Chants Of India: Ravi Shankar; George Harrison

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com essential recording
Mantram is Ravi Shankar's effort to set Sanskrit chants from ancient Hindu scriptures to music, and the result is a captivating mix of chant and music. Produced by George Harrison, this collection of mantras and prayers from the Vedas, Upanishads, and other scriptures powerfully transports the listener to a place of peace where it's possible to be one with the universe. It's as if a heavy, enveloping cloak of serenity falls from the dark, floating sounds of cello opening the CD. Shankar employs flute, tamboura, harp, and other instruments to accent the mighty "Om" thread that weaves itself through the cloth of this album, bringing together deep, ominous voices with delicate, earthly instruments. One looking for extensive Shankar sitar might be disappointed, but the beauty of this artist's creativity and spiritual vision sweeps one away into a larger, more meaningful listening experience. Highly recommended. --Karen Karleski

Customer Reviews: Read 58 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Enchanting.. November 15, 2004
32 out of 33 found this review helpful

This collection of chants from ancient Indian scriptures is simply the best you can get of such a collection. It starts, as in traditional Indian music, with a chant for Lord Ganesh. The collection is quite varied from chantings of a specific God such as the goddess of Learning (Saraswathi); chantings from the Gita (the famous Karmanyeva adhikareste, which states that one should refrain from acting with expectations about results) and the vedas - there is the other famous Gayathri mantra. The chants are authentic in their rendering in terms of the utterences and adherence to tradition.

For the westerner, all the chants may make no sense at all. But the quality of the vocals tends to give one a feeling of sacredness and sanctity. Some of the chants are melodious; Ravi Shankar's sitar is quite evident in most of these; but it doesn't dominate as with his other renderings. The chants are the main body.

This CD is ideal if your roots are Indian, and you want your child to listen and learn from these. It is nice background music for a religious gathering or for a Yoga class. I use this for many of my Yoga classes. It is not infrequent, that some of my students request this particular CD be the background music for their Yoga class.

5 out of 5 stars

Pleasing to my ears and heart November 17, 2004
22 out of 24 found this review helpful

The point of this cd, to me, is that it is *chant.* It is primarily vocal music, rather repetitive but tuneful, and it is designed to be sung by ordinary people, not necessarily trained voices. It is not sitar or ragas. I am not Hindu or a specialist in music of any kind, but I find it pleasing to listen to--it is exotic without being overly weird, it is relaxing without being soporific, and I enjoy it while driving. I don't know that it will bring about enlightenment, but it lightens my day.

1 out of 5 stars

I am disappointed November 28, 1999
19 out of 26 found this review helpful

Being a Sanskrit scholar (Ph.D.in Sanskrit, Samaveda) and sitar player, disciple of Pt. Ravishankar since 1963, I am quite disappointed to listen to these compositions. No ancient heritage impact of Mantras was found in the above compositions. I am deeply hurt, beacause Guruji (Pt. Ravishankar) is a legendary composer, and I love many of his compositions since my childhood. But this album has not touched that level. I felt the prayer from his album 'Passages' with Phillip Glass, is far better than these verses. Chandrakant (Chandu)

5 out of 5 stars

Transfixing and Transcending August 13, 2001
17 out of 17 found this review helpful

This CD is unlike anything you might ever hear. It is not so much the music of Shankar or Harrison or anyone else - it is the music of the Gods, manifested through Shankar and the talent surrounding him. The vocal harmonies and the music swim with each other in a sonic sea of indescribable beauty. A friend played this at work and I simply had to close my eyes and swoon a bit at the lush wash of sound. I purchase about one CD a year, if that. When I heard this for the first time, I bought it the very next day. I certainly have never written a review; I came to Amazon just for this purpose, for the privilege of telling others about it. Nearly every review here is five stars. The two disappointed reviews are from listeners who had some definite expectations about sitar or classical Indian music. I am so sorry for them being so boxed in that they did not recognize the gift that came to them despite their expectations. This music will not be boxed in, it is universal, expansive and extraodinarily appealing. It is so spiritually pure that buying it is merely incidental to the benefit it provides to all life, everytime it is played anywhere.

5 out of 5 stars

a good introduction to India's sacred and divine music July 12, 1998
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

In Chants Ravi Shankar has attempted to put together a representative selection of chants, mantras and hymns from ancient Indian scriptures. The result is an album that is at once a journey into sublimity and a musical delight. For those of us who are already familiar with these renowned and time-tested chants and mantras, it is yet another cherished rendition. For those unfamiliar with them, the CD will still be a listening experience that is different and yet satisfying. ND

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