This August, Amjad Ali Khan and sons Amaan Ali Bangash
and Ayaan Ali Bangash return to Europe for two notable concerts: at London’s Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms on Sunday 21st August; and at the Cologne Philharmonie in Germany on Tuesday 23rd August. The sarod trio concert, last heard in London at the Royal Festival Hall in April 2019, was described as “Sustained brilliance punctuated by rare moments of thrilling intensity” by The Guardian, and this year’s Prom featured in the Evening Standard as ‘Pick of the Proms 2022’.
Amjad Ali Khan is one of the undisputed masters of the music world, and as Songlines Magazine describes, “one of the 20th century’s great masters of the sarod”. He writes, ‘Since my childhood, I always wanted my instrument, the sarod, to be able to express the entire range of human emotions – to sing, shout, whisper and cry,’ and over a career spanning six decades and numerous accolades and appointments, few have been a more compelling ambassador to the art of the sarod. Together with his sons, they have performed across the globe, including appearances at the Kennedy Centre, Royal Festival Hall, Konzerthaus Vienna, Concertgebouw Amsterdam and Sydney Opera House.
This summer, Maestro and his sons perform on both sides of the Atlantic; in July they gave sarod trio concerts at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago; their Strings for Peace programme with acclaimed guitarist Sharon Isbin in Aspen, Colorado; and in August, they return to New York’s Carnegie Hall to perform his sarod concerto Samaagam with conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya and the Refugee Orchestra Project. The trio will return to the UK this winter, to perform in Leeds and Birmingham, and further London dates at the Wigmore Hall for their Associate Artist residency are planned for the 22/23 season.
You can read an interview with Amjad Ali Khan about his return to the BBC Proms with Eastern Eye here. Maestro, Amaan and Ayaan will perform and interview live on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune on the 18th August, click here to listen.
To listen to the BBC Prom broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 at 11:00 this Sunday, click here.
