By IANS
Dhaka : A renowned Chinese ethnomusicologist who trained and researched in India is introducing the songs of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore and Qazi Nazrul Islam to the people of China with help from Bangladeshi artistes.
The styles and techniques of the two great subcontinental greats were presented by Adity Mohsin and Anup Barua, renowned artistes from Bangladesh who performed eight songs each at a programme recently organised in Beijing by the Central Conservatory of Music (CCM), China.
“Tagore and Nazrul (who set their poems to music) were Asia’s greatest musicians,” said Professor Chen Zi Ming, president of the China World Music Association.
He said he had been looking for an opportunity to introduce the music of the two maestros to his students in the Chinese mainland and beyond.
Bangladesh eagerly responded to his interest and Huawei Technologies (Bangladesh) Ltd, the Chinese company with a growing presence in the country’s telecommunication sector, sponsored the programme.
The Bangla Language Department of China Communications University and China Radio International, Bangla Service, also contributed.
CCM is the biggest music school in China that specialises in Western and Chinese classical music.
“What was probably the first introduction of Tagore and Nazrul’s songs was provided by Adity Mohsin and Anup Barua,” says The Daily Star.
“The students and teachers of the Central Conservatory of Music were visibly moved by their first exposure to the songs and poetry of Rabindra Nath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam,” the paper quoted the artistes as saying.
After the programme ended, someone in the audience remarked, “I didn’t understand a word of the songs, but I was moved to tears to hear the music as if they recounted the saga of the people of Bangladesh.”