Music: Soumyajeet and Sourendro. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The musician duo of Soumyajit and Sourendro from the cultural capital Kolkata has managed to bring together a bunch of top musicians from across the country for World Music Day every year. This year, they are teaming up with legends like Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Rekha Bhardwaj, Mame Khan, Usha Uthup, Papon and many more.
The theme this year is ‘Collaboration’, with various artistes coming together to perform different genres of music in the city on Friday evening.
Singer Soumyajeet said, “Many artists from very different genres will come together to create music. It is a collaboration on many levels.” He also added, “Shubha Mudgal and Vishal Bharadwaj are singing Lalan and Kabir together. It is a collaboration in itself. They will bring together the works of two great poets to create a composition of their own.”
Known for their ability to appeal to audiences of all age groups, Sourendro and Sourendro are considered new-age musicians. “We have an audience that is young at heart. Since our music has always been experimental, we have touched a chord with people who appreciate new genres. We present to the audience what we love the most,” says Sourendro.
His musical innovations have been appreciated by people of all age groups. “He knows how to blend ragas, has a depth in his voice and an understanding of music that can captivate his listeners,” says Manashi Bhattacharya, a retired school teacher.
Historically, Bengal giants like Ravi Shankar, Salil Chowdhury and Hemant Kumar dominated the Indian and even the global music scene for decades. Then came the gradual decline. Now the duo of Soumyajit and Sourendro are experimenting on their own to create art in both Bengali and Indian music and put Bengali musicians back on the map.
Sanchari Chatterjee, a communications professional from New Delhi, is back home to attend Friday’s concert. “I came across the Tagore & V album a few years ago. I felt they have managed to retain the charm of Rabindra sangeet with modernity and that attracted me. In this concert, they have presented a bunch of great artistes, so I had to come here.”
Trained in classical music, Soumyajeet and Sourendrao’s tunes are not born out of cinema. Combined with the power of social media, they have managed to give a special identity to good music and grab the attention of music lovers of all age groups in the city.
The duo is composing new music and reworking old songs and finding innovative ways to present them. “We try to stay out of all the blocks. We want to stay relevant with the times,” says Soumyajeet.
His art of bringing together two worlds of music has been well received by his audience. Content professional Sanchari Ghosh says, “From classical to Rabindra Sangeet and Bollywood, he tries everything. It has a lot of western influence and yet it is completely Indian.”
With high expectations from their fans, this year’s concert promises to be a unique celebration of musical synergy and innovation as the duo takes the stage at the Netaji Indoor Stadium on Friday.
