Customer Reviews

Rag Madhuvanti / Rag Misra Tilang

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

 

 

This was one of the first set of rags I ever purchased on CD, and was it ever a good decision on my part. This CD remains one of my favorites after almost 15 years.

It is the best example of how two consumate artists can patiently take the melodic and rhythmic structures of a rag and extract the most from them. Nothing is rushed in the performances of these two rags; the artists are content carefully to explore all the subtle aspects of these pieces.

Anyone who thinks that the tabla is merely an instrument of accompaniment needs to listen to how Zakir Hussain performs on this CD; he is simply stunning to hear. In fact, his performance on this CD has made many other tabla players sound very ordinary to me. Nothing will sound as good after hearing him play.

You could listen to this CD for 15 years or 30 years, and always be able to discover something new in these performances. It is a CD you will never grow tired of listening to.

there is nothing like the sound of a santur...and this CD will prove it to you. Sharma is a genius with this instrument. When listening to this music, expect a voyage nearly touching the transcendent realm. It is truly a spiritual experience.

The last review of this album puzzles me. Were they listening to the same CD? Do they just not like Indian music?

Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma is hands down the master of the Indian Santur, a type of hammered dulcimer used in Kashmir, and introduced into north Indian Classical music by the efforts of him and his father. I can easily say without exaggeration that he is possibly one of the greatest musician of the last 100 years as this outstanding CD can attest. He has many wonderful recordings to his credit, many of which are regarded as classics.

While the santur has the limitations of a fixed pitched instrument, they are the same limitations western listerners would be familar with in the piano, harpsichord or harp, all instruments closely related to the santur.

Pandit Sharma totally transends these limitations thru various ingenious techinuqes, and builds a music of monumental power and beauty. Zakir Hussain's drumming provides deft interplay with Sharma's instrument and almost seems to anticipate the others movements. The rendering of Madhuvanti is amongst the most brillant I've heard in a long carrer of listening to and studying Indian music.

Shivkumar Sharma's contribution to the Indian classical tradition is that he introduced the hammered dulcmimer to the classical Indian repertoire. That is no small feat, considering the conservative attitude that these performers take towards musical performance. These two ragas exemplify the tonal qualities that the dulcimer contributes to Indian music. Sharma's instrument is nothing like the ones played in America. The strings are obviously heavier and the hammers are of a different weight, too. But I don't want to digress into the tecnicalities too much. Just know that these 2 ragas, which run about 70 minutes in length, are masterful and exquisite. They make for wonderful listening whatever you're doing, and they also have a way of stirring the imagination. Moreover, the tabla has a way of bringing these insightful performances to life. Whether you're a novice or an aficianado, this is one you should definitely try to obtain.

These are both musically good ragas. However, the miking and sound of the tabla is all wrong. For as particular as Zakir is about sound during his performances, I'm sure this one slipped past his QA. The tabla just sounds too distant. Disappointing for Nimbus too.

---I own a few Nimbus Records CDs and enjoy them very much. However this one was disappointing. --A Santur is a hammer-dulcimer with somewhat limited possibilities...(not unlike the Native American Flute and Bag Pipes)...parts of this recording are the sonic equivalent of chinese water torture (lots of noodling)... a producer, editor's scissors, and an occasional pause would have helped ...the Santur sounded well during the alap, but once the Tabla entered it was too percussive...it seems to work best for creating an ambiance or in the role of accompanist ...as in Vas, with -Azam Ali...