The first show of the month focuses on lighter classical and classically-inspired music. Today I present sitar concertos by Ravi Shankar and Alan Hovhaness and East-meets-West chamber music with Ravi Shankar and Yehudi Menuhin.

Set #1 - 8:00am - 9:00am

1. Ravi Shankar: Swara Kakali (based on Raga Tilang) (1966)
9:03

2. Ravi Shankar: Raga Piloo (1967)
16:15

Tracks 1-2
Daniel Hope - violin, Gaurav Mazumdar - sitar, Asok Chakraborty - tabla, Gilda Sebastian - tanpura
Daniel Hope: East Meets West
Warner Classics, 2564 61329-2
(Both pieces are "In memoriam Yehudi Menuhin". Gaurav Mazumdar is a student of Ravi Shankar.)

*3. Raga Ananda Bhairava (rec. 1967)
Ravi Shankar - sitar, Alla Rakha - tabla, Nodu Mullick - tanpura
15:41

4. Ragamalika (Medley of Ragas)
Ananda - voice, Jana Starling - clarinet, K. S. Mani - violin, Anand Bala - mrdangam [double-sided drum]
Ananda: Treasures
Tantra, TSMV9701
15:07
(Our raga guide, beginning with South Indian Shankarabharanam, which happens to share its interval structure with the Western major scale. Note how the mood changes from carefree to tense round about 2:25 as D- and B-flats are added and E- and A-naturals jettisoned, turning the composition into the pentatonic ragam Revathi....)

Set #2 - 9:00am - 10:00am

5. Ravi Shankar: Raga-Mala (Sitar Concerto No.2) (1979-80)
Ravi Shankar - sitar, Zubin Mehta - conductor, London Philharmonic Orchestra
EMI, CDM 7243 5 67102 2 1
52'
(Me and the bird sang Malhar (4th movement of the concerto) during the thunderstorm.)

Set #3 - 10:00am - 11:00am

*6. Ravi Shankar: Twilight Mood (rec. 1976)
Ravi Shankar - sitar, Yehudi Menuhin - violin, Alla Rakha - tabla, Nodu Mullick - small tanpura, Amiya Dasgupta - bass tanpura
10:36

*Tracks 3 & 6
West Meets East: The Historic Shankar/Menuhin Sessions
EMI, 7243 5 67180 2 9

7. Alan Hovhaness: Shambala op.228 (1969)
Gaurav Mazumdar - sitar, Christina Fong - violin, Rastislav Stúr - conductor, Slovenská Filharmónia
Alan Hovhaness: Janabar, Talin, Shambala

OgreOgress productions, 634479 667077
45:00