When Time Stood Still – Ustad Vilayat Khan Pt. Kishan Maharaj

Sometimes you are able to appreciate art through respect than only by interest. If one doesn’t have the ear or the understanding to appreciate a performance, respect is one virtue which shall enable you to enjoy the ‘rasa‘ of the art.

Something similar happens when I witness a performance by classical maestros. Though I didn’t have the fortune of studying it, I have developed respect for the art.

But when you are listening to a performance by a legend like Ustad Vilayat Khan, you needn’t develop understanding to develop interest. A great artist as he was, he cast the spell to capture and influence the audience’s mood, imagination and awe. He would offer a hand to the laymen and walk them through the divine experience of the rasa. “When time stood still” is just a case in point. With many in the younger generation believing that Indian art needs to be “presented” to the world, most have overlooked this side of the legend. Ustad Vilayat Khan has romanced music through his life and it is evident from the affection with which he holds the instrument. This is one quality that is unique to the Ustad. He had a distinct personality and royal interests and indulgences. There’s an article exploring the maestro’s personality in-depth and presenting the orthodox revolutionary he was.

“Padmashree” , “Padmabhushan” Pt. Krishan Maharaj comes from the Baneras gharana. He has accompanied greats like Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Bhimsen Joshi, Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan amongst others.

The perfomance commences at a lasting roar of spastic applaud. The first part of the performance is in raga Darbari Kanada popularly referred to as Darbari. The raga is one of the most revered and is only performed by maestros with in-depth understanding and maturity. And as is evident from the name Darbari, it was performed for the rulers in the darbaar.

The Ustad explores and enjoys expressing some of the finer details of the notes in the alap pausing ocassionally to explain what he plays and the emotion and essence behind it. He then describes the perspective and mentions the lyrics of the bandish.

Later the raga manifests to the other parts of the presentation – the Jod and Jhala. The maestro is carried away into the higher levels so much so that he vocally sings a part before continuing with the sitar again. A Vilayat Khan performance is not complete without this part of vocal recital and the audience feels cheated otherwise.

The second part of the presentation is in Bhairavi a favourite of Vilayat Khan. Bhairavi is a beautiful raga and allows flexibility in the notes being rendered thus introducing higher levels of creative exploration. Artists can judiciously introduce newer notes into Bhairavi as they explore and the performance matures.

Through the entire performance the stage is set alive by the understanding the two maestros share. With Ustad’s generous appreciation for Pt. Kishan Maharaj, the beautiful performance transcends into some finer details of the rythm. And they cast a magical spell and strike the notes in a rhythm with an exquisite tihai announcing their confidence on the rhythm punctuated by several sessions of applaud.

The album – as every album reviewed here – is a collectors piece. When Time Stood Still is a performance with high interaction and communication between the performers and the audience when the artist and the instrument unify to explore the higher realms of musical devotion and dexterity.