Ravi & Anoushka Shankar
Live in Bangalore (East Meets West Music, 2015)
Live in Bangalore is a beautifully-packaged 3-disc set (DVD + 2 CDs) documenting Ravi Shankar’s last performance in India. The concert featured here was recorded and videotaped on February 7th, 2012 at the sold-out Bangaloru Palace Grounds in Bangalore, in southern India.
Disc 1 includes two ragas, the classical Hindustani piece “Bangalore Yaman Kalyan” and Ravi Shankar’s original composition from the 1950s titled “Tilak Shyam”, both nearly 30 minutes long. Most of this disc features Ravi Shankar and his daughter and musical disciple Anoushka on sitar, playing mesmerizing Indian classical music in a very comfortable setting in front of a delighted audience.
Disc 2 begins with Ravi Shankar’s spoken introduction to raga Khamaj and then a 48-minute piece that contains “Bangalore Khamaj” and a medley of ragas also known as Ragamala. Here, the two sitarists are joined by an outstanding ensemble of musicians: Tanmoy Bose on tablas; Pirashanna Thevarajah on mridangam; Ravichandra Kulur on flute; Sanjeev Shankar on tanpura and shehnai; and Sanjay Sharma on tanpura.
The DVD includes the entire evening performance on video plus a bonus solo performance by Anoushka with a percussion and flute ensemble.
“It was my good fortune to perform worldwide in concert alongside my father over a period of nearly 20 years,” says – Anoushka Shankar. “It would be no exaggeration to say I’ve not shared the same level of musical intuitiveness and intimacy with anyone else. As our final live performance in the country of ours, and our music’s origin, this concert DVD is a beautiful example of my father’s inspiring mastery near the end of his life, and for me, a keepsake to remind me of what we shared together.”
Ravi & Anoushka Shankar Live in Bangalore is a splendid collection of live Indian classical music performed by the legendary Ravi Shankar shortly before his 92nd birthday and his extremely talented daughter Anoushka, who has taken the torch form her father.
Purchase Live in Bangalore
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
