Sitar School of Toronto presents it's first DVD.
This DVD is a full length concert of Ustad Shahid Parvez with an able accompaniment of Janab Akram Khan. Now you can watch Ustadji's incredible performance any time. Unlike other DVDs that have just one raag, this DVD has three raags: Darbari, Bageshree and Bhairavi. The DVD was shot by three professional cameras and has been synched and edited by professionally. It has been rated as the best DVD in various Indian Music Forums by fans of Indian Classical Music. The DVD is in NTSC format.
Raag Darbari is a very majestic raag. It is a minor scale with the third, sixth, seventh flattened, ie ga, dha and ni komal. Special attention is paid to ga and dha during the performance and are rendered in a very exquisite manner by bending. The notes are not played straight in a sequence but in sort of a zig zag manner peculiar to the raag.It is a very austere raag as such ustadji treats it very respectfully. The first movement is a slow movement called Alap. It is a gradual unfolding of notes. This is followed by a fixed composition played along with tabla in a slow tempo called Vilambit. The tempo builds up to a finale in the third movement called Durut. This is a very fine presentation of Raag Darbari.
Raag Bageshree is a very sweet and beautiful raag. It has the third and the seventh flattened. The compositions played in this raag are based on vocal compositions. Ustadji plays a famous compostion, "apni garaj pakar lee ni bayan marori" in Ektaal. He makes Raag Bageshree his trade mark raag.
Raag Bhairavi is considered the sweetest and the most romantic of all raags by many. Re Ga Dha Ni are all komal ie all notes are flattened in the original scale. The use of all twelve notes is permitted. Ustadji indulges into the raag by getting into a very involved alap. He spices up the mood of the raag by tastefully touching other notes too, adding another dimension to the presentation of the raag.
