Sarod luminaries Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash are scions of a household rooted in a wealthy Hindustani classical legacy. Sons of the legendary Amjad Ali Khan, the duo not too long ago launched their newest album Colors and Celebrations that pays homage to the pageant of Holi, and options well-liked people artist Malini Awasthi.
Forward of their worldwide summer time tour—which features a residency at London’s prestigious Wigmore Corridor—indianexpress.com caught up with the maestros to debate the rise of AI within the arts, staying rooted whereas reaching youthful audiences, and evolving their household’s musical heritage. Edited excerpts under:
Q: You each carry the burden of a prestigious household legacy. How has that formed your understanding of and strategy to music?
Amaan: Our bond with our father began as father and sons earlier than it advanced into guru and disciples. Dad and mom taught us early on: be good human beings first, and good music will comply with. Music is who we’re—our nature displays in our music.
Being the elder son of such a monumental icon is a privilege. I’ve by no means understood the trope of youngsters of well-known artists rebelling due to their lineage. Dad and mom are like gods—cherish and serve them. As musicians, we stay college students for all times. Each live performance appears like the primary.
Ayaan: Music has been the air we breathed since delivery. We have been formed by it like water in a vessel. Whereas our father is a traditionalist, he’s at all times embraced change.
Indian classical music doesn’t have inflexible guidelines on the way it needs to be introduced or executed—it’s deeply individualistic. Over time, we’ve tried to take the sarod to newer audiences, together with those that could not usually attend classical live shows. It’s important to write your individual story and stroll it with dignity and beauty.
Q: Was sarod at all times the apparent alternative, or did you discover different devices too?
Amaan: Rising up surrounded by devices, it was pure to experiment. I can play the tabla—only for enjoyable.
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Ayaan: As instrumentalists, it’s enjoyable to dabble with string devices just like the guitar or sitar. I used to play the sitar, and we additionally use the piano whereas composing.
Q: Your new album blends classical, people, and up to date sounds. What impressed this strategy?
Amaan: Holi represents unity, peace, and pleasure. Our album captures its deeper non secular and cultural essence, past floor revelry. Every composition intentionally weaves a number of thematic components—from the triumph of fine over evil to the celebration of divine love between Radha and Krishna, to the common pleasure of renewal that comes with spring’s arrival.
Ayaan: We aimed for a sensory expertise by way of sound. The interaction of sarod and voice mirrors the interplay of color and canvas. Particular ragas evoke emotional hues—from serene morning tones to the extreme power of night melodies. Working with Malini Awasthi ji added depth and authenticity together with her people experience.
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Q. Do you each have any peculiar pre-show rituals?
Amaan: It’s a really private journey. Each artist has his or her personal method of processing the day earlier than a live performance. I zone out and spend plenty of time with myself and meditate.
Ayaan: I take it simple. Your thoughts is consistently working and is anxious a couple of good deliverance artistically. It’s a mix of spending time with your self and meditating.
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Q: Ayaan, do your youngsters have interaction with classical music or lean in direction of fashionable sounds?
Ayaan: My twins, Zohaan and Abeer, are surrounded by music. Being Gen Z, they juggle research, sarod follow and even PS5! Whereas they follow the sarod and take heed to household recordings, additionally they get pleasure from BTS, Coldplay, and Justin Bieber. I encourage them to discover every kind of music—it’s a common language. They’re having fun with the method in the meanwhile, however let’s see the place their musical journey takes them. I’ll depart it to the Almighty.
Q: How do you retain classical music related for youthful audiences in an age of social media and genre-bending traits?
Amaan: Classical music transcends race, borders, and time. It adapts naturally to altering eras. What began out as an artwork kind with royal patronage, in the present day sells out live performance halls with over 3000 seats due to trendsetting senior artists who turned this right into a model stuffed with dignity and beauty.
Ayaan: Collaboration helps us discover a shared cultural DNA. It’s essential to know the place you come from to grasp the place you’re headed. Classical music’s basis is regular, even because the world shifts. With entry to recordings and teachings only a click on away, the longer term is vibrant. Struggles exist in each subject—why single out classical music?
Q: What challenges do AI and rising applied sciences pose for artists in the present day?
Amaan: AI can mimic—however it may well’t create an MF Husain or a Vincent Van Gogh. Even people can’t completely replicate their very own artwork. For AI to understand the emotional depth of Indian classical music? It’s too early to touch upon the place all of this may go, however the human contact can by no means get replaced.
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Ayaan: AI is coming into each trade, together with music. It raises essential artistic questions. Used properly, it may be useful—nevertheless it’s important to know when to cease. There should at all times be house for human emotion, intuition, and imperfection.