Art and Culture
Music
Portrait
52'
Ravi Shankar, The Extraordinary Lesson
Running Time: 52'
/ Format: HD
/ Available versions: FR | EN
This rare documentary revisits the life and the art of Ravi Shankar, the most famous Indian sitar virtuoso and first ambassador of Indian music. From 1956 he popularized Indian music in the Western world. The film shows Ravi transmitting his art to his daughter Anoushka. He gave his last European concert in Paris, at the Salle Pleyel and the only public lesson on his art he ever held, a moment of great emotion (scenes interspersed with explanations by a musicologist). This documentary which mixes scenes of musical performances, teaching and sound recording, is a sort of farewell by and to the artist.
Directed by Frédéric Le Clair
Authors: Frédéric Le Clair, Bernard Tournois, Saïd Assadi
Coproducers: ARTE France / Accords Croisés
© ARTE France – Camera lucida productions – ANOURAG Music Ltd – 2009
Selected at the WOMEX 2010 (World Music Film Screenings) (Copenhagen – Denmark)