CD - Road to Kashgar

KashgarCDCover_thmb

Road to Kashgar
OE2004 (Canada, 2004)

The ancient Silk Road was not one, but a series of trade routes, whose nexus was the desert oasis of Kashgar, in Xin Jiang, northwest China. A marketplace, rest stop and meeting place, Kashgar was an important gateway into China, through which passed the trade goods and rich cultural influences of India, Persia, Central Asia, and the Mediterranean. The Silk Road, as an ancient symbol of cultural exchange, has inspired Orchid Ensemble to explore the wealth of these traditional musics, and to create this collection of traditional works and new compositions expressing the rhythms, modes and character of these exotic lands.

JUNO Award nominee - World Album of the Year

Western Canadian Music Awards nominee - Outstanding Instrumental Music

CD: ROAD TO KASHGAR - SAMPLES

Maqam: Prelude and Dance

- Zhou Ji, Shao Guangchen and Li Mei, arr.: Mei Han

Maqam is a musical form found throughout the Middle East, Central Asia and the Xinjiang province of northwestern China. It is generally defined as a sequence of notes with rules that define its general melodic development, each maqam having a different character conveying a mood. In Xinjiang, maqams are sometimes considered “suites” defining a specific mood, or moods. Xinjiang maqams can include instrumental, vocal and dance music, often with complex rhythmic patterns and dramatic tempo changes.

The Winged Horses of Heaven

- Moshe Denburg, 2001

In 138 BC, the emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty sent his general Zhang Qian to contact a western tribe to solicit help to fight invaders from the north. After 13 years of arduous journeys, adventures and misadventures, Zhang Qian returned with news of a stronger and faster breed of horse to help in the wars. Thought to be of celestial origin, these now extinct horses were the compelling motivation behind the opening of a permanent route to the west of China and beyond. This work was commissioned by the Orchid Ensemble through the Commissioning of Canadian Compositions program of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Yaribon

- arr.: R. Raine-Reusch, M. Denburg,
& Orchid Ensemble

In the 10th Century, a number of Persian Jews traveled through the Silk Road to settle in Kaifeng, central China. The community they founded still survives today observing Jewish holidays and customs. This arrangement of an Ashkenazi sacred song is a contemporary tribute to the fusing of these cultures.

Bengalila

- Prashant J. Michael, R. Raine-Reusch
& Orchid Ensemble

Orchid’s arrangement of this Bengali folk song is a blend of Indian and Persian elements within a contemporary framework, and embodies the cultural blend symbolized by the Silk Road. Iranian singer Amir Haghighi’s voice adds the magical touch to this piece.

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