audiences of thousands, their first stop at WOMADelaide's Foundation Stage was a performance of Khan's own concerto for Sarod Samaagam, in the group's debut with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Reviews for this performance can be read here:
"Quiet moments that shone with subtle intensity... the shimmer of Amjad Ali Khan's sarod set against the quivering strings of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra" Jessica Nicholas, Canberra Times
"Stunning... Amjad Ali Khan is one of the undisputed masters of the music world... It felt like a journey through a desert as the bright attack of the Sarod cut through the shifting landscape drawn by the orchestra, as the insistent tabla marked our journey's steps. The concerto is quite a restrained piece but soon gave way to brighter colours as the orchestra lifted, [with] the conductor carefully watching the trio of Sarod players as they improvised freely amongst the themes... East and West came together in a wonderful celebration." Barry Lenny, Broadway World
Samaagam has already been performed by ensembles across the world, including the Britten Sinfonia, the Orchestre National d'Ile de France, Orchestre d'Auvergne, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Gulbenkian Orchestra, Welsh National Orchestra and Scottish Chamber Orchestra. It was performed at the annual United Nations Day 2018 at the UN Headquarters in New York with the Refugee Orchestra Project, and in April 2019 they tour the work in the US with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.
Amjad Ali Khan returns to the UK with Ayaan and Amaan in April 2019 for a concert of Indian classical music at London's Royal Festival Hall - tickets are on sale here.
Ayaan Ali Bangash and Amaan Ali Bangash collaborate with British violinist Jennifer Pike, giving classical crossover concerts of works by Bach and Khan at the Newbury Spring Festival, Swaledale Festival and Wigmore Hall in May.
