#darbarfestival | Rakesh Chaurasia summons Raag Jog’s state of enchantment, elucidating fierce rhythmic lines with extraordinary breath control and tightly controlled phrases.
Learn more about the music:
Rakesh Chaurasia is an innovative modern bansuri exponent. His style follows in the footsteps of his illustrious guru and uncle Hariprasad, but he has found his own territory too - recent collaborations have included jazz, flamenco, and Bollywood. He credits Hariprasad’s open-minded philosophy with encouraging him to explore new sounds, and still finds limitless inspiration in his uncle’s teaching (“I pray to God that I should be reborn to such a guru!”).
His sound is informed by a detailed study of vocal technique, and he also takes a deep interest in the spiritual and therapeutic aspects of music (“while performing...I feel as if I am praying in a temple”). He looks directly to nature too, having released an album which imitates the sounds of wind through nine different melodies. But despite an eclectic repertoire, Rakesh remains rooted around a detailed classical core. When asked whether classical music still held cultural importance in India, he replied: “that’s like asking if the sun is still important. Classical music is the foundation of all other kinds of music”. He has worked fruitfully with Zakir Hussain, and continues to delve further into each tradition he turns his ears to.
Listen to more of Rakesh here:
-Prabhateshwari | • Rare Ragas | Prabhates...
-Universal Notes | • Best of Indian and Wes...
-Interview | • Therapeutic Bansuri | ...
Jog describes a ‘state of enchantment’. Commonly played in the late evening, it has a finely balanced mix of major and minor phrases, and is popular among Western listeners due to its almost bluesy tension. Its wide interval jumps give a spacious melodic feel. It ascends as SGmPnS, but descends with a characteristic ‘Gmg zigzag’ to form SnPmGmgS. It favours strong phrasings, often starting on Ga, and Pa is usually considered to be the vadi [king note].
Recorded at Darbar Festival 2016, at London’s Southbank Centre:
-Rakesh Chaurasia (bansuri)
WATCH HUNDREDS OF FULL-LENGTH VIDEOS on our premium subscription service. You can also get the Darbar App which will let you download content and watch later, this is great for when you are offline or travelling. Please join us and support Indian classical music and artists. Start your free trial at - bit.ly/3urynms
Here are some links to our most-watched full-length videos. Click the below links and start your free trial to start watching immediately.
- Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan & Ojas Adhiya (69 minutes) - bit.ly/3urSTUf
- Aruna Sairam full concert (108 minutes) - bit.ly/3vPcAW2
- Percussion Masters concert featuring Satyajit Talwalkar, Sukhwinder Singh Pinky, Sai Giridhar & Giridhar Udupa (108 minutes) - bit.ly/3xNix7X
- Churning The Ocean documentary film on the Dhrupad maestro Ustad Bahauddin Dagar (66 minutes) - bit.ly/3h9aKv6
- Pandit Venkatesh Kumar full concert (93 minutes) - bit.ly/3vILwHW
The best thing is that you can experience this amazing music with your family any time from the comfort of your own home. It provides you with the warmth of a live concert experience and gives you access to some of the finest performances by the world’s best musicians playing their favourite ragas. We believe that the cultural education experience for you and your whole family is priceless.
We are passionate about Indian classical music and have the largest online archive of videos - we want everyone to experience the bliss of Indian classical music. This is one of those things that can’t be put into words, this is something that must be experienced. Even if you decide to leave after this trial, that is perfectly fine.
In closing, the best part of your membership is that you can feel 100% confident that you are supporting Indian classical music and musicians through a registered non-profit organisation.
Click bit.ly/3urynms to start your free no-obligation 3-day trial immediately. You are only one click away - transport yourself into the largest online archive of Indian classical music 😊
Darbar believes in the power of Indian classical arts to stir, thrill and inspire. Through shared experiences and digital connectivity we ensure that one of the world’s finest art forms reaches the widest possible audience. Founded in 2006, we deliver premium quality live events, music education, broadcasts and online engagement through promoting artistic innovation and creative technology. We are also committed to providing a platform for new talent from India and the UK.
All Rights Reserved ©2019 Darbar Arts Culture Heritage Trust