We should strike notes with other systems: Amjad Ali

Hyderabad: He has scaled many peaks in the world of music in his nearly six-decade-long career and now Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan feels he has become a "complete musician".

The "Sarod Samrat" as he is fondly called by music aficionados, recalls his father Ustad Haafiz Ali Khan's exhortation that "one has to become a complete musician" and that was the driving spirit behind his collaboration with European music.

"Actually, I am the only musician who took time to collaborate with European music because of my long legacy and lineage. I was a bit reluctant to collaborate. But then, I often remembered my father who used to say "one has to become a complete musician". A complete musician should, according to him and what I realise today, see good points in other music systems also," the Ustad told us.

"It's very easy to think your music is great... Indian music is great. But finally, the whole creation of music is in seven notes... all over the world. These seven notes have connected all musicians of the world. We are like one family and through music we are connected to the world. We are all performing and presenting our music to the world and we would like the world to be more peaceful and harmonious," the sarod maestro added.

Amjad Ali Khan said in 2011 he had collaborated with Scottish Chamber Orchestra for the first time and had gone to Scotland.

"They wanted me to compose for their symphony. Historically, that was the first sarod concerto. We recorded in the church and the orchestra was named Samagam. World Village, the world's largest recording company, produced it," he recalled.

Khan is currently part of a tour "Ananta Opus 195", which is a celebration of the Festival of France and so far performed in New Delhi and Hyderabad along with his sons Amaan and Ayaan.