There are two consolations to make up for the end of the lunchtime concert series at Dewsbury Town Hall; the first is that the next one begins on 11th September, so only a month’s off-season, a bit like the football and the second, that the big finale was the incredible sitarist Jasdeep Singh Degun. Since he last played here eighteen months ago, he has had one accolade after another, and deservedly so.
On this visit we were treated to two raags, a form of Indian classical music, which Jasdeep told us in his usual relaxed, genial style, is essentially improvised but has strict guidelines. This means that he can’t go all over the place as if he were playing modern jazz, but had to stick within the constraints of the format.
John Ball and Jasdeep Singh Degun
Raag begins slowly, so slowly in fact, that I was wondering if he was still tuning up, as his style at this point was so laid back. After a couple of minutes in this mindset, the tempo, excitement and sheer artistry began to build. The first riffs were reminiscent of those played by George Harrison on Within You, Without You on Sergeant Pepper, and I believe that this is the part which sets the rules to bind the rest of the piece.
Once the trickle had turned into a steady flow, the music became much more understandable to the Western ear, well, both of them actually, but as the dam began to burst the place was really rocking. The instrument is played by the exponent sitting cross-legged on the floor but how Jasdeep could remain in that position and not get up and strike a few poses is beyond me, in fact I don’t know how I stayed in my seat at the end.
The second piece followed the same format but in this one he was joined by John Ball on tabla, which added an extra dimension and gave it an even more exciting crescendo. The two men showed incredible dexterity and mastery of their instruments, the tabla is a form of drum, being played not only with the palm of the hand but also individual fingers in quick succession. When they both got into their stride I felt almost breathless for them.
When the concert finished I had a chat with the star and congratulated him on his performance and also his engagement to his partner, Josie. He told me that he was about to embark upon a national tour as he had been invited to play at the Darbar Festival at the Barbican, London in October. Darbar is the South Asian equivalent of Glastonbury and something he had wanted to do since he was a child. As with the Somerset version it has grown from just being music to four days of various events including wellness sessions and yoga. As it is such a prestigious occasion he got his agent to organise the tour so that he could perfect his performance. Improving on today will take some doing. I am really pleased to tell you that he is in various parts of the North of England, including Howard Assembly Room, Leeds and Beverley Minster, the beautiful building where he shot the video for his recording, Lament. This is a much more familiar form of music and could have been written for any number of instruments. Please give it a listen at the link on Jasdeep’s website, where you can also get a full list of dates as well as more information on the artist. https://www.jasdeepsinghdegun.com/
A brilliant end to another diverse and wonderfully curated season at Dewsbury Town Hall by Opera North. I suppose I will just have to put my earbuds in and get a sandwich from Pret next month!
To see what is coming at Opera North please go to https://www.operanorth.co.uk/
Feature image from Opera North. Photographs by Stan Graham
Tyke It To The Limit 