Wajahat Khan
Encyclopedia
Wajahat Khan is an India
n sarod
player who has earned international acclaim since 1977. He is the third son of Imrat Khan
, nephew of Vilayat Khan
and a member of the multi-generational musical Khan family which founded the Imdadkhani Gharana
. He was born in Calcutta, India
and now divides his time between London
and India
.
Wajahat started his professional career in music as a child prodigy singer touring the world at the age of 8 including a performance on BBC Television
. In his teens, he decided to specialise in sarod
, marking an interesting departure from his family's traditional instruments of sitar
and surbahar
.
He has performed extensively around the world including performances at prestigious venues such as the Kremlin
, the Acropolis of Athens
, the Royal Albert Hall
for the Proms, the Smithsonian Institution
, Suntory Hall
and the Glastonbury Festival
.
Whilst mainly focussing on traditional Indian classical music
, he has also ventured into crossover working with orchestras such as the London Sinfonietta
. He has composed for and recorded with the Medici String Quartet
.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n sarod
Sarod
The sarod is a stringed musical instrument, used mainly in Indian classical music. Along with the sitar, it is the most popular and prominent instrument in the classical music of Hindustan...
player who has earned international acclaim since 1977. He is the third son of Imrat Khan
Imrat Khan
Imrat Khan is a leading sitar and surbahar player. He is the younger brother of sitar maestro Ustad Vilayat Khan.-Training and early career:...
, nephew of Vilayat Khan
Vilayat Khan
Ustad Vilayat Khan was one of India's well known sitar maestros, born in Gauripur in Mymensingh, Bengal...
and a member of the multi-generational musical Khan family which founded the Imdadkhani Gharana
Imdadkhani gharana
The Imdadkhani gharana is a North Indian school of sitar and surbahar music, stemming from the very ancient Gwalior gharana. It was created by Imdad Khan , and is also known as the Etawah gharana, after a village outside Agra where Imdad lived...
. He was born in Calcutta, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and now divides his time between London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Wajahat started his professional career in music as a child prodigy singer touring the world at the age of 8 including a performance on BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
. In his teens, he decided to specialise in sarod
Sarod
The sarod is a stringed musical instrument, used mainly in Indian classical music. Along with the sitar, it is the most popular and prominent instrument in the classical music of Hindustan...
, marking an interesting departure from his family's traditional instruments of sitar
Sitar
The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
and surbahar
Surbahar
Surbahar , sometimes known as bass sitar, is a plucked string instrument used in the Hindustani classical music of North India. It is closely related to sitar, but it has a lower tone. Depending on the instrument's size, it is usually pitched two to five whole steps below the standard sitar, but...
.
He has performed extensively around the world including performances at prestigious venues such as the Kremlin
Kremlin
A kremlin , same root as in kremen is a major fortified central complex found in historic Russian cities. This word is often used to refer to the best-known one, the Moscow Kremlin, or metonymically to the government that is based there...
, the Acropolis of Athens
Acropolis of Athens
The Acropolis of Athens or Citadel of Athens is the best known acropolis in the world. Although there are many other acropoleis in Greece, the significance of the Acropolis of Athens is such that it is commonly known as The Acropolis without qualification...
, the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
for the Proms, the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
, Suntory Hall
Suntory Hall
The Suntory Hall is a concert hall complex consisting of the "Main Hall" and the "Small Hall" located in the Ark Hills complex, near the U.S. Embassy and TV Asahi in the Akasaka district of northern Minato, a ward in Tokyo, Japan...
and the Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
.
Whilst mainly focussing on traditional Indian classical music
Indian classical music
The origins of Indian classical music can be found in the Vedas, which are the oldest scriptures in the Hindu tradition. Indian classical music has also been significantly influenced by, or syncretised with, Indian folk music and Persian music. The Samaveda, one of the four Vedas, describes music...
, he has also ventured into crossover working with orchestras such as the London Sinfonietta
London Sinfonietta
The London Sinfonietta is an English chamber orchestra founded in 1968 and based in London. The ensemble specialises in contemporary music and works across a wide range of genres, performing modern classics alongside world premieres, and includes music by electronica artists as well as folk and...
. He has composed for and recorded with the Medici String Quartet
Medici String Quartet
The Medici String Quartet is widely regarded as one of Britain's leading international ensembles, having appeared to critical acclaim in over thirty countries across five continents...
.
Discography
His CDs include:- Nocturne: Late Evening Raga of Romantic Mood (2003)
- Indian Raags for Sarod, Tabla and Tanpura (2001)
- Raag Desh (2000)
- Rag Yaman Kalyan/Rag Gaoti(1996)
External links
- Rupert Mayr, Indian virtuosos delight music lovers, The Herald, April 12, 2006 - concert review (South Africa)
- Wajahat Khan's website