Prom 55 - 25.08.17: Classical Music of India and Pakistan

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

22:15 Friday 25 August 2017 ON TV
Royal Albert Hall


Pandit Budhaditya Mukherjee (sitar)
Soumen Nandy (tabla)

Kumaresh Rajagopalan (Carnatic violin)
Jayanthi Kumaresh (Saraswati veena)
Anantha R. Krishnan (mridangam)

Fareed Ayaz, Abu Muhammad Qawwal & Brothers

The Proms marks the 70th anniversary of partition and independence on the Indian subcontinent with a concert curated by Darbar Trust, producers of Darbar Festival, representing the classical music of India and Pakistan. Explore the region's diverse musical culture in performances celebrating three very different traditions. India's great maestro, Pandit Budhaditya Mukherjee performs ragas on the iconic sitar from the Hindustani music of North India, while South India's Carnatic music is more strongly melodic, coloured by the distinctive timbres of the Carnatic violin and veena. The Sufi music of Pakistan provides an ecstatic climax to this Late Night Prom, weaving rich, mesmeric tapestries of sound.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I can understand the importance of the 70th anniversary of independence, but should the BBC be celebrating the partitioning of India as though it were a good thing?

[Serial_Apologist]

I can understand the importance of the 70th anniversary of independence, but should the BBC be celebrating the partitioning of India as though it were a good thing?

Not sure that is their intention?

[french frank]

Not sure that is their intention?

No, it does say "marks" the anniversary rather than "celebrates".

[BBMmk2]

I have close family ties, with The Raj. My maternal grandfather was a colonel in the old Green Howards regiment, when they were stationed out in Poohna(new spelling Puhna, or has that changed?) I have a lifetime of love for this music but never have investigated this genre, properly.

[DracoM]

Proms: Classical Music of Pakistan and India 25.viii.17

Proms 55:

The BBC broadcast a Proms many, many years ago in the later 80's [ I think ] -got it on tape cassette!! - that started about 10-ish and went on until nigh on 3 a.m.

Hearing tonight's wonderful music resonating in the real stillness of the RAH brought back so many memories of travel in India and the awe one feels for both the subtlety and sheer fun and [I]joie de vivre/I]e, the transcendental inner voices, the concentration and ambition of the sub-continent's richest traditions.

Terrific stuff.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b091wdfm

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Earlier than that, DracoM - 1981:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/e3d9rz

... and 1983:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/e3rj5v

Starting at 11:00pm and ending at 7:00am. Those were the days!

[DracoM]

Gosh, yes!! That's it - the 7.00 a.m. one - YES!! Thx for the links!!!! Wonderful!

[Colonel Danby]

This, indeed, is marvellous music for a late night prom, combining the treasures of Indian and Pakistan ragas etc. Only a shame that I had to content myself with listening at home on the wireless rather than being in the Albert Hall in person. Ah well...

By the way Draco, I think I was there at the concert you mentioned (and mid eighties is not that long ago!) of asian music which lasted at least until 3 or 4 am, and realising that Haitink was to conduct Shostakovich on the following day, a whole load of us callow youths said what the hell, and started to queue straight away, refreshed with ample supplies of electric soup. But then these were the time when you really had to prom and stay there, rather than get a raffle ticket, sod off to work and turn up at 6 o'clock and demand your place on the front row of the arena. Or indeed, if you wanted to get into the Last Night of the Proms, you had to sleep out under the RAH for three days. Those were the days. Rant over...

[DracoM]

Earlier than that, DracoM - 1981:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/e3d9rz

... and 1983:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/e3rj5v

Starting at 11:00pm and ending at 7:00am. Those were the days!

Yes, indeed, BUT AFAICS, no actual music? If only somewhere three was an archive of the actual music.....!!

[DracoM]

<< I think I was there at the concert you mentioned (and mid eighties is not that long ago!) of asian music which lasted at least until 3 or 4 am, and realising that Haitink was to conduct Shostakovich on the following day, a whole load of us callow youths said what the hell, and started to queue straight away, refreshed with ample supplies of electric soup >>



Brings back so many memories...............!!

[Bryn]

I attended and was, by and large, pretty disappointed. The sound reinforcement was both excessive and poorly balanced. I think it quite likely that the home listener got the better deal.

Re. the 1981 all-nighter, some of it can be found on Youtube. A wholly superior experience, as far as I am concerned.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Yes, indeed, BUT AFAICS, no actual music? If only somewhere three was an archive of the actual music.....!!

No, sorry - the links are to the Proms Archive, which gives just the details of dates, works and performers.

The youTube extract (a mere 48mins worth) from 1981 is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYBUMQKyQP4

... and a shorter (20min) extract from the 1983 event here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGX2QDsn8zc

I don't know if the Beeb has kept the complete recordings of either event - I wouldn't mind a repeat run on Through the Night some time. (Another all-nighter at the Proms would be welcome, too; I still remember the experience of those astonishing events - I could attend neither, but heard both at home.)

[DracoM]

Even more grovelling thanks for these llinks.

[Bryn]

First the good news. I have reel-to-reel recordings from FM of both all-night Proms. I also have cassette copies of the 1981 performances, and CD-R transfers therefrom. Now the bad. I am unable to play the reel-to-reels. I will dig out what I have that I can make available to hear, somehow. This may take some time.

If you Google zakir hussain 1981 Prom tabla youtube, you will find several items from that Prom.