A TRULY TRANSCENDENT NIGHT WITH JASDEEP SINGH DEGUN & FANTASIA ORCHESTRA – WHERE EAST MEETS WEST

By Emma Carney | Bunny Pudding · Digital Coven · @bunnyscopes ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Press Invite

Here is a name you should remember: Jasdeep Singh Degun. He is a sitar virtuoso and composer, and on this night at Smith Square Hall – my first time visiting that beautiful venue – he proved why he is one of the most exciting musical voices in Britain today.

The concept of the evening was simple on paper but daring in execution. Degun, joined by tabla player Gurdain Rayatt and the young, brilliantly talented Fantasia Orchestra under conductor Tom Fetherstonhaugh, set out to stage a genuine meeting of Indian classical music and Western orchestral tradition. The programme included Degun’s own compositions, minimalist landmarks by Terry Riley and Philip Glass (both heavily inspired by Indian music), and even a French Baroque aria by Rameau reimagined for sitar. It could have been a mess. It was anything but.

What made it work was Degun himself. His technical skill is astonishing – fingers flying across the sitar’s long fretboard, creating melodies that shimmer and bend in ways no Western instrument can replicate. But more than that, he has presence. The audience sat in complete silence, transfixed. And when he spoke between pieces, he was funny, humble, and genuinely moving as he described how this collaboration came to life. You cared about the music because you could see how much it meant to him.

The Fantasia Orchestra matched him every step of the way. What struck me most was watching the performers’ faces. There is something so endearing about seeing musicians light up when they land a difficult passage or lock into a beautiful moment with a soloist. The bond between Degun, Rayatt, and the orchestra was palpable. Rayatt on tabla deserves special mention – the gentlest tap of his fingers created astonishing rhythmic nuance. Watching him and Degun play off each other felt telepathic.

The first half featured longer, meditative pieces. I kept drifting into a trance, letting the music carry me somewhere else entirely. That is the power of a live orchestra, isn’t there? Nothing else compares. The second half was shorter but just as rich. And throughout, the fusion never felt forced. East met West as equals, not as novelty.

I loved this show so much I bought a CD. Yes, dear reader, I parted with money in this economy. If that doesn’t convince you, let my 5 stars do the job. In times that feel increasingly divided, this beautiful collaboration offered something rare: harmony, in every sense.

Fantasia Orchestra with Jasdeep Singh Degun: Between the Raags was performed at Smith Square Hall on Friday 10 April.

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Photo Credit: Pablo Strong

FULL PROGRAMME

Jasdeep Singh Degun – In Search of Redemption
Terry Riley – In C
Jean-Philippe Rameau – Thunderstorm (from Platée)
Jasdeep Singh Degun – Rageshri

Jean-Philippe Rameau – Tristes Apprêts (from Castor et Pollux)
Philip Glass – Echochorus
Jasdeep Singh Degun – Arya (Sitar Concerto): movement II