Beautiful recording of this 1972 concert featuring master vocalist pandit pran nath backed up by his then-pupils la monte young, marian zazeela, and terry riley. the vibes run pretty deep, especially you’re an ardent follower of carnatic forms...
the first of the long awaited recordings from the historic raga cycle concerts which took place at the palace theatre in paris, 1972 is now available. one of the undeniable beauties of indian classical music is its strong connection to nature and especially the binding relationship of raga melodies to their appropriate time of day. an elegant curve of melody, a subtle lowering of pitch, or an assertiveness attached to a particular note help to define the effect of a raga.


there are ragas for all the times of day and night as well as seasons and when they are sung at their appropriate time their effectiveness is noticeably enhanced. pandit pran nath's knowledge of this musical science was extraordinary and he made it his life's work to probe deeply with his expressive voice the true character of each raga using his matchless pitch discrimination and compelling emotional range. accompanying pran nath in these palace theatre concerts are his american disciples, la monte young and marian zazeela, tambouras, and terry riley, tabla. the raga cycle at the palace theatre in paris, 1972 showcased pandit pran nath at the peak of his powers.

Terry Riley