Silk Road Journeys: Beyond the Horizon

Yo-Yo Ma / Silkroad Ensemble

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Silk Road Journeys: Beyond the Horizon Review

by Blair Sanderson

Continuing their explorations on Silk Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet, Yo-Yo Ma and the Silkroad Ensemble go even deeper into cross-cultural studies on this 2005 soundtrack album. Produced for a 10-part series on Japan's NHK television network, the CD's 15 tracks are arranged in three suites, entitled Enchantment, Origins, and New Beginnings, more reflective of inherent musical affinities than of the way the music was used in the program. The musicians tap into the variously overlapping musical styles of lands stretching from China and India to Iran and Turkey, and the arrangements by Zhao Jiping and Zhao Lin include a mix of instruments from around the world, to add greater color and sonic dimensions. The album's exotic and meditative qualities may attract fans of both international and new age music, though there is perhaps little crossover appeal for Ma's classical devotees. Due to the group's cohesion and spirit of cooperation, solos are fairly evenly distributed, and Ma stands out no more or less than the other players. Indeed, kamancheh virtuoso Kayhan Kalhor and vocalist Alim Qasimov have greater prominence, and it may even be said that tabla master Sandeep Das steals the show. Sony's sound quality is satisfactory, though a little soft in places.

Track Listing

Title/Composer Performer Time Stream
1
Mohini (Enchantment)
Sandeep Das / Sandeep Das / Indrajit Dey
Silkroad Ensemble / Yo-Yo Ma 01:47 SpotifyAmazon
2
Oasis, improvisation
Silkroad Ensemble
Silkroad Ensemble / Yo-Yo Ma 02:59 SpotifyAmazon
3
Distant Green Valley
Zhao Jiping / Zhao Jiping / Zhao Lin / Zhao Lin
Silkroad Ensemble / Yo-Yo Ma 07:05 SpotifyAmazon
4
Akhalqalaqi Dance
Armenian Traditional / Traditional
Silkroad Ensemble / Yo-Yo Ma 01:22 SpotifyAmazon
5
Echoes of a Lost City, for cello & xun
Zhao Jiping
Silkroad Ensemble / Yo-Yo Ma 01:18 SpotifyAmazon
6
Mountains are Far Away
Kayhan Kalhor
Silkroad Ensemble / Yo-Yo Ma 06:08 SpotifyAmazon
7
Yanzi (Swallow Song) (Kazakh)
Chinese Traditional / Traditional
Silkroad Ensemble / Yo-Yo Ma 03:24 SpotifyAmazon
8
Battle Remembered
Zhao Lin
Silkroad Ensemble / Yo-Yo Ma 03:59 SpotifyAmazon
9
Summer in the High Grassland
Zhao Jiping
Silkroad Ensemble / Yo-Yo Ma 04:36 SpotifyAmazon
10
Kor Arab
Fikret Amirov
Silkroad Ensemble / Yo-Yo Ma 04:08 SpotifyAmazon
11
Shikasta (Minstrel's Song)
Uzeir Hajibeyov
Silkroad Ensemble / Yo-Yo Ma 01:48 SpotifyAmazon
12
Night at the Caravanserai
Traditional / Turkish Traditional
Silkroad Ensemble / Yo-Yo Ma 07:56 SpotifyAmazon
13
Gallop of a Thousand Horses
Kayhan Kalhor
Silkroad Ensemble / Yo-Yo Ma 05:06 SpotifyAmazon
14
Tarang (Currents)
Sandeep Das
Silkroad Ensemble / Yo-Yo Ma 06:56 SpotifyAmazon
15
Sacred Cloud Music, for pipa & string quartet
Zhao Jiping
Silkroad Ensemble / Yo-Yo Ma 05:29 SpotifyAmazon
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Silk Road Journeys: Beyond the Horizon

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