Hindustani music, also called ‘classical music of North India’, is not completely unknown in our environment.

In the West, some of the instruments used in its practice (such as the sitar or the tabla) are relatively popular, as well as the importance of improvisation, the relationship of the pieces to the different moments of the day or the existence of a term called ‘raga’ which is difficult to translate.

In the musical programs of Europe, probably largely thanks to the ‘discovery’ of it by the Beatles, we can find both its more traditional forms and also new creations.

In this pre-concert conversation by tabla player Shawn Mativetsky, bansuri player Shyam Sunder and dancer/singer Shreyashee Nag will discuss issues such as the significance of Hindustani musical practices both in their place of origin and in the diaspora, the relationship of this music with the religious/spiritual fact and of the new forms that arise from the contact with other musics and contexts.

They participate:

Vignesh Melwani
Singer, performing artist and cultural agitator from Barcelona. He graduated in Humanities and has a Degree of Music in Modern Singing. Among his projects, he has published “Improvisuals” in 2023, an experimental album where he uses a hybrid style between Western and Indian music.

Shyam Sunder
Born in New Delhi, he studied at the Gandharva Mahavidhalaya specializing in the bansuri and later the sitar. Resident in Barcelona since 1985, he complements his concert activities with his passion for teaching Hindustani music.

Conversation moderated by Dr. Horacio Curti Bethencourt, ethnomusicologist, Esmuc professor and coordinator of the Asian music program.

Activity co-organized with the Office of Religious Affairs.