My vision is to bring in quality and traditional classical music to the forefront. I also aim to enhance the quality of music, people are currently listening to.

When the heart of the lover pines for his beloved, there erupts from deep within him a fountain that has within its glorious confines a whirlpool of feelings and emotions.
Irshad Khan, interprets these sea of emotions musically with his tour de force “Desires- Talking Hearts” where he unleashes his prodigious musical talent by singing, composing, writing and playing the sitar simultaneously.
The album is path-breaking as it also heralds the arrival of an innovative genre of music “New Age Classic Pop”. Irshad’s idea here is that the Sitar, in the compositions symbolizes the feminine in the love story while the Vocals embody the male form. The charm and grace of the lover and the stirring tenderness that is a part of love-stories is brought to light by Irshad Khan and his music album that has to be experienced to be believed, for sometimes hearing is believing.

The first two raagas begin in a serene mood then gradually elaborate into a highly energized musical expression culminating in an electrifying climax. Spontaneity in these musical performances recreates the effect of a live concert.

Historically among the finest performances recorded

Keeping in tact the legendary traditions of his forefathers, Irshad Khan is carrying forward his innovative style in maintaining the sheer authenticities of the raagas with their moods, emotions, and rasas. He has taken the style of sitar which is "gayaki" (vocal style) interwoven with "tantra" (instrumental style) to one of its most advanced heights. In this recording the masestro's ingenious and vibrant sitar performance exhibits vigor and Fire in raaga Malkauns, spontaneity represents Grace in raaga Nand (both compositions in this raaga are composed by Irshad Khan), and the mood of sensuality represents Passion in raaga Sindhi Bhairvee. Anindo Chatterjee's mastery of tabla accompaniment enhances this musical experience. Overall, this recording transports the listeners to a journey into the sublime.

In this ground breaking album, Irshad Khan, creates a new style in the world of sitar music by blending his musical genius with sounds from the global village more...

Basant Bahar (spring spectacle) is sure to colour the aesthetic being of any music lover. Both the music and the lyrics are the emblems of the maestros superb creativity and composing ability.

Through this cd the maestro wishes to reach different levels of listeners. That is why he presented a light piece Gul-E-Bahar in Pahadi as his first composition. He continued his proceedings of musical journey with raag Shudh Bahr which is considered a heavy variety of melody in classical music. It may be treated as shift from the format of traditional presentation but he did it willfully. His goal is to create a feeling in mind of the listeners to appreciate the classical Bahar through the exposure of the light melody of pahadi. This Cd is capable of catering a soothing effect and an aesthetic pleasure to the aural faculty of any level of music lovers. It can be said optimistically that Basant Bahar would be able to colour the aesthetic being of any music lover.

"The Naxos label has been a boon to various corners of the music universe, from their stellar budget line of classical recordings to the more recently launched jazz division. They're also throwing their hand into the world market, with integrity intact. One title from a recent batch of releases comes from sitarist Irshad Khan, "The Magic Of Twilight." Part of a longstanding and highly respected musical lineage, and the son of Ustad Imrat Khan, Irshad lives in both Bombay and Toronto, where he teaches. On this recording, done in a small town outside Toronto, he displays his measured skills and musical grace on the 43-minute "Twilight Raga," and the 22-minute "Evening Raga," which showcases his impressive abilities and, more importantly transports the listener to an alternately still and exhilarating place."

- Jazz Times (Oct 2000) more...