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{{Short description|1971 studio album by Ravi Shankar with the London Symphony Orchestra}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Concerto for Sitar & Orchestra
| type = studio
| artist = [[Ravi Shankar]] with [[the London Symphony Orchestra]] conducted by [[André Previn]]
| cover = File:Ravi Shankar, Concerto for Sitar & Orchestra, 1971 US LP.jpg
| alt =
| released = November 1971
| recorded = January 1971
| venue =
| studio = [[Abbey Road Studios|EMI]], London
| genre = [[Indian classical music|Indian classical]]
| length = 39:53
| label = [[His Master's Voice (British record label)|His Master's Voice]] (UK), [[Angel Records]] (US)
| producer = Christopher Bishop
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title =
| next_year =
}}
'''''Concerto for Sitar & Orchestra''''' is a studio album by Indian musician and composer [[Ravi Shankar]] with [[the London Symphony Orchestra]] (LSO) conducted by [[André Previn]]. The concerto was premiered at London's [[Royal Festival Hall]] on 28 January 1971, and subsequently released in Britain and America.<ref name="Shankar 1"/><ref name="LP credits"/>

==Composition and recording==
Ravi Shankar began composing the work, his first concerto, after receiving a commission from the LSO in mid November 1970.<ref name="Raga Mala p 215" /> The idea of creating an [[Indian classical music|Indian classical]] work for a full Western orchestra, accompanied by his [[sitar]], appealed to Shankar following his forays into [[chamber music]] with violinist [[Yehudi Menuhin]]<ref>Lavezzoli, pp. 220, 221.</ref> – issued on ''[[West Meets East]]'' (1967) and ''[[West Meets East, Volume 2]]'' (1968).<ref>Shankar, pp. 323, 324.</ref>

He dedicated the concerto to his music [[guru]] (teacher) [[Allauddin Khan]], who was in poor health at the time.<ref name="Lavezzoli p 221" /> Khan's composition Raga Manj Khamaj was one of the four [[raga]]s that Shankar adapted for the project.<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title= Concerto for Sitar & Orchestra|others= Susan Regan, Ravi Shankar |year= 1971 |type= liner notes |publisher= [[His Master's Voice (British record label)|His Master's Voice]]}}</ref><ref>Lavezzoli, pp. 221–22.</ref> The album was produced by Christopher Bishop and recorded at EMI Studios (now [[Abbey Road Studios]]) in London.<ref name="LP credits">{{cite AV media notes|title= Concerto for Sitar & Orchestra|others= Ravi Shankar |year= 1971 |type= LP sleeve credits |publisher= [[His Master's Voice (British record label)|His Master's Voice]]}}</ref>

==Release and reception==
''Concerto for Sitar & Orchestra'' was released in 1971 on the [[EMI]]-owned record labels [[His Master's Voice (British record label)|His Master's Voice]] and [[Angel Records|Angel]], in Britain and America, respectively.<ref name="Shankar 1">Shankar, pp. 215, 324.</ref> The US release took place in November 1971<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QA8EAAAAMBAJ&dq=Ravi+Shankar&pg=PA16 |author=Billboard staff |title=Shankar, 'Raga' At Carnegie |date=27 November 1971|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |page=16|accessdate=29 August 2015}}</ref> and coincided with the world premiere of Shankar's autobiographical film ''[[Raga (film)|Raga]]''.<ref>Shankar, p. 324.</ref>

The album received acclaim from some reviewers.<ref name="Raga Mala p 215">Shankar, p. 215.</ref> In America, the LP cover carried a quote from ''[[The Guardian]]''{{'}}s music critic, [[Edward Greenfield]], that read: "If East has to meet West, then few musicians have achieved it with such open joy as Ravi Shankar."<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title= Concerto for Sitar & Orchestra|others= Ravi Shankar |year= 1971 |type= LP front cover |publisher= [[Angel Records]]}}</ref> According to author Peter Lavezzoli, however, other critics considered it to be "a bastardization of two distinct forms of music".<ref name="Lavezzoli p 221">Lavezzoli, p. 221.</ref>

The album peaked at number 6 on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' Best Selling Classical LP's chart in February 1972.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QA8EAAAAMBAJ&dq=Ravi+Shankar&pg=PA16 |title=Billboard Best Selling Classical LP's |date=5 February 1972|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |page=42|accessdate=29 August 2015}}</ref> In November that year, EMI's US affiliate, [[Capitol Records]], described the commercial performance of the album as the company's "biggest surprise" of 1972, adding that it had "sold like a pop record".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bw8EAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Concerto+for+Sitar%22&pg=PA57 |last=Kirsch |first=Bob |title=Cap Sees New Audience Other Than Revival |date=4 November 1972|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |page=57|accessdate=30 August 2015}}</ref>

==Aftermath and legacy==
The LSO project led to further collaborations between Shankar and Western classical musicians, such as [[Zubin Mehta]], who conducted his concerto ''Raga Mala'' in 1981.<ref>''World Music: The Rough Guide'', p. 109.</ref><ref>Lavezzoli, pp. 221, 228.</ref>

The second and third [[Movement (music)|movements]] – based on the ragas [[Sindhu Bhairavi (raga)|Sindhi Bhairavi]] and [[Adana (raga)|Adana]]<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title= [[Ravi Shankar: In Celebration]]|others= Ravi Shankar |year= 1996 |type= booklet |publisher= [[Angel Records|Angel]]/[[Dark Horse Records|Dark Horse]]|pp=42–43}}</ref> – were included on the four-disc box set ''[[Ravi Shankar: In Celebration]]'' (1996).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/shankar-in-celebration-mw0000179804 |last=Eder|first=Bruce |title=Ravi Shankar ''Shankar: In Celebration'' |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |accessdate=29 August 2015}}</ref>

In addition to performances by Shankar, the concerto has been performed in concert by his daughter [[Anoushka Shankar]].<ref name="Lavezzoli p 222">Lavezzoli, p. 222.</ref>

==Track listing==
All selections adapted by [[Ravi Shankar]].

;Side one
# "1st Movement: Rāga Khamāj" – 14:23
# "2nd Movement: Rāga Sindhi Bhairavi" – 6:19

;Side two
#<li value=3>"3rd Movement: Rāga Adanā" – 3:37
# "4th Movement: Rāga Mānj Khamāj" – 15:34

== Personnel ==
* [[Ravi Shankar]] – [[sitar]]
* [[André Previn]] – orchestral direction
* Terence Emery – [[bongos]]
* [[London Symphony Orchestra]] – strings, brass and woodwinds

==References==
{{reflist|20em}}

==Sources==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last=Lavezzoli|first=Peter|title=The Dawn of Indian Music in the West|publisher=Continuum|location=New York, NY|year=2006|isbn=0-8264-2819-3}}
* {{cite book|first=Ravi|last=Shankar|title=Raga Mala: The Autobiography of Ravi Shankar|publisher=Welcome Rain|location=New York, NY|year=1999|isbn=1-56649-104-5|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/ragamalaautobiog00shan}}
* ''World Music: The Rough Guide (Volume 2: Latin and North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific)'' (2000). London: Rough Guides/Penguin. {{ISBN|1-85828-636-0}}.
{{refend}}

{{Ravi Shankar}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Concerto for Sitar and Orchestra}}
[[Category:1971 albums]]
[[Category:Ravi Shankar albums]]
[[Category:Angel Records albums]]
[[Category:London Symphony Orchestra albums]]
[[Category:Albums conducted by André Previn]]
[[Category:Concerto albums]]

Concerto for Sitar & Orchestra - Revision history

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