MUMBAI: Best known for its spiritual and devotional titles, music label Times Music will now launch a classical music album, �Raga Symphony' conceived by Pandit Jasraj and presented in a symphony by his son Sharangdev, by the year end.

�Raga Symphony' is an attempt to connect Indian classical music with its western counterpart and bring out the best of both genres, while highlighting the aspects that binds the two- universality and interconnectedness. Indian classical ragas are blended with western symphony in a manner which keeps intact the purity associated with the ragas, while giving it a western dimension.

Times Music COO Adarsh Gupta says, This album is going to change the complexion of classical music in India. For the first time, Pandit Jasraj is conducting a live orchestra with 80-100 musicians and it has been recorded live for the album....

Classical music is a restricted market and occupies a small pie in the music market, believes Gupta. Classical music is not perceived as a paid genre but it is wrong to stop promoting it just because you are a commercial organisation. It is strategically important for us because with this album we have gone back to our roots; classical music is the basis of all music that happens in India. Raga symphony is going to reintegrate the classical category and other labels would be interested in experimenting more in classical genre....

Apart from Pandit Jasraj, there are leading Indian musicians like Niladri Kumar who have contributed for the album. The label is looking to target the youth and classical music lovers abroad.