The Music of Strangers (2015)

running time 1hr. 36 min.

documentary, music

“cellist Yo-Yo ma and other international artists of the Silk Road Project discuss their philosophies

on music and culture .”

directed by Morgan Neville (Twenty Feet From Stardom)

The teaser on the poster reads “the only way to change the world is to make a little noise” – which is an apt summary of the film’s philosophy.  First , a few words about Yo-Yo Ma:

On his name: There is a Chinese tradition that all siblings from one generation share one Chinese character or syllable in their names.  For his generation there was “Yo” which means “friendly” in Chinese.  His sister’s name was Ma Yo Chang.  Hopefully his parents did not know that “yo-yo” was the name of a toy in English (Ma was born in Paris) and that they had run out of ideas so they just said okay, “Yo-Yo”.

Second point; on his recorded work and performances :  Yo-Yo Ma is a more eclectic musician than any other in my limited experience.  The only other Classical musician with a similar bent is the Australian guitarist John Williams in terms of classical repertoire, ethnic and folk music, collaborations , and film scores but maestro Ma ‘s body of work is more extensive.  I invite you to take a look at the 2009 collection “Yo-Yo Ma : 30 years Outside the Box” – it is impressive and awe-inspiring.

The Silk Road ensemble is not a fixed group of musicians ; it is a loose collective of as many as 59 musicians, composers, visual artists, and storytellers from Eurasian cultures. The group arose from a project founded by Yo-Yo ma in 1998.  “His idea was to bring together musicians from diverse cultures to share ideas, collaborate in performance and ultimately broaden the experience of audiences.” (thanks to Allmusic.com)

The ensemble uses various instruments from the Silk Road regions of Asia and Europe.  These include:

a Pipa, a Chinese short-necked lute;

a Dudek, an Armenian double reed woodwind instrument;

a Shakuhachi, a Japanese bamboo flute;

and a Morin khorir, a Mongolian horse-head fiddle, among others.

Besides their public performances the ensemble has been featured in six recordings between 2002 and 2016.  Of these only one does include maestro Ma; their 2009 CD “Off the Map” which was nominated in the Best Classical Crossover Album category at the 2011 Grammy Awards.  Their 2016 Cd “Sing Me Home” was recorded during the filming of “Music of Strangers”.  The Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo- Ma was featured in “Live From Tanglewood” on PBS in May 2014.

For the present film I personally am looking forward to an enjoyable evening.  Cheers.