Dusk - Rāg Bhairavī / Maqām Kurd

Dusk – Rāg Bhairavī / Maqām Kurd is a collaborative instrumental composition by Indian mohan veena virtuoso Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and Palestinian-American oud and violin maestro Simon Shaheen. The track appears as the fifth piece on the album Saltanah, released on December 7, 2006, under the label Water Lily Acoustics in CD format.

The composition spans 15 minutes and 24 seconds, blending elements of Hindustani classical music and Arabic maqām traditions. Bhatt performs on the mohan veena, a modified slide guitar adapted for Indian classical music, while Shaheen contributes on the oud and violin. The track explores the intersection of Rāg Bhairavī, a morning raga in the Hindustani system known for its meditative and devotional character, with Maqām Kurd, a modal framework in Arabic music often associated with melancholic or introspective expressions.

Saltanah serves as a cross-cultural dialogue between Bhatt and Shaheen, featuring improvisational exchanges rooted in their respective musical lineages. The album title, derived from the Arabic and Urdu term for \"sultanate\" or \"empire,\" reflects the fusion of artistic sovereignty from both traditions. Water Lily Acoustics, a label specializing in world and classical acoustic recordings, produced the release with an emphasis on high-fidelity sound capture.

No additional details are available regarding the recording location, session musicians, or specific compositional process for this track. The album does not include lyrical content, focusing instead on instrumental interplay. Saltanah remains a documented example of transcontinental collaboration in the early 21st century, bridging North Indian and Middle Eastern classical forms.