Nirmalya Dey | Raag Adbhut Kalyan

Step into a deeply spiritual and meditative sonic space with this exceptional performance recorded live at the Darbar Festival 2013 at London's Southbank Centre. This release features Nirmalya Dey, a master vocalist of the revered Dagarvani dhrupad tradition—one of North India’s oldest and most pristine classical art forms.

Having received advanced training from the legendary Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar, Nirmalya Dey is celebrated worldwide for his incredibly patient, microtonal elaboration of ragas. In this performance, he tackles Raag Adbhut Kalyan, a highly uncommon and fascinating variety of the Kalyan family. True to its name (adbhut meaning "of wonder"), this raga leaves listeners spellbound by completely omitting the two most fundamental notes of the standard Kalyan scale—Ma and Pa—creating an otherworldly, introspective mood.

The majestic vocal geometry is anchored by the deep, resonant rhythms of Sukhad Munde on the pakhawaj, alongside a hypnotic background drone provided by Priya Sharma and Veronique Dupont on the tanpuras.

Performers:
Nirmalya Dey – Dhrupad Vocal
Sukhad Munde – Pakhawaj
Priya Sharma – Tanpura
Veronique Dupont – Tanpura