Taras - The Longing

The sarangi is an interesting instrument—visually it’s kind of squat and ugly, but it produces a unique and lovely sound, somewhere between a violin and an erhu. If you want an introduction to the instrument, you could hardly do better than this recording of Raga Puriya Kalyan played by sarangi master Ustad Sultan Khan, accompanied by the great Zakir Hussain on tabla. The raga is performed in an highly extended arrangement, the initial alap section being followed by two gats in the same raga, each almost half an hour in length. The interaction of these two internationally-renowned virtuosos must be heard to be believed, particularly on the thrilling Drut Gat in Teental.