Gulzoda Khudoynazarova Trio

Schmelztiegel der Kulturen

The Uzbek city of Bukhara has always been a cultural melting pot. Hindus, Jews, Orthodox Russians, Persians and Mongolians have all lived in the multi-ethnic oasis city over the centuries. And they have all left their mark on the local music, the height of which is the classical song cycle shashmaqam. Gulzoda Khudoynazarova, famous for her nuanced and expressive voice, is one of the leading shashmaqam interpreters. This song cycle draws from both Islamic and Jewish sources, and is performed with deep and ornamental vocal lines, accompanied by the tanbur, a long-necked flute, and the ghaychak, a spike fiddle. The expressive passages are characterised by a dazzling and ecstatic quality. In 2003, shashmaqam as a genre was included on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The youthfully charismatic singer also performs Bukhara’s Mavregi folk music, which has its roots in Persia.