Jaiden and Evie Hsu, sopranos Louise Chan, piano
Music Institute of Chicago April 20, 2024
Program Notes
(see the full version of Sunaao for program notes)
Text
(by Reena Bhansali)
III. Behta Jaa
Na-daal khud pe tu zyaada zor
Bhool jaao duniya ka yeh saara shor
Nadi ke saath behta jaa
Havaa ke saath uṛta jaa
Don’t be too hard on yourself
Forget the noise of the world
Go on flowing with the river
Go on flying with the wind
Recording
(see video above)
Special Performance Requirements
This piece is in modern Hindi/Urdu, and audio guides are available to teach and contextualize both language and style.
There is no need for any previous knowledge of Hindi or Hindustani music to perform this work: if this is your or your students’ first time encountering this language or style of singing – welcome! This is a great place to begin.
I will also say: if you know someone who is a native speaker of Hindi/Urdu (or even another South Asian language), this is a wonderful chance to utilize their abilities. It will be very easy for them to hear and coach correct pronunciation (especially of the ड़ sound, which is featured prominently in these pieces.)
Audio Guide
Please contact us for audio guides at [email protected]
Premiere/Performances
The premiere of this version of Behta Jaa was given by Jaiden and Evie Hsu at the Music Institute of Chicago on April 20, 2024
