On Friday May 14th I had the good fortune to see a concert by Rezwana Choudhury Bannya ? one of the brightest stars of Bengali music.? She is the topmost authority in the country of the music of Rabindranath Tagore.? Tagore is one of my favorite poets and considered something like Bangladesh’s Shakespeare.?
Bannya’s voice is one of the most sweet and subtle I’ve ever heard.? Truly very beautiful.? The concert itself was quite an experience as the entire crowd was Bengali.? This wasn’t like seeing the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.? It was like a big family reunion with a lot of coming and going.? People went up on stage to give the performers special requests written on bits of paper.?
The evening was a musical experience but also very much a cultural experience.? Prior to the concert we had a chance to meet with Bannya and give her flowers on behalf of the Montreal meditation center.? I told her that I play with the Gandharva Loka Orchestra which performed in Dhaka, Bangladesh with her last December.?? She said that I had to come for the next such event which could be as early as December 2010.? I guess I have no choice now!
