About Inde du Nord
Inde du Nord is a studio album of North Indian classical music performed by vocal artist Pandit Balaram Pathak. The recording features traditional khayal renditions in the dhrupad-ang style, emphasizing elaborate ālāpa and rhythmic development. The album was released in November 1987 under the French label Ocora in compact disc format.
Pandit Balaram Pathak presents three raga compositions across the album’s three tracks. The opening track explores Rāga bilāskhāni todī with an extended ālāpa and joḍ section, followed by a composition set to rudra tāla. The second track interprets Rāga kinarī bhairavī, structured with ālāpa, joḍ, and jhālā, concluding in a druta tīntāla gat. The final track renders Rāga mistra pilū through ālāpa and a sitārkhānī gat in ādhā tāla.
The album captures Pathak’s adherence to the Dagarbani tradition, characterized by deep tonal exploration and measured rhythmic phrasing. Ocora’s production preserves the acoustic clarity of the performance, though specific recording locations or accompanying artists remain undocumented in available sources. The release date aligns with Ocora’s series of world music recordings from the late 1980s, which aimed to introduce regional classical traditions to international audiences.
No commercial reissues or alternate editions of Inde du Nord are verified as of the latest accessible records. The album’s tracklist and performance style reflect the dhrupad repertoire’s emphasis on meditative expansion and structural rigor, with Pathak’s vocal technique serving as the central focus.