This event took place on Friday 28th April 2017 in the Hague.
Visit our gallery to view the photo’s of this concert.
Click to enlarge the concert flyer:
Ustad Sayeeduddin Dagar hails from a family whose name is synonymous with the art of Dhrupad singing. Sayeeduddin Dagar belongs to the 19th generation of the renowned Dagar family or Dagar Gharana. He is the last remaining of the famous 8 Dagar Brothers and has dedicated his life to keep this ancient tradition alive. Born in Alwar, Rajasthan on 29th April, 1939, he started his musical journey at the tender age of six. His first Guru was his father; Ustad Hussainuddin Khan Dagar. After the death of his father in 1963, he trained with his uncle Late Padmabhushan Ustad Rahimuddin Khan Dagar. Later he studied under his brothers. In his humility, he yet considers himself a student of Dhrupad.
In many of his concerts a unique phenomenon is observed. When he is singing in the lower octave – the Kharaj Saptak; the window panes start vibrating! He never decides which Raag he is going to sing before the concert, as he shall sing that Raag which his 400 year old Tanpura’s will create in that atmosphere. “My Tanpura’s tell me which Raag to sing” he says! The Dagar family has managed to maintain this great cultural treasure in the face of all adversities since the mid 18th century. Drupad is the oldest surviving form of Classical music in India and traces its origins to the chanting of Vedic hymns and mantras. Though a highly developed classical art with a complex and elaborate grammar and aesthetics, it is also primarily a form of worship, in which offerings are made to the divine through sound or nada. Fundamental to Drupad singing is the practice of Nada Yoga, in which, through various yogic practices, the singer develops the inner resonance of the body, and can make the sound resonate and flow freely through the entire region from navel to head. In Drupad of the Dagar tradition the notes are not treated as fixed points, but as fluid entities with infinite microtonal shades. Drupad is characterized by long held tones, precision of tone and a majestic and meditative quality. Click here to watch a promo and invitation by Dagarji.
The concert will start with a Surbahar recital of a young and talented player from Belgium, Bert Cornelis. Bert is a disciple of sitar & surbahar maestro Pt. Ashok Pathak with whom he studied in the traditional for the past 20 years. Next to these pure traditional teachings, Bert completed his academic studies at the Prayag Samiti University at Allahabad, India with distinction. A performance of Bert Cornelis is deep and spontaneous and marked by the sound and the extraordinary techniques typical for the ‘Pathak Style’. Journalists and members of the audiences have described his music as ‘a massage for the soul’, always emotional, original and truly improvised. A flight at the same time well rooted in the tradition and at the same time very free. Bert has a solid reputation as a performer in Europe, India and the US. Click here to watch a promo and personal invite by Bert.
The Surbahar is an ancient instrument and is a member of the veena family. The Surbahar is also known for its deep and meditative qualities, excellent for playing Dhrupad.
Both Bert Cornelis and Ustad Sayeeduddin Dagar will be accompanied on the Pakhwaj by Pandit Udhav Shinde, one of India’s finest and leading Pakhawaj players. Raised in the Varkari Samprodaya, the musical tradition of the poet saints of Maharashtra, Udhav experienced the richness and power of spiritual music at an early age. As an accompanist, he worked with many acclaimed Indian and international instrumentalists and vocalists like Asad Ali Khan, Bahauddin Dagar, Uday Bhawalkar, Gundecha Brothers and the eminent vocalists of the Dagar family.
Don’t miss this unique double-bill concert!