Postcards from the Road

SWITZERLAND
Silk Road Ensemble residency at Museum Rietberg, Zurich
August 28-September 2, 2007

Collaborating with the curators and education staff at the Museum Rietberg, the Silk Road Ensemble animated the Museum’s internationally renowned collection of Asian art with gallery performances, multimedia presentations, storytelling, school workshops and interactive tours from August 28 to September 2.

The annual Lange Nacht der Museen, in which museums in Zurich feature special programs during extended overnight hours, was one of the highlights of the residency and drew over 4,000 visitors to the Museum Rietberg.

Sixteen Ensemble artists traveled from Iran, Canada, India, England, Singapore, and the United States to participate in the residency at the Museum Rietberg. Four Silk Road Ensemble members—Ko Umezaki, Nick Cords, Mark Suter and Ben Haggarty—were on the planning team that worked with Museum Rietberg staff to prepare for the residency.

“I thought the Rietberg residency was one of the more successful ones we've had to date. Having the curators as co-presenters of gallery programs significantly enhanced the connections one can make between music and art. It allowed me to make new discoveries that I will carry forward with me in my own work and I think there were reciprocal responses among the curators.

The audience for all the programs and performances, regardless of the scale of the event, seemed enthusiastic. For some reason, there seemed to be a great sense of sharing an experience among all participants, musicians, curators, and visitors alike.

Performing ‘Prince Achmed’ for an informed audience was great. Performing ‘Blue and White’ at the place where the first ideas for the piece were conceived was personally meaningful. Being able to take part in the first year of the beautiful new museum spaces was special. And, the openness of the museum curators and staff, who allowed for things like actually ringing the 3000-year-old Nao bell, I think, made it feel like we were all working together on a different kind of week-long museum experience.

Many thanks to all for making it happen and trusting the several of us who were involved in the earlier stages of planning the residency. I hope it was a good experience for all.”

Kojiro Umezaki, Silk Road Ensemble member and member of the residency planning team

Participating Silk Road Ensemble Artists

Siamak Aghaei, santur
Jeffrey Beecher, contrabass
Nicholas Cords, viola
Sandeep Das, tabla
Jonathan Gandelsman, violin
Joseph Gramley, percussion
Ben Haggarty, storyteller
Colin Jacobsen, violin
Eric Jacobsen, cello
Siamak Jahangiry, ney
Bassam Saba, oud, nai
Shane Shanahan, percussion
Mark Suter, percussion
Kojiro Umezaki, shakuhachi
Yang Wei, pipa

	Museum Director Dr. Albert Lutz introduces an Ensemble performance in front of the 11th-century bronze statue of Vishnu Anantashayin, a centerpiece of the museum's special exhibition, "Angkor: Cambodia's Divine Legacy."  Dr. Lutz noted of the residency, “The Silk Road Ensemble once again warmed the hearts and opened the minds of everyone they encountered.” click the photo to enlarge
	Siamak Aghaei (right) and Siamak Jahangiry discuss Persian poetry and calligraphy following a performance of classical Persian music in the museum's Iranian galleries at the Park-Villa Rieter. click the photo to enlarge
	Alexandra von Przychowski, assistant curator for Chinese art, explains the relationship between a Buddhist stone sculpture and the music of the Silk Road. With the curator, Hu Jianbing and Yang Wei created a popular gallery program entitled "A Walking Tour of China." click the photo to enlarge
	School children enjoy hearing the pipa for the first time. At the end of the program, they begged Yang Wei, "More music, more music!" Yang Wei noted, "Performing at the Rietberg Museum proved to be one of the most wonderful experiences that I have had in recent time. While I thoroughly enjoyed the performances, what was truly exciting was the interaction that occurred between me and the audiences. It is engagement such as that that makes sharing one's music magical." click the photo to enlarge
	Mark Suter prepares to ring the Nao bell, a 3,000-year-old bell from the Museum’s collection that was sounded during a performance of a new piece composed in honor of the bell. click the photo to enlarge
	Inside the concert tent, the Ensemble rehearses the multimedia piece "Blue and White," a multimedia performance that traces the history and worldwide transmission of blue-and-white porcelain. click the photo to enlarge
	Bowls and music stand ready for the performance of "Blue and White.” click the photo to enlarge
	Storyteller Ben Haggarty and sheng player Hu Jianbing welcome large crowds attending the "Long Night" programs on September 1. click the photo to enlarge

All photos by Isabelle Hunter.