Composer, teacher, and writer Ravi Shankar is India’s most esteemed musical ambassador and a singular phenomenon whose artistry crosses all cultural and musical boundaries. A student of the illustrious guru “Baba” Ustad Allaudin Khan, Mr. Shankar was already one of the brightest stars in India before coming to international attention in the 1960s. Since then, he has been the foremost pioneer in disseminating India’s rich classical music tradition to the West.
A prolific and sought-after composer, Ravi Shankar has written numerous works for Western collaborations, in addition to his many traditional ragas and talas. His “Concerto for Sitar and Orchestra” was commissioned and premiered by the London Symphony Orchestra under André Previn. A second sitar concerto, “Raga-Mala,” [A Garland of Ragas] was commissioned and premiered by the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Zubin Mehta in 1980.
Ravi Shankar has composed extensively for film and ballet. His scores for Satyajit Ray’s acclaimed “Apu” trilogy raised film music to a new standard of excellence, and he was nominated for both a Grammy and Oscar for his original score to “Gandhi,” the Academy-Award-winning classic by Richard Attenborough. Ravi Shankar’s extensive discography of more than 60 albums includes Angel Records’ 1996 release “In Celebration,” a lavishly documented four-CD retrospective of his greatest recordings issued in honor of his 75th birthday.
Mr. Shankar continues to tour each season all over the world with regular visits to Europe and the Far East. He is the author of three books: “My Music, My Life” (in English), “Rag Anurag” (in Bengali), and “Raga Mala,” (English), an autobiography that was released in 1999.
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Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central
