Ranjani-Gayatri: Tyagaraja’s Path to Liberation Through Music

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Silk Street
London, EC2Y 8DS United Kingdom
19 March 2026
7:00 pm

Experience the sublime artistry of Ranjani-Gayatri, India’s foremost Carnatic vocal duo, as they bring the transformative music of Saint Tyagaraja to the Barbican.

The second concert in Darbar’s ‘Liberators of Humanity’ series celebrates Tyagaraja (1767–1847), the composer-saint who renounced royal patronage and worldly wealth to live a life of complete devotion, composing over 700 kritis that remain the spiritual heart of South Indian classical music. His timeless message – that true richness lies not in what we accumulate but in how deeply we connect – speaks with striking urgency to our age of distraction and digital overwhelm.

Presented in the authentic Chennai-style kutcheri format, this uninterrupted 2.5-hour concert invites you into a meditative journey through Tyagaraja’s ‘jewels of the soul’. Ranjani-Gayatri, celebrated for their extraordinary vocal blend and profound interpretive depth, will guide you through ragas that unfold slowly and organically – music that demands not passive listening but genuine surrender to a different sense of time. In an era of fragmented attention and endless scrolling, this is an evening of radical presence: an invitation to dwell deeply in sacred sound.

Performance:

Ranjani Gayatri Sisters  (Carnatic vocal)

Delhi Sairam (mridangam)

Vittal Rangan (violin)

S Krishna (ghatam)

Under 14s must be accompanied by someone aged 16 or over 

Purbayan Chatterjee + Ramana Balachandhran

Sat, 7 Feb 2026, 19:00
The Barbican Centre
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Artists

Ranjani – Gayatri

Instruments

Devotional Music  Carnatic Vocals

Location
Within walking distance of a number of London Underground and Elizabeth Line stations, the closest being Barbican, St Paul’s, Farringdon and Moorgate

Address
Barbican Centre
Silk Street, London
EC2Y 8DS

Public Transport
Barbican: 4 min walk; Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Circle lines
Moorgate: 7 min walk; Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Circle, Northern lines, Elizabeth Line (use the Moorgate exit for Liverpool St stop)
Farringdon: 8 min walk; Elizabeth line
St Paul’s: 11 min walk; Central line
The nearest tube station served by the Night Tube (Friday and Saturday) is St Paul’s on the Central line.

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Accessibile Events

The information below details the access provisions in each of the venues within the Barbican Centre, and their neighbouring Silk Street Theatre and Milton Court.

If you have any questions about the accessibility of any of their venues or have any access requirements, please contact their Box Office for support by emailing info@barbican.org.uk or call 020 7101 1188 (Mon – Sun 10am-4pm). Please register or log-in to the online ticket booking journey with your access requirements to view the access seats.

They are currently trialling Live Transcription for Hard of Hearing customers at our Ticket and Information Desk on Level G. If you would like this service, a member of the team on site would be happy to assist you accessing this desk. We welcome your feedback about this service.

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​​​​​​​If you are an occasional visitor to the Centre, please take your blue badge to one of our reception desks or Barbican Shop on the day of your visit in order to receive a complimentary car park voucher. You do not need to display your blue badge in your vehicle.

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Ustad Shahid Parvez | Director

Ustad Shahid Parvez | Director's Cut

Recorded at Darbar Festival 2007, on 15th April, at the Phoenix Theatre, Leicester. Musicians: - Ustad Shahid Parvez (sitar) - Pandit Yogesh Samsi (tabla) - Debipriya Das (tanpura) Music Pieces: - Raag Miyan Ki Todi, Thaat: Todi, Samay: Morning - Raag Bhairavi, Thaat: Bhairavi: Samay: Morning In this compelling rendition of Raag Mian Ki Todi, Ustad Shahid Parvez gives his most remarkable performance in a morning concert at the Darbar Festival 2007. Accompanying on the tabla is Pandit Yogesh Samsi, playing it out majestically to match the mastery of Ustad Parvez’s sitar. He plays a calming alap, masterfully enhancing each phrase with the microtonal nuances of the raga, adding in subtle murkis and varying meends that are typical of his style. In the jor section, he forges virtuosity with the serenity of Mian Ki Todi, dredging up every bit of emotion and foraying into new territories of this morning raga. The jhalla is driven home with a culmination of the finest tantrakari along with a fine melodic expression. The vilambit gat is set to 16-beat Teental where Ustad Parvez diligently and with great repose, elaborates the raga further with intricate laykari. This is followed by a drut gat in 12-beat Ektaal and then another one in drut Teental, bringing Mian Ki Todi to a comprehensive, well-explored conclusion. Pandit Samsi’s aligned and extremely well-coordinated support comes with sparkling laykari. His improvisations, ripostes and solos are completely attuned to Ustad Parvez’s recital, ameliorating the overall presentation. Ustad Parvez concludes his concert with a dhun set to 6-beat Dadra in Raag Bhairavi. In a soporific introduction to the raga, he portrays a devotional emotion laden with pathos. The composition is executed with stunning expositions with Pandit Samsi’s tabla giving a mellowed and sensitive accompaniment to the piece.