Traditions and Transformations: Sounds of Silk Road Chicago (2008)

performed by John Sharp (cello), Joseph Guastafeste (bass), Silkroad Ensemble, Wu Man (pipa), Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Chicago Symphony Orchestra
composed by Byambasuren Sharav, Ernest Bloch, Lou Harrison, Sergey Prokofiev

Yo-Yo Ma's experiment in musical multiculturalism known as the Silk Road Ensemble rolls on, here in collaboration with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. This disc, in its way, represents a blueprint for the future of big-name, big-money classical music; self-released by the orchestra, it is an eclectic piece of work with appeal to classical music's growing Asian constituencies, and it combines traditional repertoire with new things and a look at a past master with a globe-spanning orientation. The latter item is the best news ... Read More

Yo-Yo Ma's experiment in musical multiculturalism known as the Silk Road Ensemble rolls on, here in collaboration with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. This disc, in its way, represents a blueprint for the future of big-name, big-money classical music; self-released by the orchestra, it is an eclectic piece of work with appeal to classical music's growing Asian constituencies, and it combines traditional repertoire with new things and a look at a past master with a globe-spanning orientation. The latter item is the best news here. Lou Harrison's Pipa Concerto, composed in 1997, was the final major work of the great experimenter in fusion of Asian and Western traditions. It was written for Chinese pipa player Wu Man, herself an adherent of cross-cultural ideals who has worked with the Kronos Quartet and other Western ensembles. The pipa is a Chinese instrument, a pear-shaped lute, that itself was adopted by other Asian cultures, and Harrison by no means restricts himself to Chinese idioms. In seven short... Read Less