Raag Madhuvanti; Alap

Deepak Shah is a Mumbai-based pianist who has spent over 25 years performing Hindustani classical ragas on the grand piano. His grandfather Shantilal Shah introduced him to Indian music; he has since performed at over 3,000 concerts across India and abroad, building a repertoire that places raga grammar at the centre of Western piano technique.

Raag Madhuvanti belongs to the Todi family and sits in the late afternoon. Its character comes from two intervals in tension: Komal Gandhar and Teevra Madhyam. The vadi is Pancham, and the raga's phrases move through wide meends that pull the melody between sweetness and longing.

This studio recording presents the Alap, the unmetered opening section where Shah introduces the raga without tabla or fixed rhythm. Each phrase extends across the keyboard, the piano's sustain holding notes that a vocalist or sarod player would carry with breath or bow. The absence of percussion keeps all attention on melodic line and interval.