Thumri in Raga Piloo

Inspiration India – Duets for Sitar, Surbahar, Shehnai is a studio album released under the EMI Classics label on March 1996. The recording features collaborative performances by sitarist Ustad Vilayat Khan and shehnai player Ustad Shanta Prasad. The album presents a selection of North Indian classical compositions arranged for instrumental duet, showcasing the interplay between sitar, surbahar, and shehnai.

The fourth track, titled Thumri in Raga Piloo, spans 6 minutes and 50 seconds. The composition adheres to the thumri form, a semi-classical genre characterized by expressive melodic phrasing and rhythmic flexibility. Raga Piloo serves as the foundational melodic framework, known for its emotive quality and use in light-classical and devotional contexts. The track highlights the improvisational dialogue between Khan’s sitar and Prasad’s shehnai, with accompaniment details not explicitly documented in available sources.

The album was issued in CD format as part of EMI Classics’ efforts to compile traditional Indian classical music for international audiences. Production credits, session musicians, and recording locations remain unconfirmed in the provided context. The release aligns with Vilayat Khan’s late-career period, during which he frequently collaborated with instrumentalists from other gharanas and traditions. Shanta Prasad, a disciple of the Benaras gharana, contributed his shehnai expertise to the project, though further details about the recording sessions or additional contributors are not specified.

No commercial reception data, chart performance, or critical reviews are attached to this entry due to limited contextual information. The album serves as a documented example of cross-instrumental collaboration in Hindustani classical music during the 1990s.