I’m not a fan of sitar music, unlike my mom who’s a huge fan. During the pandemic, mom got to meet my best friend YouTube, and enjoyed everything it offered: English and Swahili classes, gardening and knitting tutorials but most importantly: sitar music.
Mom got addicted to the videos of 'the pretty-one-who-plays-sitar-just-like-her-dad' (aka Anoushka Shankar). She’d play them aloud as she believed that music brought positive vibes to the house while I teased her about how much this ambiance reminded me of Indian restaurants, where I’m about to place an order for a tikka masala with naan.
So, when she saw the poster of Nishat Khan’s show in the Royal Opera House Muscat last week, she insisted on going (and I kept delaying till I had no choice but to book tickets).
The hall was full of spectators from all nationalities. Some European ladies showed up in Indian outfits which made mom envious: how such an obvious idea never crossed her mind?
As I flipped the show guide, I was surprised to learn that Nishat Khan came from a family of sitar players that went back to the Mughal empire (1526-1857). He started learning sitar at three and had his first performance at seven.
In his long and successful career, he collaborated with many international musicians such as Paco Peña and performed in Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Centre in New York.
The Gate of the Moon show was premiered in 2013 at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the BBC Proms. As the performance started, Nishat walked in with a young tabla player called Shariq Mustafa who like him was a child prodigy and came from a musical linage, according to the guide.
What distinguished Nishat was his serenity, confidence and the humbleness he addressed the spectators with as he explained the pieces he’d be playing (three evening ragas) and how sitar performance is mainly about improvisation.
The first and the second ragas were magical to hear (the second raga sounded familiar. Maybe something I’d heard before by the pretty-one-who-plays-sitar-just-like-her-dad).
The harmony and joy shared between the two instrument masters as they played was palpable. Nishat interrupted the performance to explain the tabla’s sixteen beats that they’d been using for the ragas, which made it less ambiguous to us.
After a short interval, the third raga started but this time Nishat was accompanied by the European Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by its Belgian artistic director Walter Proost.
The musicians were of all ages which made it look very contemporary. This performance with its familiar sounds and instruments resonated with the audience - no interpretation from Nishat needed - and was more than an hour of non-stop awe.
It felt like experiencing a movie soundtrack with the occasional splash of sitar music. This wasn’t surprising as the European Philharmonia had accompanied Hans Zimmer on tours before and performed the Gladiator film concert.
The only thing that kept spoiling this euphoria - and tugging me back to reality - was the annoying comments of the two Indian gentlemen sitting right behind me - who were on loud live commentary mode this whole performance - starting with their “Wow!” and “Wah!” and ending with naming almost all instruments played by the orchestra: “That’s a saxophone!”
At the finale, it was amazing to witness how Nishat’s serenity never altered even when playing with such passion and speed while the orchestra kept up with him equally.
The audience reached the gate of the moon as promised with Nishat’s out-of-this-world performance and applauded appreciatively. A sincere thanks to the exceptional master of sitar, you attained two more fans on this remarkable evening.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
