A Must Watch!

venkatcr

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After a long time the official recording of the Anoushka and Mehta combination playing the Shankar Concerto No. 2 is available.

This is a must watch if you like fusion between Hindustani and Western Classical. I have written about this song and its background elsewhere.

Zubin conducts the Berliner Philharmoniker with the same brilliance he has always done. Not one note is out of place after playing it in April 1981 with Ravi Shankar! The same energy, the same beauty of rendering the Ragas perfectly.

Anoushka....I don't know what to say. I have heard Ravi Shankar playing this so many times that I know when a note will be rendered and how. Anoushka makes a few changes herself. Does she falter? I am not sure. In particular, if you have access to the original, listen to around 47 minutes of this video. For a few seconds, it seemed to me that Anoushka did err a bit. But, the rest of the 1 hour and 11 odd minutes, she plays beautifully. The end was a bit anti-climatic. She need not have played her own composition. To me it sounded as if she wanted to downplay her father's wonderful composition. That, in my opinion, is impossible.


Ravi Shankar: Sitar Concerto No.2
Anoushka Shankar playing the Sitar
Zubin Mehta conducting The Berliner Philharmoniker

Shankar presents 29 Ragas in four big movements. The first movement is a morning Raaga based on Lalith. The second - Bairagi - has five different ragas played in Moderato. The third movement - Yaman Kalyan - has three ragas played at the 45-50 BPM of Largo Moderato. The fourth movement - Mian Ki Malhar - has 20 ragas played at 120–156 BPM is the Allegro tempo. The conclusion is a spirited Jhala section, each in a different tempo and spirit. Throughout, Shankar improvises with the music, making the ensemble follow the Sitar with gusto, and the Sitar taking on the ensemble either quieting it, or teasing it to a faster tempo.

1. Lalit (Presto) - Ravi Shankar / Zubin Mehta 16:3
2. Bairagi (Moderato) - Ravi Shankar / Zubin Mehta 08:11
3. Yaman Kalyan (Moderato) - Ravi Shankar / Zubin Mehta 14:32
4. Mian ki Malhar (Allegro) - Ravi Shankar / Zubin Mehta 12:48

The timings may be a little different here. Enjoy the video through a Bluetooth amplified with good speakers. There is no other way to listen to this.

Cheers
 
 
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