Clarinet back at Harivallabh festival after 50 years

JALANDHAR: After more than half a century, the clarinet, a western instrument, will be played at Harivallabh Sangeet Sammelan, the oldest festival of Indian classical music in the world.

The music competition will start on Monday and continue till Thursday while performances of maestros will start on Friday, December 28.

Pt Narasimhalu Vedavati and Venkateshwaraya Vedavati will play the instrument on the concluding night of the three-day festival. Performances of Indian classical music on western instruments like the saxophone (in jugalbandi), piano and guitar have already been included in the schedule.

Performances by the maestros will open with shehnai by Lokesh Anand on Friday. Other highlights include Dhrupad singing by Ustad F Wasifuddin Dagar. Pt Rajan-Sajan Mishra will also perform on Day One of the festival.

Prominent exponents of Indian classical music who will perform this year include V Balaji and B Anantha Raman on the violin, Pt Vishva Mohan Bhatt and Salil Bhatt. Another attraction will be a group performance led by Suresh Talwalkar.

Pt Bihari Lal played the clarinet in the sammelan in the 1960s said Rakesh Dada, treasurer of the Harivallabh Sangeet Mahasabha.

“Evolving elements of Indian classical music have been included in this oldest festival of Indian classical music. Initially, only Dhrupad was sung. Khyaal came a few years later,” he added.