CANCELLED: Uzbekistan & Turkmenistan

The Central Asian Turkic states of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are among the most fabulous settings on the Silk Road. Samarkand, Bukhara, Ashgabat – the sound of these city names alone inspired the imaginations of poets such as Goethe and Grillparzer. The classical Uzbek song cycle Shashmaqam, as performed by Gulzoda Khudoynazarova, reflects the musical richness of this region.

It boasts Islamic and Jewish origins, and is performed with ornamental, throaty vocal lines, accompanied by long-necked lutes and the bowed instrument kamancheh. Furthermore, the singer – with youthful charisma – interprets the Mavregi folk music of Bukhara, which has its roots in Persia.

The Turkmen musician Palvan Hamidov follows in the tradition of the Bakshi bards. His song recital in the second part of the concert recounts the epics of his people and includes the work of Magtymguly Pyragy, the eighteenth-century Sufi poet and spiritual leader of the Turkmens, set to music. He is accompanied by the spirited sound of the ghaychak fiddle and the galloping dutar lute.