Ragga Uttar - Dakshin: Confluence of Indian Melodies from the North & South

A subcontinent on its own, India is home to multitudes of melodies, tones, rhythms, and musical expression. Uttar – is a humble attempt at bringing together North Indian (Hindustani) and South Indian (Carnatic) classical music into a cohesive piece that celebrates the musical expansiveness of the Indian subcontinent.

In this performance, the confluence of the mayur veena and the violin will be presented together for the very first time in Singapore, where the artists will explore the melodic beauty of a raga expressed in both the forms on the two instruments.

The taus, originally known as the Mayur veena, is a bowed string instrument from North India. It is a form of veena used in North India with a peacock-shaped resonator and is played with the neck of the instrument on the bow.

The violin, originally a European instrument, was introduced to Indian Classical music in the 18th century. It has since become one of the most prominent instruments in Carnatic Music, supporting almost all programmes, and is also performed as a solo instrument.

Percussion will also be an important aspect of this confluence by keeping the rhythm appropriate for the respective melodic styles on the tabla (North Indian) and mridangam (South Indian).