“Into the Night,” a new work for sitar, Indian classical ensemble and orchestra by sitarist and composer Jasdeep Singh Degun, begins with a nocturnal luminescence. Warm shimmering string tremolos give a harmonic foundation, over which a sitar melody blooms with bright, undulating streams of notes. These solo melodies become energetic dialogues. The esraj (a bowed string instrument), santoor (a type of dulcimer), and tablas (a pair of hand drums) create a rich tapestry of timbres, with dramatic bursts and moments of calm, all underpinned by sonorous orchestral accompaniment, and always with melodic richness at the fore.
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