Royal Opera House Mumbai - a decade-long journey

 

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR 

One remembers humming the jazz-rock track 'You Know You Know', after hearing British guitarist John McLaughlin & The Fourth Dimension play it in February 2017. We've had earworms like 'Allah Hoo' by the Uttarakhand band Rahmat-e-Nusrat and 'Mehsoos' by the Surat-based Tapi Project. Very often, Royal Opera House Mumbai has left behind wonderful memories.

It's been 10 years since the classy venue returned in its renovated avatar, and one remembered a string of concerts and other cultural events attended there. To mark the occasion, a celebration event was held on Friday, October 23. The main features were a projection mapping exercise by Floating Canvas Company and a performance by the group Tabla And Sons (in pic above), helmed by Vishal Shah with a repertoire that included a Shiva incantation, songs by A.R. Rahman, Ismail Darbar, Ajay-Atul and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, besides some Sufi favourites and a percussion segment. All topped up by prawn and paneer starters, chole bathure and the best mutton biryani one has had in a while.

In his address, Royal Opera House Mumbai curator Asad Lalljee said the restoration of the venue not only revitalised its stage, but also the neighbourhood. He said the programmes have covered music, theatre, dance, literature, cinema, architecture, heritage, children's programming, cultural diplomacy and conversations on contemporary issues.

This being a music blog, I will talk of some of the concerts I enjoyed there (honestly have attended only a few plays and no dance performances there). One of the earliest was the Malian band Tinariwen, which first performed in 2017 and returned earlier this year. Then McLaughlin was joined by keyboardist Gary Husband, bassist Etienne Mbappe and drummer Ranjit Barot of his band The Fourth Dimension in February 2018. They mainly played songs by McLaughlin"s earlier group The Mahavishnu Orchestra.

Those days, the complex also housed a smaller space called The Quarter, which hosted many gigs. At the main auditorium, some of the pre-lockdown shows included Morning Raga by sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, the fabulous Sounds From The Desert featuring singer Kutle Khan and showcasing great Rajasthani folk, a tribute to opera singer Celia Lobo and a qawwali symposium and concert curated by Manjari Chaturvedi of the Sufi Kathak Foundation. In one of the sessions, this blogger was in conversation with Delhi singer Dhruv Sangari on the art of qawwali.

Post the lockdown, notable shows have included mridangam player Viveick Rajagopalan's Ta Dhom Project, blending Carnatic rhythms, rap and Maharashtrian beats. Then there was The Tapi Project, whose singer Swati Minaxi performed energetically even after injuring her foot at the show. O Gaanewali. comprising singers Avanti Patel and Rutuja Lad, delighted in their tribute to the thumri and ghazal divas.

A show that got tremendous response was Rahmat-e-Nusrat, where singer Sarvjeet Tamta and his troupe rendered the repertoire of Pakistani legend Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. After that first concert, they performed on a couple of occasions.

Singer Kaushiki Chakraborty launched her indie album Pankh, with music by Shantanu Moitra, with a fabulous band - a total contrast to her classical vocals. Shubha Mudgal had two unique concerts here. I attended the first one, consisting of traditional love songs with rare poetry.

On the jazz front, vocalist Shreya Bhattacharya and bassist Avishek Dey did a show themed around the female greats. New Jersey-based pianist Charu Suri performed on a couple of occasions, and composer Siddharth Kasyap's Perfect Amalgamation did a fusion gig. One of the treats this year was German drummer Benny Greb and his Brass Band. Wow!

One has also missed a few shows, the big one being when American jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington played in 2019. Just last week, Australian didgeridoo player William Barton collaborated with sitar maestro Shubendra Rao. I missed that because of another commitment.

To its credit, Royal Opera House Mumbai has been a platform for concerts with out-of-the-box ideas, while also hosting those with traditional formats. On future plans, Lalljee said, "We want to expand our international collaborations, develop more interdisciplinary programming and explore the possibilities at the intersection of art, technology and design. Equally important is strengthening our engagement with younger audiences and building deeper partnerships."

One looks forward to what's in store. Here's to the next decade.