Entertainment Desk :
It has been 50 years since the song Bangladesh echoed among 40,000
spectators at the Madison Square Garden in New York. The Concert for Bangladesh, arranged by Goerge Harrison and Ravi Shankar, holds
a special place in the history of Liberation War of Bangladesh. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s liberation and that concert, UBIK Productions (London) and Samdani Art Foundation, Dhaka arranged Concert from Bangladesh on August 1. Ruxmini Choudhury,
assistant curator of Samdani Art Foundation, said, “We call it ‘Concert from Bangladesh’ as it is time to represent ourselves to the outside world after 50 years.” The groundbreaking mixed reality concert was supported by the British Council Digital Collaboration Fund. The concert was broadcast live from Pioneer Works’ digital platform. Initially, Samdani Art Foundation wanted to host a concert to celebrate the 50th birth year of Bangladesh and this iconic concert, simultaneously. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the organisers had to take an alternative approach that would help reach out to the mass audience on a global scale.
Concert from Bangladesh showcased Bangladesh’s history and cultural and landscape beauty, while introducing some very talented artists from Bangladesh to the rest of the world. The concert offered audiences a tour into both Bangladesh’s past and present through a virtual audiovisual event encompassing mystical Baul singers from rural Kushtia and experimental electronics and hip hop artists from the streets of Dhaka.
Opening the event with mystical verses and a ballad of renowned Baul singer Arif Baul, the three-act sonic journey took us back to the glorious and rich past of Bangla. This act was accompanied by instrumental virtuosos Nazrul Islam, Saidur Rahman and Sohel. Around the 54th minute, the concert revisited over six
centuries of our cultural history.
Following the mystical ensemble, Meerashri Arshee and Moumita Haque presented a musical fusion of classical raga and Nazrul Sangeet. Composed by Enayet and Nishit Dey, this piece explored the shared musical language between Nazrul Sangeet, classical raga and 1990s Jungle. Jawaad Mustakim Al Muballig played the bansuri flute while Nishit Dey performed the sitar composition.
