Arya: concerto for sitar and orchestra
Composed and performed by award-winning sitarist Jasdeep Singh Degun, 'Arya: concerto for Sitar and Orchestra' is a remarkable and powerful work exemplifying developments in classical music that could only have occurred in modern Britain. Born and raised in Leeds, Jasdeep showcases a refined expertise and sophistication in both the Indian classical and Western classical traditions - a rare and unique trait for a UK composer. Arya was performed by Jasdeep Singh Degun alongside the Orchestra of Opera North in venues across the UK, premiering at the Huddersfield Town Hall in February 2020. With only a handful of sitar concertos having been commissioned worldwide, Arya has broken ground in classical music being the first piece written for sitar and orchestra by a British-Asian composer.
Commissioned by Opera North, its title plays on the Italian word ‘Aria’, meaning a melody sung by a single voice, represented by the sitar itself in this concerto, and an ancient Indian word with a similar pronunciation. Jasdeep explains: “the name ‘Arya’ in Sanskrit means ‘noble’, ‘precious’, or ‘valuable’, and the idea behind the piece is that the sitar is the ‘noble’ and ‘precious’ vessel which takes the audience on a journey through the three movements.”
In the tradition of the Romantic concerto, the work introduces the sitar and the orchestra as antagonists, staging a series of confrontations between the two that lead to a conversation and an eventual reconciliation. Jasdeep explains:
“The concerto begins with an invocation, introducing the audience to the sound world of the sitar, feeling its way through the new territory of the western orchestra. The sitar is almost finding its feet, and so is the audience. The orchestra is intrigued by this new and unknown instrument.
“As the sitar moves through the piece, the orchestra flexes its muscles and exerts its might; the sitar fights to be heard, and the two trade rapid-fire phrases. Ultimately they reach an understanding and find harmony with one another. There is a certain frivolousness and playfulness in the coming together of the two sound worlds, highlighting the fact that despite their differences, they are bound together by their similarities.”
Press Reviews
The Reviews Hub
4.5 stars!
"Jasdeep Singh Degun’s Arya ... was striking in his ability to be both Indian classical and Western classical and sound at ease with both. Arya proved to be thoroughly accessible... it always put Degun’s virtuosity on the sitar to the service of the overall concept. Intense, but never troubled, it ended by fading into serenity."
Pulse Magazine
'Constructing such a bridge takes careful, patient work on both sides – and the bi-musical training Jasdeep possesses to sustain that work. There is vital expressive potential in the dialogue between Indian and Western classical idioms, and it is urgent – at a time when politics is building cultural barriers rather than bridges – that we recognise the importance of that potential to the development of both traditions in the UK.'
God in is the TV
"It manages, as if by sleight of Jasdeep Singh Degun’s hand, to simultaneously embrace simplicity and complexity in its extraordinary delivery, opening as it does what is a unique new sound to a potentially brand new audience."
Tyke it to the Limit
'This concerto was an absolute delight, it wasn’t a case of dumbing down Indian music for Western ears, more raising the level of what we are used to and introducing us to the joys of the instrument and the ways in which it can be used. I can’t praise this work, and its composer, highly enough.'
Yeah Lifestyle
'Sitting cross-legged, Jasdeep’s whole body was involved in bringing the sitar to life. The combinations of notes were sometimes breathtakingly fast, sharp and complex, and sometimes gentle enough to vibrate the strings into humming. He seemed to manage both; everything in between and the long spells of sustained playing with ease.'