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Darbar South Asian Music Festival 2008 4th-6th April 2008 Darbar South Asian Music Festival 2008
It gives us great pleasure to invite you to attend Darbar’s third music festival.
South Asian classical music is a living tradition, it needs both old and new to be truly realised; both performer and audience to reach the heights of artistry. Be part of the experience as the intensity builds and new ideas are exchanged over a full three days of music.
In the 2008 festival, Darbar welcomes more than 35 artists from Britain and overseas representing some 20 traditions in South Asian Music. Exchange ideas with fellow music lovers, talk to the artists as they mingle with the audience and be part of the experience.
Established artists include the multi-talented Pandit Nayan Ghosh on Tabla and Sitar, Surbahar maestro Irshad Khan and Uday Bhawalkar representing the ancient tradition of Dhrupad, a form that traces its ancestry back to the recitation of the Vedas before the dawn of recorded history.
Rising stars include the versatile vocal virtuoso Kaushiki Chakrabarty and Purbayan Chatterjee, carrying forward Nikhil Banerjee’s lyrical Sitar tradition.
British artists, many being given a first to perform in a major setting, share the stage and rub shoulders with the greats. Tarun Jasani on Sarod opens this year’s festival. Bhupinder Chaggar brings a British sensibility to the Punjab and Benares Tabla traditions. And we have Kaviraj Singh on Santoor and Upneet Singh on Tabla – two products from Tarang, The National South Asian Music Ensemble, which has done much to develop the musical careers of young British musicians. New musical forms are also emerging. Check out the Su–ev ensemble, which brings together the Tabla, the electronic Rai violin, Saxophone and various drums as they create innovations from age-old musical traditions.
Darbar is taking on fresh challenges. In 2008, Darbar is working with London’s Victoria and Albert museum to bring three days of taster musical sessions. 2008 also sees a major exhibition on Indian Music at the Horniman Museum in South East London. Darbar is collaborating here to bring short concerts, workshops and educational sessions to accompany the exhibition. Details of both events, which showcase UK artists in some of this country’s most important cultural spaces and reaching out to new audiences, are in this brochure.
2008 also continues Darbar’s work to develop the musical careers of selected UK artists by bringing them into contact with leading Indian musicians in a hothouse learning environment. The musical retreat, or Shivir, is an effort to adapt the traditional South Asian Guru Shishya method of musical learning to the UK environment. The Shivir, itself, is part of the Darbar’s wider educational aim of enabling UK artists to gain the skills they need to cope with the professional demands of the music circuit and ensure that their artistry is not exploited or wasted.
Once again, Darbar invites you to enjoy and experience another exciting year of south Asian music here in the UK!
Darbar Festival, Phoenix, Leicester
Friday 04 April 2008
Session 1: 10.00am
Tarun Jasani - Sarod
Transport yourself on a journey to Persia and South Asia with the sounds of the ancient Sarod and the Tabla. Tarun Jasani, on Sarod, a powerful, yet melancholic instrument and Gurdain Rayatt on Tabla are just two of the growing number of UK based artists enthralling audiences around the country.
Rakesh Chaurasia -Flute
Like his legendary uncle, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Rakesh commands the Bansari flute with strength, dexterity and serenity. While his roots are firmly classical, he’s also blended the sounds of the hollow bamboo with melodies of jazz, film music and Spanish guitar. He is accompanied
by Yogesh Samsi, a Tabla player whose reputation is built on his consummate artistry of this versatile percussion instrument.
Session 2: 3.00pm
Audience with Shashwati Mandal Paul -Exploring the Heritage
of Tappa Vocal
Tappa encapsulates high energy, swinging rhythms and quick turns of melodies. The origins of this high octane vocal style go back to the ancient songs of the camel drivers of Punjab and Sind.
Sanjay Subrahmanyan - Carnatic Vocal
An afternoon fiesta of carnatic sounds led by Sanjay Subrahmanyan,a powerful and energetic singer who blends classical compositions with a rich array of new ideas. S. Varadharajan plays the violin with grace, fluidity and pace. Dynamic and complex rhythms are provided by
R. N. Prakash on Ghatam -or clay pot and Neyveli Venkatesh on Mridangam.
Session 3: 7.00pm
Irshad Khan -Surbahar
To watch Irshad play is like watching a man go through a mystical experience,” was one reviewers comments after being spell bound by the sonorous sounds of the Surbahar. Irshad’s music is spontaneous,vibrant & sensual and you scarcely need to be an expert in Indian Music to appreciate the brilliant flights of fingers moving across what is often
described as the bass sitar. Beside him is Shrikanth Mishra, a rich talent at Pakhawaj, who has accompanied many contemporary Dhrupad masters.
Pandit Nayan Ghosh -Tabla
Acclaimed as one of India’s finest Tabla players, Pandit Nayan Ghosh is notorious for rarely practising. Nevertheless his innate artistry, rich repertoire and tonal brilliance comes shining through his storehouse of Tabla rhythms. Accompanying him in this unmissable Tabla solo is Dilshad Khan playing the eloquent Sarangi.
