Aalaykhyam II (1972)

[This work] was written between 1971 and 1972 on the suggestion of Andrew Davis to whom it is dedicated. Aalaykhyam is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘picture’ but its use as a title does not imply any particular physical image.

The work has four sections which are played without a break. The material used in the first few bars forms the basis of the piece, in particular the first and third sections. The second and fourth sections, which are faster in tempo, share new material. The fourth section is composed somewhat in the form of a concerto, and the piece ends with a recapitulation of the opening. In places, throughout the work, use is made of controlled improvisation and also of quartertones.

- Naresh Sohal

Aalaykhyam II (1972) reveals how swiftly and how profoundly Sohal’s imagination had developed [in the intervening years since Aalaykhyam I] (1970). Where its predecessor moved in bright, contrasting scenes, this work unfolds like a slow metamorphosis. Energy is held in suspension, tension diffused through gradual transformation rather than abrupt change. The presence of a guitar within the orchestra adds a unique colour — its clean, resonant tone threading through the ensemble like a glint of light. Sohal organises the orchestra in choirs, allowing each to contribute to a collective resonance: woodwinds singing long lines, brass anchoring harmonic space, strings shimmering between motion and stasis, percussion whispering rhythmic commentary. Here, the aleatoric writing no longer feels like experimentation but language — absorbed into the fabric of the music itself.… The ending comes with stark finality: heavy, dissonant chords proclaiming closure. Among Sohal’s early orchestral essays, Aalaykhyam II stands as the most structurally assured — a summing-up of the path he had travelled in only a few years.

Utsyo Chakravorty – cover notes, Heritage Records Release, Naresh Sohal: Vocal and Instrumental Music, 2026