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Ghazal
The Rain
16.99
Kayhan Kalhor : kamancheh / Shujaat Husain Khan : sitar, vocals / Sandeep Das : tabla
Three new works by this remarkable Iranian-Indian ensemble from a live performance
The pieces: Fire / Dawn / Eternity
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See also by the ensemble Masters of Persian Music (includes Kayhan Kalhor)
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Press: "Born in 1997, this ensemble created a series of albums over three subsequent years that merged Persian and Hindustani concert music into a new stream of classical balladry and improvisation. As satisfying as the studio recordings proved, none of those equal the pinnacle of beauty or concentrated metaphysic disclosed in The Rain, a live recital from May 28, 2001 in Bern, Switzerland. Released by ECM Records, international watchdog for established top-end performers breaking from tradition, it was perhaps only a matter of time before Ghazal received the opportunity to have their experimental sound captured in palatial acoustic splendor." - Steve Taylor, RootsWorld (Read the complete article) "Ghazal is the inspired fusion of Persian and Indian in the hands of Iranian kamancheh player Kayhan Kalhor and sitar player Shujaat Kahn. ... Sandeep Das joins them on tabla. There's a real historical sense in this meeting of cultures as Hindustani music came under a strong Persian influence during the Mughal period and the traditions share several modes and tunings, which are explored in this recording. But you don't need to know any of this to enjoy the music - it's the artistry and personality of the players that make it so seductive. The contrasting textures of the sinewy kamancheh and sparkling jangle of the sitar, the echoing and developing of phrases between the two players, the moments of repose and meditation rising to spectacular pyrotechnics. And the fine, understated vocals from Shujaat Khan. The music on this disc is architectural like the filigree screen on the cover - rich in ornament and detail, but sustained by arch-like structures." - Songlines "This hypnotically beautiful marriage of Indian and Iranian classical music proceeds through impulsive echoes and flurries, the sitar's glistening jangle and the searing skitter of the spike fiddle rising as though through a vast cathedral-like space. ... While both musicians are adept in their traditions' complementary modes - ancient melodic structures - there is nothing dry or academic about the improvised music they make. Rather, it is superbly lyrical, full of fire and tenderness and highly accessible. Building quickly to the instrumental pyrotechnics that Westerners love, it leaves space for contemplation, employing non-Eastern musical ideas - the rhythmic imitation of rain and certain kinds of melodic repetition - in ways that will spark in the Western mind, but without a trace of gimmickry." - Daily Telegraph |
The record label says:
Since its formation in 1997 by Shujaat Husain Khan and Kayhan Kalhor, long recognized as master musicians in their homelands, Ghazal has stunned audiences around the world with its unique music, which is comprised of improvisations based on Indian and Persian traditional repertoire. Their communicative power is in full bloom on this live recording from Berne, Switzerland.
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