There are 30 minute breaks between items and about 2 hours for lunch.
Saturday 05 April 2008
Session 4: 10.00am
S. Varadharajan -Carnatic Violin
Fast, dynamic, complex weaving carnatic melodies and rhythms to light up Saturday morning. S. Varadharajan on violin leads this ensemble with RN Prakash on the Ghatam or clay pot and Neyveli Venkatesh on Mridangam. Together they take you on an improvised journey that will have you tapping your feet long after the performance.
Debojyoti Bose - Sarod
The Sarod in the hands of Debojyoti Bose, younger brother of Tabla maestro Pandit Kumar Bose, moves listeners through an endless variety of moods and energy levels. His compositions display agility, and an explorative mind that moves across different musical schools with melodic snippets collected from far and near. He is accompanied by the ever-excellent, Shabaz Hussain.
Session 5: 3.00pm
Audience with Bikram Ghosh and members of Sunev on
creating cross cultural music
Cross-cultural music has been around for generations. Today it is sometimes called fusion. Bikram Ghosh is a master of percussion with Tabla, Hand Sonic, Tamborine and more talks about his own experiences of bringing different musical traditions on the same stage. Sunev featuring Bikram Ghosh on Tabla, Djamel Benyelles on Electronic Rai Violin, Jesse Bannister on Saxaphone and Pete Locket on Drumand Dharbuka. Sunev is a Chakardar creation.
Sunev is the harmonious synthesis of four great artistic traditions: Jazz, Indian, Western and Arabic. The music is compellingly beautiful and infinitely creative. Four great artists come together for this creative venture that weaves musical melodies across space and time.
Session 6: 7.00pm
Bhupinder Singh Chaggar -Tabla Solo
Schooled in one the famous Benares gharana, Leeds based Bhupinder Chaggar’s Tabla repertoire reaches beyond his classical training. He’s mixed Tabla playing with Flemenco, Western percussion, soul and hip-hop. Tonight, he plays solo with Sarangi exponent Dilshad Khan.
Kaushiki Chakrabarty - Vocal
Kaushiki Chakrabarty is one of the very few classical vocalists who will make a mark in the 21st century. An assessment made by Bhimsen Joshi, one of India’s greatest classical vocalists of the modern era. It is said that at the age of two she could carry a phrase perfectly. Her fourth release "Pure" bagged her a BBC World Music Award in 2005. Daughter of revered vocalist Ajoy Chakrabarty, Kaushiki’s performance is one not to be missed from a star in the making.
Accompanied by Sanju Sahai on Tabla and Ajay Joglekar on harmonium.
Sunday 06 April 2008
Session 7: 10.00am
Kaviraj Singh - Santoor
A rising UK musicial talent, son of eminent musician Dharambir Singh, he has a talent for playing Santoor, Tabla and singing. The Santoor, which Kaviraj plays this morning, is the Indian version of hammered dulcimer, the delicate, shimmering sounds of which conjure up visions of Kashmir and foothills of the Himalayas. A wonderful way to welcome
in Sunday morning. Upneet Singh, an up-and-coming musician,accompanies him on Tabla.
Session 8: 3.00pm
Pandit Nayan Ghosh - Sitar
For those of you who saw Pandit Nayan Ghosh playing Tabla solo, here is your chance to see him with his other chosen instrument the Sitar. His playing reflects artistic brilliance, rich repertoire and a fluid sparkle that only the most accomplished of musicians reach. UK-based Sanju Sahai, from the Benares gharana, provides the excellent rhythm on Tabla.
Session 8: 3.00pm
Audience with Nayan Ghosh - Discover the Heritage of Tabla
Pandit Nayan Ghosh talks about his rich musical upbringing in a family steeped in artistry, how he took up both Sitar and Tabla and the heritage of Tabla and Indian percussion.
Uday Bhawalkar - Dhrupad vocal
Dhrupad: ancient, spiritual, austere and sublime is believed to be the oldest surviving form of North Indian classical vocal music, dating back to the 15th century. Uday Bhawalkar is one of the finest exponents of this
genre. He is accompanied by Shrikanth Mishra on Pakhawaj.
Session 9: 7.00pm
Shashwati Mandal Paul - Tappa Vocal
A not to be missed opportunity to hear Tappa a lighter form of high energy, brisk, rhythmical classical music that has its origins in the folk songs of the camel drivers of Punjab and Sind. Hear Shashwati Mandal Paul, a renowned exponent of Tappa, give a virtuoso performance
few others could carry off. She is accompanied by Ajay Joglekar on Harmonium and Shahbaz Hussain on Tabla.
Purbayan Chatterjee - Sitar
Listening to Purbayan Chatterjee one would think that this a musician who has been at the top of his profession for many years, such is the level of maturity and technical competence in his playing. In a very short time this young maestro has established himself as an artist of great invention who is poised to take the Sitar to new heights. Accompanying him on Tabla is Yogesh Samsi, one of the foremost players of our generation.
For Further Details - Please visit www.darbar.org.uk
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