Raga Bhairav

Raga Bhairav is a khayal performance by Hindustani classical vocalist Ustad Rashid Khan. The track appears as the opening piece on his 2000 studio album The Song of Shiva, released by Navras Records in CD format. The recording spans 42 minutes and 59 seconds, showcasing an extended alap-jor-jhala progression followed by a vilambit and drut composition in Teental, a 16-beat rhythmic cycle.

Khan renders the raga in the traditional Bhairav thaat, emphasizing the komal re (flattened second) and shuddha dha (natural sixth) as its defining swaras. The performance adheres to the early-morning raga’s contemplative character, with Khan employing meend (glissando) and gamak (ornamentation) to elaborate the melodic phrases. Accompaniment details remain undocumented in available sources, though the album credits typically feature tabla and tanpura support in Khan’s recordings of this period.

The Song of Shiva marks one of Khan’s early international releases under Navras Records, a UK-based label specializing in Indian classical music. The album’s title references the raga’s association with Lord Shiva in Hindu mythology, though the liner notes do not explicitly tie the performance to devotional themes. No alternate takes or live versions of this specific recording have been confirmed in public archives.

The 2000 CD release includes no additional metadata on recording location or session musicians. Later reissues or digital distributions of the album may vary in track sequencing or mastering, but the original pressing lists Raga Bhairav as Track 1 with the full 42:59 duration preserved.