Full Circle: Carnegie Hall 2000 [by Ravi Shankar, CD, 2001]

In 1938, 17-year-old Ravi Shankar made his first appearance at New York's famed Carnegie Hall as a dancer and musician in his brother Uday's troupe. After 62 years and countless performances and... more

In 1938, 17-year-old Ravi Shankar made his first appearance at New York's famed Carnegie Hall as a dancer and musician in his brother Uday's troupe. After 62 years and countless performances and recordings later, the preeminent sitarist and composer could still wow a New York audience, now with his 19-year-old daughter and protégée Anoushka in tow. These performances of the nighttime raga "Kaushi Kanhara" and the light, romantic "Mishra Gara" indeed make for an evening to remember. Listening to <I>Full Circle</I> is a reminder of Shankar's many compositional innovations. While this is a classical recording, the master introduces elements from outside the Hindustani (i.e., North Indian) tradition--especially his widespread use of harmony in a style that, historically, is completely based on complex interplays of melody and rhythm. His unusual use of two tablas (played here deftly by Bikram Ghosh and Tanmoy Bose) builds additional excitement. And the sheer melodic inventiveness that he displays in these two ragas would be stunning from a performer half his age. Throughout, the honeyed tone and gentle spirit that pervade all of Shankar's recordings, classical or experimental, shine through brilliantly. Kudos to Angel's engineers, too, on making a remarkably full and bright recording that captures all the energy of this live concert. <I>--Anastasia Tsioulcas</I> less