Jugalbandi: Indian voice and sitar

"Whatever Can be Played Can be Sung"

Saturday, 27th June, 7pm

Vocal and Sitar recital

Purbayan Chatterjee, sitar

Joyeta Choudhury, vocals

Rupak Bhattacharjee, tabla

At the end of his recital last December, Purbayan Chatterjee played a few phrases on sitar and then sang them, to great effect. He told the audience, 'whatever can be played can be sung'. 

Inspired by those words, I have invited Purbayan back next month with a very talented young vocalist from Kolkata, Joyeta Choudhury. Purbayan and Joyeta will play and sing separately and they will combine for a duet, known in Indian classical music as Jugalbandi.

Purbayan Chatterjee is one of the most celebrated sitarists in India. He quickly rose to prominence by winning, at the age of 15, one of the highest awards in his country, the 'President of India' Award. Purbayan was described by Rajendra Teredesai, one of India's most respected musicians, as "possibly the most outstanding sitar player of the younger generation." His music, "is high on aesthetics, lyricism and understated technical brilliance."

Purbayan Chatterjee is a world-class performer. He has performed in many of the most important music venues in the world, including the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the main venue at the Royal Festival Hall in London, the Sydney Opera House and the Konzerthaus in Berlin. 

Purbayan has recorded nine CDs one of which won the Palm IRAA Award for the Best World Music Album of the Year. 

Joyeta Choudhury is classically trained but she also performs light classics and bhajans, which are very lyrical Hindu devotional songs. She is a disciple of Dr Amiyo Ranjan Bandopadhyay, an eminent vocal classical singer of India. She is a graded musician under the All India Radio grading scheme, taking the second highest grading. Joyeta has a rich and mellifluous, voice. The combination with sitar will be a delight.

Purbayan and Joyeta will be accompanied on tabla by one of the most capable tabla players of the younger generation, Rupak Bhattacharjee. Rupak is the senior-most disciple of tabla legend Anindo Chatterjee. Master and disciple have recorded a CD together, "Rhythm of Passion". Rupak is an  'A-graded artist' of All India Radio, the highest ranking under AIR grading system.  He is also the winner of the All India Radio Music Competition in 2004.

Program: The program will be highly varied and entertaining, with performances emphasising each soloist, both classical and bhajan (Hindu spiritual) and a 'jugalbandi' duet with sitar and vocals. We might also get a tabla solo.

Starting time: We will start a little later than usual. Performance will start at 7pm and finish around 9pm. 

Reservations: 1,000 baht per person. 

Email asiachart@hotmail.com for reservations. For more information call 038 069681 during office hours. Due to limited number of places payment must be received before the day. 

Directions to Eelswamp: can be found at the bottom of this page:  http://eelswamp.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-music-room-at-eelswamp.html. If you haven't been to Eelswamp before I strongly urge you to find the venue before the day of the concert.

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