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Product Details
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Track Listings
| 1. Mongolian Traditional longsong |
| 2. Legend of Herlen (Byambasuren Sharav) |
| 3. "Blue Little Flower" (Chinese Traditional) |
| 4. "Mido Mountain" (Chinese Traditional) |
| 5. Moon over Guan Mountain (Zhao Jiping) |
| 6. "Miero vuotti uutta kuuta" from Five Finnish Folk Songs (Michio Mamiya) |
| 7. "Joiku" from Five Finnish Folk Songs (Michio Mamiya) |
| 8. Avaz-e Dashti (Persian Traditional) |
| 9. Habil-Sayagy (In Habil's Style) for cello and prepared piano (Franghiz Ali-Zadeh) |
| 10. Blue as the Turquoise Night of Neyshabur (Kayhan Kalhor) |
| 11. Chi passa per'sta strada (Filippo Azzaiolo) |
| 12. Desert Capriccio (Music from the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon/Tan Dun) (Bonus Track) |
Product Description
From Amazon.com
This recording includes music from Mongolia, China, Persia, Japan, Iran, Azerbaijan, and an improvisation on an Italian Renaissance street song, performed by musicians from all those countries, as well as America, on both Eastern and Western instruments. Ma, who participates in every piece either as soloist or part of the ensemble, plays cello and a Mongolian "horse-head fiddle." There is also a Mongolian soprano, who sings a traditional song native to her region. For the uninitiated Western listener, the music requires some getting used to. Much of it is based on rhythmic ostinatos. The melodies use Oriental scales; the intonation is untempered; the music seems all color, texture, and atmosphere, without what might be called themes; and repetition takes the place of development. Contrast is achieved through sudden change, buildup by adding instruments. However, the music is often beautiful, delicate, dreamy, or peaceful; every listener will find his or her own favorite pieces. The playing is splendid, with much inventive improvisation. Inevitably, Ma's tone and personality stand out, but he never dominates in fact or spirit. The booklet offers essays by Ma and the project's musicologist, Theodore Levin, photographs of the players, and drawings of the Eastern instruments. --Edith Eisler
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Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
What Fusion Is For,
By
Ce commentaire est de: Silk Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet (Audio CD)
Most "fusion" recordings remind me of a pretentious little restaurant in Salt Lake City that jumbles together French haute cuisine and Chinese condiments. Name of "Haut Chinoise" or some such--three perfectly poached spears of asparagus, garnished with ginger. Right. The digestif is a chocolate-dipped fortune cookie.But occasionally something comes along like Yehudi Menuhin's collaborations with Ravi Shankar or this, cellist Yo-Yo Ma's ambitious blend of classical instruments with the music of central and eastern Asia; and the potential for evolving new art from spliced traditions is realized. This is not classical slumming, nor is it Middle Eastern folk music jazzed up. It hasn't the odd discontinuity one hears when the trained voice of an opera star sings gospel music or folk songs "correctly." The compositions and arrangements present a unified suite of sound, moving as comfortably as a caravan from Renaissance Italy (with a side trip to Finland!) to Persia, Mongolia, and into China. The sound is exotic, from the initial shock of the piercing Mongolian street singer's shrill tremulo to the belly dance rhythms of the later pieces. The quality of the sound is impeccable, as one would expect of an artist as meticulous at Yo-yo Ma. I heard this on the radio, and ordered it immediately. How glad I am, that CDs don't wear out.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
A fine project that gradually becomes background music,
By
Ce commentaire est de: Silk Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet (Audio CD)
It seems almost perverse to not register a rave review for Yo-Yo Ma's important experiment WHEN STRANGERS MEET. The idea is refreshing, the premise promising. This CD makes for interesting listening on the first few rounds, but subsequent hearings find the music recorded here as interesting background sounds for an evening of contemplation. Is that bad? No, but the National Geographic stance of this recording ends up taking front row, while the "music" is only of passing interest. The vocal pieces are entrancing, the drum works exciting, the solo cello pieces give the impression that Ma has tuned his instrument "scordatura" to approximate pitch for maximum authenticity. In the end this recording is more a "New Age" experience than a classical music venture. Still, we must be grateful that the ever-inventive Ma helps expand our commitment to the universality of music.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing,
By Amy Doolittle (Flint, MI) - See all my reviews
Ce commentaire est de: Silk Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet (Audio CD)
This is an amazing piece of work. I had the opportunity to see Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensamble in concert and sat in the front row, orchastra center where I could see the preformers and their instruments. The music is marvelous - a true east meets west experience. For anyone wishing to experiment with the tastes of other cultures - give this cd a try.
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