Smithsonian Folkways is releasing a beautiful series with music from Central Asia. In doing so, the label wants to prevent these age-old traditions from being forgotten. In previous parts individual artists were highlighted, but for this CD / DVD a special collaboration was set up: the American Kronos Quartet collaborated with artists from Afghanistan and Azerbaijan. The result can best be described
… as modern Asian classical music. The album starts with a brand new composition by Homayun Sakhi. He plays the rubab, a three-stringed lute from Afghanistan that somewhat resembles the Persian sarod. The beginning sounds meditative, but when the strings of the Kronos Quartet join in, it quickly becomes more exciting. The same quartet is also present on the following five songs, all written by Alim Qasimov from Azerbaijan. The result is a daring album that shows that the folk music of Central Asia is still at the heart of life. (PdK)more
