Brighton Festival 2025
ROOM – i – Nation
Aditya Prakash
Genre: Contemporary, International, Multimedia, Music
Venue: Brighton Dome Corn Exchange
Festival: Brighton Festival
Low Down
In his new show virtuoso Karnatik singer Aditya Prakaash sings his story; a vast sweep of ideas questioning identity and belonging, tradition, modernity and the politics of art. ROOM-i-Nation rewards rumination. A rich and memorable mix of the personal and universal, expertly produced.
Review
Rather like a living room concert on a much grander scale, Aditya Prakash’s scintillating new work draws you in through the strength of its story, the clever and surprising way it tells it and, most impressively, the range and beauty of the music.
Sparked by his visit in 2021 to Angel Island, the US immigration facility where from 1910-1940 about 200,000 Asian immigrants were detained or deported, ROOM-i-Nation is a vast sweep of ideas questioning identity and belonging, tradition, modernity and the politics of art. Aditya has the ability to connect interlocking themes with ease and in a variety of forms ensuring a compelling watch. At its centre is his love for the Karnatik music that drives him forward whilst tying him to his Indian ancestry.
Set within a welcoming living room, an empty bed, some rugs and furniture, the space comes alive through Yeast Culture’s vivid video projection design and animation, particularly the startling sudden shift from interior to exterior. Expanding the scene Akram Khan’s dynamic dance film brings young people into the mix in a dynamic choreographic call to arms, an aggressive wakeup call about world events. Aditya inventively uses the Karnatik notes ma and ga to subtly allude to “MAGA” America—an inspired musical pun.
The show is anchored by Aditya’s incredibly versatile voice; it’s a joy to listen to whether in song or narration (superb sound design by Julian Le). Sometimes in conversation with his off-stage father, his mentor TM Krishna and a commentator who challenges his performance style, he builds a layered discussion about where he fits in the world as an American of Indian descent and a contemporary musician expert in ancient Karnatik song. It’s a confident performance, full of humanity, authenticity and compassion.
Aditya strikes a remarkable balance in his technical brilliance and deep command of the classical idiom while never losing site of the music’s emotional core. The question of how to marry traditional forms with current trends in music goes deep. From Portuguese Fado and the Celtic harp through to hip-hop, music grows from people and place; history enriches our understanding and appreciation. Dig your roots people – we all have music within us.
Postscript.
I sought insight on the music from performance maker Vidya Thirunaraya, one of the two audience members on Wednesday night who trained in Karnatik/Carnatic singing:
The performance featured a beautifully curated selection of Indian music, spanning from rare Carnatic gems to well-known, emotionally resonant pieces like Gandhi’s Raghupati Raghava. It offered a rich journey through Indian musical heritage—from the poetic verses of Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal emperor, and the 15th-century mystic poet Kabir, to robust Carnatic compositions rooted in major melakarta rāgams—the foundational scales of the South Indian classical tradition, known for their structural complexity and expressive power. Among these was a piece by Purandara Dasa, revered as the ‘father’ of Carnatic music, whose compositions helped shape and codify the tradition.
Highlights included improvisational passages such as raga alapana and kalpana swaram, where the artist explored the full emotional and melodic range of each raga with fluid mastery. The inclusion of Raghupati Raghava was especially poignant, evoking both spiritual depth and political resonance in today’s polarised world.
