Raga Marwa

Klassische Ragas Aus Indien is a 1969 studio album released on the German label Heliodor. The record features performances of North Indian classical music and appeared as a 12\" vinyl LP. The album includes a rendition of Raga Marwa, presented as track B1 on the B-side of the original pressing.

The recording showcases a collaboration between sitarist Kartick Kumar, tabla player S.V. Patwardhan and tambura artist Rajaram. The trio performs in the dhrupad-ang style associated with the Imdadkhani gharana, though specific session details remain undocumented. The liner notes and production credits for the release are not widely archived, and the extent of post-production involvement by Heliodor is unclear.

Raga Marwa belongs to the Marwa thaat and is traditionally performed during the late evening. The composition on this album adheres to the alap-jor-jhala structure, followed by a vilambit and drut gat. The recording captures the instrumental interplay between Kumar’s sitar, Patwardhan’s rhythmic accompaniment on the tabla and Rajaram’s sustained tambura drone. No vocal elements or additional instrumentation are present in this track.

The album cover design reflects mid-20th-century European world music packaging trends, with minimalist typography and an abstract illustration evocative of Indian motifs. Distribution primarily targeted the West German market, aligning with the era’s growing interest in non-Western classical traditions. Later reissues or digital remasters of Klassische Ragas Aus Indien have not been verified in public catalogs.