Customer Reviews
Expect the unexpected! - By: G. Wylie, 23 May 2008 
Unlike most of the other reviewers, I was not familiar with the music of Shankar or Glass before deciding to buy this album on the strength of the most cursory hearing of some of the tracks. Every now & again I just like to treat my ears to something different. And believe me, this is something very, very different. It is simply exciting music, beautifully played, which will grasp at your very soul.
Go on. Treat your ears. They deserve it!
Beautifully orchestrated - see Indian music in a new light - By: Martin Smith, 04 May 2007 Philip Glass is known for his monolithic minimalism, which I for one feel has been rather stale for some time. He apparently already studied with Shankar at the end of the sixties, when Shankar was at the height of international fame, what with the Beatles & everything.
It was a great idea to reunite the two as Shankar's influence adds a new lease of life to Glass's repetitions. The sleeve notes explain that for each piece one of the two composers came up with the themes which the other develops & arranges. The listener can have a lot of fun working out were certain fragments have come from. It's actuallly much harder than you'd think.
"Raga's in a Minor Scale" floats sitar & flute over gentle tablas. It doesn't seem to repeat itself very much, & the main melodic line is a typical Indian theme - it sounds as if it was based on a vocalised song. Strings bolster the whole thing, & from time to time the whole orchestra hangs on quickly descending arpeggios which you know come from Glass but still sound unique & unusual.
"Prashanti" sets a repeating zither theme against beautiful flutes & as above, rich modal themes from the strings are alllowed to interject.
"Offering" begins with a typical Glass motif played on low strings & then the mournful main theme is played on . . . saxophone! The theme slowly progresses before trademark sawing Glass orchestrations work against the Shankar string melody. This is the track that will remind most listeners of Glass - fluttering flute arps, hovering strings, grating cellos, gentle piano melodies, it's alll there.
"Sadhanipa" is my favourite, rich & peaceful & the hardest to unravel - to work out which composer has written which bit - & is alll the more marvellous for it. The main themes are interspersed with jaunty dances that sound almost like hoedowns - could that be Ravi commenting on Phil's nationality?
I love this album & I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys instrumental music. You don't have to be a fan of either composer to enjoy this & it works as well as a piece of pop music as much as a piece of world music or even classical music.
East meets West - By: robojam, 18 Jun 2004 I had some ideas of what this would sound like before I heard it, but when I heard it I realised I was completely wrong! I thought that it would be typical Philip Glass with some sitar & Indian scales & sounds. It is nothing of the sort.
Each track is not so much a collaboration as a joining of distinct parts. You can hear which parts are Glass & which parts are Shankar, but the glue that holds them together is the compositional genius of the two men. It does not just encompass India either, as there are Middle-Eastern motifs & scales used here, & some very Western orchestral parts.
It is very light on the sitar, & Ravi Shankar probably has more input vocallly than with his sitar playing. This is orchestral music without using a conventional orchestra from the West. It is Indian music without being limited to the traditional Indian instruments & arrangements. It is World Music at its best!
The best Philip Glass album you've never heard in your life! - By: Peekaiman, 12 Feb 2003 It took several years after first hearing a tape of this music before I managed to acquire a copy for myself (someone brought me the cassette back from India!!)It is simply excellent music, both easy & challlenging at the same time. All the Glass compositions I have heard since (this was my introduction to his music) seem somewhat lame in comparison. Maybe this is due to Mr. Shankar's influence...who knows, I am not a fan of either gentlemen apart from this work. If you're, like me, a westener with a penchant for those sensuous arabic scales this is definately for you.
Journey to the East...and back! - By: jingles_sunderland, 08 Feb 2003 This album at first glance brings together two of the most unlikely composers one could think of in a collaboration that crosses huge cultural differences but works exceptionallly well.
Ravi Shankar, whose music has been known in the West for many years , is known for his work with Yehudi Menuhin & George Harrison among others. His musical reputation goes far beyond his exemplary sitar playing in the traditional ragas & covers much classical Indian music also.
Philip Glass, mostly known for his repetitive structures as a member of the minimalist school & for his powerful soundtracks, has gained a wider audience with classical & popular music afficionados outside of the USA.
This album works in many different ways. Despite their differing backgrounds each musician has produced memorable soundscapes which reach deeply into the history of each of the collaborators & their musical heritage & which emerge to enchant & delight the listener. It is often difficult to distinguish the individual contributions from each other in particular pieces which underscores their deep understanding & appreciation of each others work. The pieces are extremely moving & cover a whole gamut of emotions. Each composition has it's own particular feature which causes me to come back to this album again & again.
In some ways this album is greater than either of it's component parts & will be a lasting testament to the work of these two great composers.
