Basant Madhur Ensemble Feat. Hanna Wiskari And Jon Sanders

Proudly supported by the Waiheke Musical Museum - Basant Madhur Ensemble featuring Hanna Wiskari & Jon Sanders: A concert of Indian classical music infused with Nordic and Irish folk.

Indian classical music has it's roots in the Vedic age, around 6000 years ago. The Vedas are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India, composed in Vedic Sanskrit. The texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and contain hymns, poems and chants. The Samaveda (Sanskrit: सामवेद), from sāman song and veda knowledge) is one of the four main scriptures, and is the basis of Indian classical music as we know it today.

Vedic music is of the most intricate and complicated in the world, with particular rhythms, scales and vibrations that connect with certain moods and times of day. There are ragas for morning, afternoon and night, and many compositions intended as odes to the forces of nature and the cosmos, from wandering clouds to monsoon rains, to the sun, moon and stars. The practice of this music was considered to be a musician’s dharma, devotional in nature and a means of connection with divinity.

Basant Madhur Ensemble are Basant Madhur (tabla), Akhil Madhur (tabla), and Sargam Madhur (harmonium, sitar). These musicians have all been trained in the traditional form of this music and have been playing and performing both individually and together for many years.

Purnima Garg is an acclaimed practitioner and teacher of Kathak dance who will also be performing. Kathak is one of the eight major forms of North Indian classical dance, traditionally attributed to the traveling bards in ancient Northern India known as Kathakars, or storytellers. Wandering Kathakars communicated stories from the great epics and ancient mythology through dance, songs and music, via an extensive language of hand, foot and body movements.

Hanna Wiskari is a Swedish saxophonist with roots in Nordic folk music. Her global influences are evident in her playful and masterful improvisations, which convey a depth of talent matched by a lightness of spirit. Hanna manages Ethno NZ, an artistic residency of traditional/ folk/world music for young people in Aotearoa, and other projects with a kaupapa of fostering intercultural connectivity and understanding through the arts.

Jon Sanders is a virtuoso bouzouki player, tenor ukulele player, drop D and DADGAD guitarist and an internationally acclaimed composer, with compositions drawing on elements of jazz, gypsy, funk, arabic, latino and Celtic styles. His music has been described by the Irish Times as quantum-leaping, deeply meditative, and impishly playful.

Together this group of highly acclaimed artists present a unique musical experience for audiences in New Zealand, opening a window to the intriguing, atmospheric music that emerges from a fusion between these unique traditions. Audiences are invited on a consciousness-expanding journey beyond geographical confines.

Children under 12 free. Authentic Indian chai & refreshments available!