A houseful audience at the Mirpur Indoor Stadium in Dhaka was rocking with an array of popular Hindi, English and Bangla songs on September 6 as Shillong Chamber Choir made a performance which did full justice to the title of the show “Grand Musical Concert.” The choir music, which is a very new genre in Bangladeshi music arena, won hearts of the listeners with eclectic, soothing and youthful presentation of the band.
The Shillong Chamber Choir, one of the top exponents from India of choir music and has obtained acclaims from all around the world, demonstrated its skill in vocal deliveries in different layers with outstanding synchronization. The choir performed with a number of musical instruments such as piano, guitars, chime, percussions and more.
Neil Nongkynrih, who founded the musical ensemble in 2001, made the whole session interactive with his words urging for more love and friendship between India and Bangladesh. For this particular performance, the band prepared a track which is a blend of two popular Bangla songs “Banshi Shune Ar Kaj Nei” and “Jodi Tor Dak Shune.” The audience warmly greeted the artistes when they presented the song in different harmony parts.
Hit tracks of Bollywood – from early era to contemporary – have been covered by the band with their unique rearrangement combining western chorals as well as choral-style revamps. They sang “Yeh Dosti,” “Ajib Dastan Hain Ye,” “Tu Ashiki Hain,” “Nayi Nahi Ye Batein” and few more. Their mixture of a few Bollywood tracks and renowned songs of Abba received repeated applause from the audience. Their exclusive track “The Great Train Journey” made the audience nostalgic as the innovative artistes, through their vocal use, created different sounds that people encounter in a train journey.
However, the people went crazy when the choir rendered Queen’s classic number “We Will Rock You.” The Choir’s repertoire included works of western classical music including Handel, Bach, Gershwin and Mozart.
The orchestrated performance was a treat for ears for the music lovers. Moreover, their costumes and synchronised physical movements were visually enthralling.
Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre in Dhaka organised the event.