Search - Shankar, Previn :: Concerto for Sitar & Orchestra

East Meets West

G. Newby | Memphis, TN United States | 08/09/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There is something beatle-esque about this marvelous performance, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Sure, Ravi and the fab four hung out together, and he even traded sitar licks with George, but it's something more than that. The oboe and french horn phrasings sound like they were taken right out of Sgt. Pepper's or Magical Mystery Tour. At any rate, that's really an incidental fact about what is certainly a first rate piece of music. This is the only western-styled concerto for a sitar that I know about, and it is nothing shy of genius. Shankar's playing is certainly impassioned, and the orchestral score is so quirky that you have to give it extra credit points just for being unusual. The concerto begins on a high note, with a crescendo of strings and brass, that soon gives way to a dreamy and ethereal sitar solo. After a bit, a conversation ensues between sitar and orchestra and then the concerto ends with a bold display of musical unison. A strange and unusual effort, but it is high art through and through. Here is one experiment that actually works."

A long-time favorite of mine - you'll love it!

Beth Jones | Colorado Springs, CO USA | 03/19/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album presents an amazing combination of sitar and standard western orchestra. Some of the music is pure orchestral, some is pure sitar, and much of it is a combination of the two sounds. I especially like the "call-and-response" portions, where one side (sitar or orchestra) plays a few bars, then the other side responds. I first heard this album in about 1973, and it remains one of my top favorites. Now I have kids and they love it, too. Every time I hear it I feel rejuvenated."