Concerto for Sitar & Orchestra

Concerto for Sitar & Orchestra is a studio album by Indian musician and composer Ravi Shankar with the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) conducted by André Previn. It was premiered at London's Royal Festival Hall on 28 January 1971, and subsequently released in Britain and America.[1][2]

Concerto for Sitar & Orchestra
Studio album by
Ravi Shankar with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by André Previn
ReleasedNovember 1971
RecordedJanuary 1971
StudioAbbey Road Studios, London
GenreIndian classical
Length39:53
LabelHMV, Angel
ProducerChristopher Bishop

Description

Composition

Shankar began composing the work, his first concerto, after receiving a commission from the LSO in mid November 1970.[3] The idea of creating an Indian classical work for a full Western orchestra, accompanied by his sitar, appealed to Shankar following his forays into chamber music with violinist Yehudi Menuhin[4] – issued on West Meets East (1967) and West Meets East, Volume 2 (1968).[5] He dedicated the concerto to his music guru (teacher) Allauddin Khan, who was in poor health at the time.[6] Khan's composition Raga Manj Khamaj was one of the four ragas that Shankar adapted for the project.[7][8]

Album

The album was produced by Christopher Bishop, recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, and released in 1971 on the EMI-owned record labels HMV and Angel, in Britain and America, respectively.[2][1][2]

It received acclaim from some reviewers.[3] In America, the LP cover carried a quote from The Guardian's music critic, Edward Greenfield, that read: "If East has to meet West, then few musicians have achieved it with such open joy as Ravi Shankar."[9] According to author Peter Lavezzoli, however, other critics considered it to be "a bastardization of two distinct forms of music".[6] The US release of Concerto for Sitar & Orchestra, in November 1971,[10] coincided with the world premiere of Shankar's autobiographical film Raga.[11]

The album peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Best Selling Classical LP's chart in February 1972.[12] In November that year, EMI's US affiliate, Capitol Records, described the commercial performance of the album as the company's "biggest surprise" of 1972, adding that it had "sold like a pop record".[13]

The second and third movements – based on the ragas Sindhi Bhairavi and Adana[14] – were included on the four-disc box set Ravi Shankar: In Celebration (1996).[15]

Performances

In addition to performances by Shankar, the concerto has been performed in concert by his daughter Anoushka Shankar.[16]

Legacy

The LSO project led to further collaborations between Shankar and Western classical musicians, such as Zubin Mehta, who conducted his concerto Raga Mala in 1981.[17][18]

Track listing

All selections adapted by Ravi Shankar.

Side one
  1. "1st Movement: Rāga Khamāj" – 14:23
  2. "2nd Movement: Rāga Sindhi Bhairavi" – 6:19
Side two
  1. "3rd Movement: Rāga Adanā" – 3:37
  2. "4th Movement: Rāga Mānj Khamāj" – 15:34

Personnel
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gollark: Autoclickers are obsolete. You need to directly use the websocket interface to get enough incrementation throughput to compete.
gollark: Technically, 53 bits.

References
  1. Shankar, pp. 215, 324.
  2. Concerto for Sitar & Orchestra (LP sleeve credits). Ravi Shankar. HMV. 1971.CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. Shankar, p. 215.
  4. Lavezzoli, pp. 220, 221.
  5. Shankar, pp. 323, 324.
  6. Lavezzoli, p. 221.
  7. Concerto for Sitar & Orchestra (liner notes). Susan Regan, Ravi Shankar. HMV. 1971.CS1 maint: others (link)
  8. Lavezzoli, pp. 221–22.
  9. Concerto for Sitar & Orchestra (LP front cover). Ravi Shankar. Angel Records. 1971.CS1 maint: others (link)
  10. Billboard staff (27 November 1971). "Shankar, 'Raga' At Carnegie". Billboard. p. 16. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  11. Shankar, p. 324.
  12. "Billboard Best Selling Classical LP's". Billboard. 5 February 1972. p. 42. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  13. Kirsch, Bob (4 November 1972). "Cap Sees New Audience Other Than Revival". Billboard. p. 57. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  14. Ravi Shankar: In Celebration (booklet). Ravi Shankar. Angel/Dark Horse. 1996. pp. 42–43.CS1 maint: others (link)
  15. Eder, Bruce. "Ravi Shankar Shankar: In Celebration". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  16. Lavezzoli, p. 222.
  17. World Music: The Rough Guide, p. 109.
  18. Lavezzoli, pp. 221, 228.

Sources
  • Lavezzoli, Peter (2006). The Dawn of Indian Music in the West. New York, NY: Continuum. ISBN 0-8264-2819-3.
  • Shankar, Ravi (1999). Raga Mala: The Autobiography of Ravi Shankar. New York, NY: Welcome Rain. ISBN 1-56649-104-5.
  • World Music: The Rough Guide (Volume 2: Latin and North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific) (2000). London: Rough Guides/Penguin. ISBN 1-85828-636-0.
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