Beyond Words: Feeling the Rhythm in Baku
When nagara player Natig Shirinov joined Ensemble percussionists Shane Shanahan and Mark Suter for their first-ever musical encounter in Baku, Azerbaijan, their onstage improvisation brought down the house. “I have played with many different world-famous percussionists, including jam sessions with Brazilian, Indian and other concert performers,” Shirinov said afterward, through an interpreter. “The highest level I have ever experienced was with Mark and Shane today. Few people feel rhythm spiritually like this. It’s like magic.” From May 16 through May 20, 2006, the Silk Road Ensemble was in residence in Baku, collaborating with vocalist Alim Qasimov, a Living National Treasure of Azerbaijan and long-time member of the Ensemble, and five other leading Azeri artists. The residency set out to share musical and cultural backgrounds with local musicians and the residents of Baku. Yo-Yo Ma, Qasimov, the Silk Road Ensemble and the five Azeri artists conducted workshops at three local conservatories and performed in concert at the newly renovated Philharmonia Hall. At the concert, which included the dramatic Mugam-Sayagy for String Quartet, the audience inundated Baku-born composer Franghiz Ali-Zadeh with applause and flowers. Later, a half-hour mugam performance by Qasimov and his daughter Fargana mesmerized the crowd. Silk Road Ensemble shakuhachi player Kojiro Umezaki and Azeri balaban player Rafael Asfarov met for the first time on May 17. The following morning, they performed together publicly at a workshop— an experience Asfarov described as “one hundred percent new and different.” ”This wasn‘t just music—it was something extraordinary,” he said through an interpreter. “I was amazed that Ko could understand what I was saying with the balaban.” The Baku residency was hosted by the American Embassy in Azerbaijan and was supported in part through a grant from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, United States Department of State. |
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