"In my opinion, this is THE sarod album to own if you're only going to have one. Khansahib's playing is at an all time high and is absolutely off the scale in the areas of depth, intensity and above all, skill. Sometimes I leave this disc in for days at a time and listen to nothing else. It's just THAT wonderful. The tabla accompaniest is splendid too. Pick it up, you will be pleased!"
An original contribution
Ashok Kanetkar | Pune, India | 05/08/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Raag Medhavi in Signature series Vol 2 is a creation of the Maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan just as Raag Chandranandan in Vol.1 is also his creation.
This is a superb rendition of a difficult Raag which is a combination of Raagas Hameer and Maluha Kedar, something that only artists of the calibre of Ali Akbar Khan can do. A short alaap is followed by gat in nedium and fast teentaal (a rhythmic cycle of 16 beats)
Thanks to amazon.com for making all 4 volumes of Signature series available."
Three precious gems
Massimo Coletti | Israel | 10/31/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The three ragas in this CD are precious jewels, each of which shines with a different color.
I'm a newcomer to Hindustani classical music, but even so I'm able to appreciate the melodic genius of Ali Akbar Khan and the rhythmical genius of Mahapurush Mishra.
Every note, every musical phrase, produced by Ali Akbar Khan from his sarod in these three ragas has an such an incredible sensitivity and dynamical precision that it can literally bring tears to your eyes.
This sensitivity and precision is coupled and enhanced by Mahapurush Mishra's tabla. Indeed, the dialogue between the two is spellbinding.
If you consider that these performances, as in all classical Indian music, are 90% improvised - and not carefully composed and rehearsed an in Western classical music, you are bound to see what a treasure they represent. Every such performance is a one-time event, a real singularity in the musical universe.
This CD is recommended for all lovers of high quality music, not only classical Indian music connoisseurs. Another not less sublime CD in this series is Signature Series, Vol. 4 containing two duets, jugalbandhi's, between Ali Akbar Khan and Nikhil Banerjee, also accompanied on the tabla by Mahapurush Misra, which may be even more exciting and accessible to people not yet familiar with this kind of music."
The Maestro Lives On
Dr. Debra Jan Bibel | Oakland, CA USA | 06/25/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Originally recorded and issued between 1963 and 1974 by the audiophile Connoisseur Society, the Signature Series remastered and released by Alam Madina Music Productions (established by Ali Akbar Khan himself) are masterworks by one of the greatest Indian musicians and teachers in modern times. Ali Akbar Khan passed away in June 2009, but these recordings will allow his music to live on. Volume 2 of the series is a particular favorite of mine. No one can develop a raga as Khan; his inventiveness and emotional depth were extraordinary. The first rag, Medhavi, is a combination of several ragas; the process of combining ragas is a common synthesis, although few of the tens of thousands of raga scales can be merged. Khan was fortunate to have Mahapurush Misra as his tabla accompanist for these recordings, for few were Khan's match in responsiveness and furthering the mood and passion of the raga and Misra was brilliant. While the first two ragas have a 16-beat rhythm (tintal), the last raga, another combination, has an unusual seven-beat rhythm (rupak tal) and includes a ragmala, which is a ring of a few phrases of other raga scales, akin to a medley. This recording is highly meditative and profound in every way. Khan will deepen his exploration of the rag over the following decades, but already his powerful, crisp performance and spiritual concentration are manifest. Five star ratings are supposed to be "outstanding"; well, this recording is an essential musical milestone. I still shake my head at its peerlessnes."