January 27, 2018

Nageswara Rao: Reflets de l'Inde [Barclay 920 320] an LP recorded and released in France in 1972

While we are on the subject of South Indian veena performers releasing LPs on French labels, here is another enjoyable example.

Of particular note is that in this recording, Nageswara Rao is performing completely solo -- no percussion, no veena "support," and no drone. I remember there was a very interesting example of an old 78rpm disk on the Excavated Shellac blog a few years ago which had the same configuration and at that time I found it rather remarkable.

Also of great interest is a Carnatic piece played in a tala other than Adi (see below). My personal estimate is about 95% of South Indian classical music is in Adi tala.







Side one:
Kriti (song): "Ramabhakti" (by Tyagaraja
Tala: Adi

Kriti (song): "Raghuvamsa" (by Patnam - Subramanyan - Iyer)
Tala: Adi

Kriti: "Parakunikelara" (by Tyagaraja)
Raga: Kiranavali
Tala: Adi

Side two:
Kriti (song): "Niducharanamule" (by Tyagaraja)







5 comments:

  1. I bought this LP when it was first released (from a local record shop that probably ordered it by mistake as the chap seemed awfully glad to have found a buyer).

    Nageswara Rao's majestic playing on this and other albums thrilled me as a young man and, playing this download last night, has thrilled me again as an elderly one. Many, many thanks.

    BTW, your transfer is absolutely first rate.

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  2. Another super transfer of extraordinary performances.

    Thank you for much for sharing these treasures!

    Bill

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  3. thanks for this album. You are right is saying many songs of carnatic is in adhi, But if you look at this it varies from composer to composer. Many of the big composers like trinity, papanasam sivan and so on composed equally in adhi taalam, roopakam and misra chapu.. !!!!

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  4. I heard the artist play as a student at Wesleyan U., bought the album and treasured it. My son convinced me to sell all my albums and rely on streaming. Unfortunately, no one has picked this album up. I'm thrilled to have access to it again.

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  5. I bought this album many years ago from the bargain bin of a record store, without its outer cover. It was the first record of Indian classical music that I had heard that wasn't played on sitar and I instantly fell in love with the sound of the vina. I still have the disc and the magnificent first track is a piece that I regularly feel the urge to listen to.
    Thank you for this excellent encode (much better than the one I achieved) and for all your other superb encodes.

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