Can you visualize wind? Feel water without touching it? Experience fire’s ferocity in its
absence?
For musician and composer Alam Khan, the answer is a resounding yes. This cosmic connection with nature inspired his solo album Mantram, which also lends its music to an eponymous Kathak dance production. Mantram, the dance production, is set for its second staging in San Francisco from September 27-29, following its 2021 premiere.
Mantram, the dance production, is set for its second staging in San Francisco from September 27-29, following its 2021 premiere. Directed by Charlotte Moraga, artistic director of the California-based Chitresh Das Institute, Mantram is a collaborative masterpiece that blends music and dance; tradition and modernity; nature and humanity. Charlotte Moraga shares her journey of creating Mantram here.
Deciphering Mantram
For the Sarod virtuoso, Mantram symbolizes the cyclical nature of life. The compositions are loop-based sonic landscapes representing the five elements—water, fire, wind, sky, and Earth—individually and collectively.
“I drew from my experience of what the elements meant to me in a conceptual, emotive form,” Alam explains. “I asked myself: Is water always about purification, or can it also destroy? Is fire always a destructive force?”
The album was outcome of Alam’s vivid imagination and creative interpretations of these elements. For instance, the water segment begins by demonstrating its calm life-nurturing nature before transforming into a furious powerful force.
Through sonic experiments and various programming tools, Alam produced a moving score that transcends conventions and enables the audience to connect with the elements visually.
A Collaborative Creative Process
Composing for Kathak was a first for Alam but his passion for creating cinematic music that aligns with visual art forms made Mantram a natural fit. Charlotte Moraga, the choreographer of Mantram, approached Alam with an abstract idea and a mood board centered on the five elements, each with its own rhythmic character.
“I didn’t want to do anything mainstream that’s been done in Kathak for years. I wanted to explore something completely out of the box, and so did Charlotte.” Alam shares.
With a simple framework, Alam began working on Mantram. “Charlotte provided me a lot of free space to create the music and explore different soundscapes. We worked on fixing the loop, the timing and the dramatic effect of each soundtrack over time.”
The experience was peculiar for Alam, who composed the entire music without seeing any dance piece. It was an intuitive response to the theme and therefore the music was designed to be visceral rather than adhering strictly to traditional talas or beats.
Alam’s vision was to take the listeners and viewers on a soul-searching journey through deeply personal audio-visual experiences. “When thinking about Vayu (wind), I wanted to create an otherworldly, surrealist feeling, so I deployed sounds of the flute to build on this imagery,” Alam explains.
To produce these experiences, Alam collaborated with renowned artists including Sabir Khan on Sarangi, Nilan Chaudhary on Tabla, Jay Gandhi on flute, and Aditya Prakash on vocals.
Traditional Meets Contemporary
As the son of legendary Sarod maestro Ali Akbar Khan, classical music is Alam’s lighthouse, his anchor. Having trained under his father, Alam shares the same ethos and discipline and believes that “ragas hold transformative powers when harnessed properly. It becomes a devotional practice allowing one to connect with the higher self.”
However, his experimental approach stems from a desire to infuse his foundational training in Sarod with diverse styles like rock, pop, and hip-hop. “Creating contemporary music allows me to express my identity as a whole, shaped by many perspectives, influences, and imagination,” Alam reflects.
A Journey of Self-Exploration
Alam invites music enthusiasts to experience Mantram as a journey of self-discovery. “The dance completes the music, making it wholesome. It offers a feeling of catharsis,” he says. This 90-minute performance promises to leave audiences revitalized and inspired.
As Mantram prepares for its San Francisco restaging, it stands as a testament to the boundless possibilities when tradition meets innovation, and music intertwines with dance to create a truly immersive experience.
Friday, September 27, 2024 – 8:00 pm
Saturday, September 28, 2024 – 8:00 pm
Sunday, September 29, 2024 – 4:00 pm
Venue: ODC Theater
