Musical pair from the cultural capital of Kolkata, Soumyojit and Sourendro, have managed to bring together an ensemble of top musicians from across the country for the World Music Day every year. This year, they are collaborating with stalwarts like Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Rekha Bhardwaj, Mame Khan, Usha Uthup, Papon, and many more.
With this year’s theme being collaborations, a diverse set of artists are coming together to fuse different genres of music on Friday evening in the city.
As vocalist, Soumyojit articulates, “Multiple artists with very different styles will come together to make music. It is a collaboration on multiple levels.” He also adds, “Shubha Mudgal and Vishal Bhardwaj are singing Lalon and Kabir together. That is a collab in itself. They will bring together the works of two great poets, to make something of their own.”
Known for their ability to appeal to audiences of all age groups, Soumyojit and Sourendro are considered new-age musicians. Sourendro says, “We have an audience who are young at heart. Since our music has always been experimental, we have touched people who appreciate new styles. We present to the audience what we also enjoy the most.”
Their musical innovations have been celebrated by people of all age groups. Retired school teacher, Manashi Bhattacharya, says, “They know how to mix ragas, they have the depth in their voice and musical understanding to captivate their audience.”
Historically, stalwarts from Bengal such as Ravi Shankar, Salil Chowdhury and Hemant Kumar dominated the Indian and even global music scene for decades. Then came a slow decline. Now the pair of Soumyojit and Sourendro are conducting their own experiments in both Bengali and Indian music to create art and put Bengali musicians back on the map.
A communications professional from New Delhi, Sanchari Chatterjee has travelled back home to attend the concert on Friday. “I came across the Tagore and We album some years back. I thought they had managed to retain the charm of Rabindra Sangeet with a dash of modernity and that had me hooked. With this concert, they have pulled off an ensemble of greats, so I had to be here.”
Trained in classical music, Soumyojit and Sourendro’s tunes were not born out of cinema. Coupled with the power of social media, they have succeeded at making good music stand out and catch the fancy of all age groups of music lovers in the city.
The duo is composing new music and also recreating and revisiting old songs and finding innovative new ways to present them. Soumyojit says, “We try to keep out of all inhibitions. We want to be relevant in time.”
Their bringing the best of two worlds in music together is received well by his audience. Content professional, Sanchari Ghosh, says, “From classical to Rabindra Sangeet to Bollywood, they try everything. There is a strong western influence and yet truly Indian.”
With all of their admirers’ expectations running high, this year’s concert promises to be a unique celebration of musical synergy and innovation as the duo takes stage at the Netaji Indoor Stadium on Friday.
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