Qawwali is a form of Sufi Islamic devotional singing originating in South Asia, originally performed at Sufi shrines or dargahs. It is famous throughout Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and has received international exposure through the work of the late, great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and The Orchestral Qawwali Project continued the tradition with their breathtaking concert at Brighton Dome Concert Hall this evening, their final UK date of the year.

With the musicians assembled and tuning up at start time, orchestra co-founders Rushil Ranjan and Abi Sampa took to the stage – he to the piano and she to join the four backing singers on the large rug situated stage right.

‘Allah Hoo’ began with cello, quickly joined by the rest of the string section: two violins, two violas, a second cello and double bass. Remaining seated with arms outstretched, Sampa’s voice towered over the strings. As the backing vocalists began Sampa played harmonium and the tabla added an uptempo blast. Sampa’s projection was outstanding with her fellow singers adding handclaps to enforce the rhythm and the beauty of the whole piece was almost overwhelming.

Ranjan’s introduction explained that the purpose of the project was to reimagine Sufu music by blending it with Western Classical and judging by the reception to the first number, it did so perfectly. The next piece, he explained, was in praise of the prophet and ‘Ya Mustafa’ began with his piano and Sampa singing solo until hand claps and tabla created a building rhythm with the strings and remaining musicians creating an equally rousing and hypnotic sound. The musicians dropped out bringing Kash Pal’s tabla and the vocals to the fore, before rejoining until the song returned to piano and vocal. As would happen with many songs there was a false ending with the orchestra coming back in as people applauded and clapped along before a final reprise of woozy violin and piano finally brought the song to an end. With so many exciting twists and turns this was an absolute showstopper and we were only two songs in.

We were told that the next piece, ‘Man Kunto Maula, was the first known Qawwali song at over 600 years old and that every one of the orchestra’s performances were dedicated to the late Sufi master Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Multi-award-winning dancer and choreographer, Kesha Raithatha, made her first appearance of the night beginning on the stage floor acting out movements to Sampa’s vocals then gliding effortlessly across the stage going into increasingly dizzying spins that perfectly reflected the drama of the music.

The final piece was Ranjan’s favourite ‘Ganj-e-Shakar’ which features on their three times Grammy nominated live album. High pitched, almost discordant strings are followed by thunderous bass drum and woodwinds as Sampa and the singers come in. The now shimmering strings stopped as tabla and harmonium took the lead with conductor Melvin Tay quickening the pace as Sampa raised her hands in pure joy. The music was in full flow behind her with a playful piccolo solo leading to a slower pace and gentle finish.

To commence the second set the string section played an overture before Sampa took flight on another vocal odyssey. When the ensemble arrived it gave the feel of an epic Hollywood film score. Sampa delivered complex lines as the tabla picked up speed with string stabs adding tension to the handclaps as Ranjan’s menacing piano chords added to the theme.

Following a brief talk on the history of Sufi music, Ranjan joined Sampa and the singers on the rug to play harmonium on ‘Wohi Khuda Hai’ whose intro garnered a cheer of recognition and approval from many of the audience. This beautiful piece featured pastoral strings to complement the all-encompassing voices.

‘Rang’, based on the joy of a returning spiritual teacher, saw Ranjan play acoustic guitar with the strings, giving a different feel on what was essentially a love song with an almost Nick Drake feel. This was obviously an orchestra favourite as the musicians applauded each other at the end.

Kesha Raithatha returned to the stage to dance and spin throughout ‘Dam Dam Karo Fareed’ whose grandiose orchestration and filmic feel was pure theatre. Following a final set of spins she blew a kiss and the crowd rose to their feet in appreciation. There were shouts and song requests for an encore and Ranjan’s piano intro to ‘Dam Mast Qalandar’ certainly met with audience approval. With strong vocal and tabla support, Sampa again led with her unstoppable voice with a distinctive Eastern feel from the strings. Pal’s fingers were a blur as he played faster and faster, gently ebbing away before an explosive final flourish in which he kept upping the tabla’s pitch compelling many to leave their seats to dance and clap along.

This was a night of spellbinding choreography with outstanding orchestrations and vocalists in the company of the Orchestral Qawwali Project. The best music can often send you to another place but the music performed tonight elevated us to another plane.

Orchestral Qawwali Project, Brighton Dome Concert Hall
Saturday 19th October 2024