The weather was cold outside and the audience in the World Trade Centre’s Shaikh Saeed Auditorium, who had come for A.R. Rahman’s show, became restive as minutes ticked away past 10pm. Rahman’s Wings of Jibrael performance on Thursday was a part of the Dubai Sufi Weekend concerts.
Just before the audience could turn boisterous, the rendition of the Shahada brought a semblance of order to the hall and the wintry chill turned into a mystical warmth
The Indian musical wizard’s Sufi premier in Dubai put the listeners in a trance. The maestro and his ensemble presented some of his own composition and a few of other masters of qawwals.
Rahman, who says the philosophy and teachings of Sufi have influenced his music and helped him connect with his inner self, made an immediate connect with the audience with Dam Mast Qalandar and followed it with Marhaba Ya Mustafa, Kirpa Karo Maharaja Moinuddin, Ay Mere Data, Ay Mere Moula from Mangal Pandey, Ali Moula Ali Moula Ali, Chahe Zamana Thukraye, Tohe Piya Milenge, among others. His childhood friend Sivamani was on the drums ensemble.
Rahman reserved the hit Sufi numbers — Kun Faya Kun (Rockstar), Khwaja Mere Khwaja (Jodha Akbar), Moula Mere Moula Mere — for the last.
The content for the three-hour performance was programmed by Tasawir Bashir. Other singers who supported Rahman on the vocals, percussion and harmonium included Javed Ali, Ghulam Murtaza Khan, Faiz Murtaza Khan and Ghulam Qadir Khan to name a few.
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