West Meets East - Pt. Ravi Shankar and Yehudi Menuhin
Without
renowned violinist Yehudi Menuhin, the West may not have found Indian classical
music until decades later, much beyond the late 1960s. Thanks to Menuhin's
chance meeting and later lasting friendship with the master sitarist Ravi
Shankar, the West witnessed the sublimity that the merging of Western and
Indian classical music could produce. The two collaborated in key performances
during the late 1960s and mid-1970s, the highlights of which are captured here
on West Meets East. In an incredible, interwoven dance between violin
and sitar, Shankar and Menuhin spin a new yarn from the wool of ancient and
rare Indian ragas, capturing the ecstasy of Hindustani praise while
spontaneously bringing forth their own voices in the music. Menuhin's violin
sings in beautiful sadness alongside Shankar's twanging sitar amid the droning
of tanpura and occasional tabla rhythms. It's as if the two greats are
playing a game of tag, taking the other's notes and stretching them into their
own inspired shapes while creating a timeless music where love and respect
swirl up like blessed smoke. --Karen H. Hugg
TRACK LIST
what a post! great, great and great!
ReplyDelete