Rakesh Chaurasia + Shahid Parvez & Shakir Khan

Darbar Festival 2025

A once-in-a-lifetime double bill featuring musical royalty from India’s most illustrious gharanas.

Double Bill

Rakesh Chaurasia, Satyajit Talwalkar, Shahid Parvez, Shakir Khan, Yogesh Samsii

FIRST HALF

Rakesh Chaurasia, Pandit Yogesh Samsi

The evening begins with the transcendent bamboo bansuri (flute) of Chaurasia, a worthy heir to his uncle, the legendary Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. His breath control transforms simple bamboo into an instrument of extraordinary emotional range—from whispered meditations to jubilant celebrations. Experience the cascading waterfalls of his fast taans (rhythmic cycles), the delicate nuance of his meend (glides) and the soulful depth of his alaap (unfolding of the raga without any rhythm) as he explores ancient ragas with both reverence and innovation. Chaurasia’s bansuri finds perfect rhythmic partnership in Samsi’s masterful tabla—himself a direct disciple of the legendary Ustad Alla Rakha and one of India’s most respected percussion virtuosos.

INTERVAL

SECOND HALF

Duet by Ustad Shahid Parvez & Shakir Khan, Satyajit Talwalkar

After the interval, witness musical history as the legendary Parvez shares the stage with his brilliant son, Khan, in a sitar jugalbandi (duet). The elder maestro—revered worldwide for his distinctive gayaki ang (vocal style) of sitar playing, engages in musical conversation with Khan, who carries forward the illustrious Etawah Gharana’s seven-generation legacy school of music. Their interweaving strings create moments of extraordinary beauty—sometimes in perfect unison, sometimes in spirited challenge – supported by the dynamic rhythmic foundation of Talwalkar, whose tabla playing carries forward its own illustrious lineage.

Book now for this extraordinary celebration of musical inheritance—where the torch of tradition burns brightly in the hands of its most gifted custodians.