Silk Road Journeys - Beyond the Horizon (Remastered)

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 Japans NHK television network, the CDs 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 albums exotic and meditative qualities may attract fans of both international and new age music, though there is perhaps little crossover appeal for Mas classical devotees. Due to the groups 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. Sonys sound quality is satisfactory, though a little soft in places.

Yo-Yo Ma doesn't mess around. In addition to being one of the most recognized classical musicians of the contemporary age, he is fiercely dedicated to expanding the vocabulary of dominant musical forms. A large part of his project, as heard on SILK ROAD JOURNEYS: BEYOND THE HORIZON, is to fuse the meticulous arrangements and intellectual rigor of Western classical music with the traditional music of other cultures. BEYOND THE HORIZON was recorded as a soundtrack to a television series about the Silk Road (an ancient trade route that extended from East Asia, through the Middle East, and into Europe) and encompasses the sounds of the cultures that route bridged. The music here is drawn from original compositions by Asian composers, and the instrumentation includes dudak, sheng, tablas, kamancheh, and other Asian instruments (the CD's booklet includes detailed explanations of each) alongside Western instruments like the harp, violin, and cello. The combination, executed here with stunning taste and balance by Ma and company, results in evocative music that is sometimes lyrical and haunting, sometimes rhythmic and based in folk forms. This exciting hybrid experiment crosses boundaries of culture, music, time, and tradition to achieve something quite beautiful.