“…an exquisite world of sound…” – Jewish Independent, November 19, 2004
In Road to Kashgar, the Canada-based Orchid Ensemble introduces an exquisite world of sound. Kashgar, in western China, was the nexus of the series of trades routes known as the Silk Road, and was therefore rich with the influences of India, Persia, Central Asia and the Meditterranean. Lan Tung, Mei Han and Jonathan Bernard, the skilled young musicians that form the Orchid Ensemble, explore and connect aspects of these different areas with great artistry. They perform compositions by renowned local musician and ethnomusicologist Moshe Denburg, as well as arrangements of their own, on a wide range of instruments, many of which imitate, with painstaking emotion, the human voice. Tung, the leader of the group, sings and plays an erhu (a Chinese string instrument) and percussion, and the album features four talented guest vocalists, including Persian vocalist Amir Haghighi.
What can one expect from such a unique fusion? Besides, this writer suggests it”s best to sit back and expect the unexpected. Road to Kashgar is a well-produced album that takes the listener on an exciting journey.