It
is almost impossible to condense anyone's life into three hours,
let alone that of an iconic artist, so three cheers to BBC Opus
Arte for Ravi Shankar in Portrait, a two-DVD set that explores the
life and work of the man George Harrison described as "the
godfather of world music".
"Between Two Worlds" is a substantial 10-part documentary,
telling the sitar player's life story up to his 80th birthday celebrations
in 2000. The film is littered with archive footage, including the
young Shankar performing with his brother's dance troupe, an emotional
reunion with his teacher and guru Baba Allauddin Khan, and his celebrated
collaborations with musicians such as John Coltrane, Yehudi Menuhin
and The Beatles.
The second part features Shankar performing with a group of Indian
musicians, including his daughter Anoushka, herself a celebrated
sitar player, at the Union Chapel in London during summer 2002.
The electric atmosphere is well captured here, as is the intimacy
of the performance. A 19-minute introduction to Indian music and
the sitar, delivered by Shankar himself, rounds off the set.
Disc 1: Ravi Shankar: Live in Concert
Disc 2: Ravi Shankar: Between Two Worlds |