Lata Sings Ghalib & Other Ghazals (Audio CD)

Ghalib, Lata and Pt. Hridaynath Mangeshkar make a rare eclectic combination for this album on Ghazals.

These nine hand-picked ghazals by the great 19the century master poet MIRZA GHALIB, bring out the essence and versatility of his incredible work. To begin with, Ghalib broke loose from the conventional form of the then prevailant Urdu poetry, to express with power and sensitivity the tenderest feelings through his ghazals. In a life that veered through luxury and poverty, fame and imprisonment, glory and injustice, Ghalib’s turbulent life was enriched enough to express through his poetry, every human emotion and sentiment. As future Urdu poets would remark - ‘there is nothing in life that Ghalib has left untouched through his immortal verses’.

Words and verses when drenched in music create a song that lingers in immortality. For this, the composer paints notes that enrich the feel of the lyric and enhance the word value. PANDIT HARIDAYNATH MANGESHKAR has stood out for precisely this very rare gift. His passion for poetry in several languages, his ability to select and nurture poets, has created a vast anthology of songs that remains fresh purely on the strength of his unique quality to weave the poetic thought into the tapestry of his distinctive music. In this selection, you will notice the flawless cadence of Ghalib’s lines glowing richly in Pt. Hridaynath’s melodies.

The confluence of words and music, so painstakingly balanced, needs on ideal interpreter to bring to a composition. The reason why Lata Mangeshkar stands out as the voice of the century is largely due to her magical quality of presenting every song that caresses the ears with musical perfection, and warms the heart with her subtle word pointing, Lata’s rendition remains the definitive interpretation of any composition, and in these ghazals recorded at her peak, bring you Ghalib with feeling.

In addition, this CD contains two more Ghalib ghazals tuned by Faiyyaz Shoukat, and a Wajid Ali Shah composition set to music by Pt. Hridaynath Mangeshkar. Also included are three rare ghazals composed by K.Mahavir penned by Shakeel Badayuni, Khalish Dehlvi and Abhilash, from one of the very few private albums that Lata Mangeshkar recorded in her unparalled career of six decades.