About Sitar Recital
Sitar Recital is a studio album by Indian classical sitarist Nikhil Banerjee, released in 1989. The recording features Banerjee performing four raga compositions in the Hindustani classical tradition. Saregama issued the album on compact disc as part of its classical music catalog.
Banerjee presents a solo sitar performance across all tracks. The album opens with Raga Megh, structured as an alap followed by a gat in jhaptal (10-beat cycle). The second track explores Raga Malkauns, rendered in both vilambit (slow) and drut (fast) gat sections set to teen tal (16-beat cycle). The third composition interprets Raga Sohini with a concise alap and a gat in teental (16-beat cycle). The album concludes with Raga Mishra Gara, performed as a gat in sitarkhani (a 16-beat rhythmic cycle associated with the sitar).
The release date aligns with the original 1989 publication by Saregama. No additional session musicians or accompanying artists are credited in available documentation. The album’s production details, including recording location and engineering personnel, remain undocumented in public sources. The track sequence and raga selections reflect Banerjee’s characteristic emphasis on melodic development and rhythmic precision within the gayaki ang (vocal-style) sitar tradition.
Critics and historians often cite this recording as representative of Banerjee’s mature period, though the album itself includes no liner notes or artist commentary. The 1989 CD release followed Banerjee’s established discography with Saregama, which included prior LP and cassette editions of his performances. The total runtime and exact recording dates are not specified in accessible archives.