Customer Reviews

Amjad Ali Khan and Ustad Shafaat Ahmed Khan: Raga of the Kings

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The label "Navras" which produced this DVD is known for some superb Hindustani Music collection. But to release this at an age of High Def TV is simply confusing. Its not just the quality of audio and video which is questionable, but almost everything from scripting to editing does not seem to have gotten much attention. Khansahib as a illuminous presence on stage and this has not been caught in this DVD.

Khainsaheib's interview which gives us an insight yo his philosophy of music is simply amazing.

I would also have choosen another raag for this DVD. Any versions of the raag Darbari are quiet heavy and unless one is a regular listener of this music may find it an effort to enjoy it.

This would've been ok if there were several DVDs of Khansaheib but so far this is the only one I have seen.

One of the rare times where I'm reviewing a rental rather than something I own, I must say I didn't have as bad an experience with this as did a previous reviewer.

The picture was fine for me. It never jumped, pixilated or dropped out. Having said that, don't think of this so much as a dvd. When people think of dvds they think of all the sound options, etc... that come with that. This product doesn't have that, and should be thought of as a VHS concert that has been transferred onto a disc. It's a VHS tape you don't have to rewind or fast forward.

The performance is quite lovely. It's not the best Amjad, but it's way above acceptable. I think of this more highly than Bequest Live, which I also recently reviewed. The sound here is also better than on Bequest.

I enjoyed my time with this rental but I won't buy it. If you're in the market for some Amjad Ali Khan and you don't own Ustad Amjad Ali Khan & Zakir Hussain, that deserves your attention/money way more than this. That's one of my favorite recordings of all time. Amjad's playing seems to be handed to us from the gods (and the Moment Records website makes no mention of it being out-of-print, so get it there if it remains unavailable here).

Or, if you want a new-to-you Raga Darbari Kanada, you have to buy Raga Darbari Kanada by Bimal Mukherjee. Every fan of Hindustani music should own that album, whether they've heard of him before now or not.

Though it's not got alot in common with Hindustani music, my affection for Bob Brozman's concert dvd Live in Germany stands proud. That remains my favorite music dvd thus far. I never tire of it, and I know I'd not be able to say that for Raga of the Kings after a month or 2.

[...]wrote a review which gave me the idea to buy this dvd. But guess what? It is hardly a dvd. It flashes all the time. Sometime the picture disappears altogether. Dvd I think means that you get to see how the instrument and Tabla are being played and are not to be disturbed by the flashes of dark spots. Total disappointment. Bought it from NUTRAJ BOOKS. Will not recomment it to anyone to buy it. Please do not even bother.

This is a great dvd. I was so happy to see that they made a great dvd of the Sarod Maestro, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. This is a full concert. Ustad and Shafaat Ahmed Khan on tabla accompanied by tanpura play Raga Darbari Kanada in full form. The concert is split into different sections to mark the alap, jor, jhalla, and gats. The duo end with Adana which is very common to follow Darbari Kanada which is a related raga. There is a very informative booklet and also a documentary called "Sing through my Sarod" on the dvd. The documentary shows new and old photographs of the Khan family as well as a look into his teaching methods and he speaks some about the great instrument which his ancestor's created. This dvd is great and should be seen by all students of sarod or indian classical music.