SOUL SITAR: Ustad Usman Khan - Sat 14th & Sun 15th August 2010 @ 7.30 pm Auditorium Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Memorial, Jalan Tun Dato Onn 50480 Kuala Lumpur

Ustad Usman Khan comes from a lineage of Mysore court musicians who enjoyed royal patronage. Born in 1940, he is the eldest son of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan - the famous son of legendary Ustad Rehmat Khan; one of the Navaratna in the Mysore Maharaja court.

It was Ustad Rehmat Khan who modified the three stringed sitar to the seven stringed version we have today. Ustad Abdul Karim Khan, the disciple of the famous Beenkar Bande Ali Khan, was also the Head of the Karnataka University Faculty of Music. Usmanji was initiated into sitar by his father, Ustad Abdul Karim Khan.

Drawing freely from the gayaki ang and tantu ang, which are the two traditional approaches in Indian instrumental music, Usmanji has created a harmony and purity that approaches the celestial. It is the resonance of his music with the inner spirit that distinguishes his approach. Acknowledged as a perfectionist, his is an unrelenting love for pure music and an unflinching devotion to riyaz or disciplined practice. This is the secret behind the sweetness of his music, sweetness tempered with a rigorous technique. To be with him is to fill our hearts with the uncommon beauty of his music that flows from the depths of his generous heart. Sitar maestro, composer, and guru, Usmanji in concert takes us to a realm of musical contemplation and profound harmony that engages the mind, body and spirit.

 

Invitations available at

The Temple of Fine Arts, 116 Jalan Berhala, Brickfields 50470 Kuala Lumpur.

Call: 603-22743709