During this time of worldwide violence, hatred, divisiveness, and fear, how refreshing to spend an hour and a half with a group of world musicians who thrive on their cultural differences and speak a universal language to bring beauty and redemption to anyone who is willing to listen!
In the Music of Strangers, cellist Yo-Yo Ma—a national treasure in my opinion—reflects on his relationship to music, the cello, and “how I fit in the world, . . . something I share with seven billion other people.” The documentary, directed by Morgan Neville, explores the dynamics of The Silk Road Ensemble, which Ma began contemplating as early as 1998, and assembled in 2000, intent on discovering what would happen when a group of musicians, strangers to each other and to each other’s cultural heritage, got together to make music.
What happened was joy, passion, beauty, love, and meaning. Among others, the major musicians in the ensemble are:
- Kinan Azmeh, from Syria on clarinet and composer
- Kayhan Kalhor, from Iran on kamancheh (like an Iranian cello)
- Christina Pato, from Galicia, Spain on bagpipe and piano
- Wu Man, from China, on pipa
- Wu Tong, from China on sheng and bawa
- Johnny Gandelsman, from Russia on violin
The film follows these musicians back to their home countries, where that is possible, and traces their heritages and musical backgrounds. Their stories are filled with pain, loss, and a unifying drive to find meaning in life through their art.
Music and art transcend politics and revolution. Mixing traditions and cultures in the language of music brings hope. I left the theater feeling uplifted and thankful.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this film Linda; I absolutely loved every minute. My review concludes: The film could have simply glorified Yo-Yo but it aims for higher ground. It’s about the role of music in self-discovery and its power to create meaning, incite emotion, and bridge cultural divides. It is a film that will leave you elated.
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Music and art does transcend politics and revolution, doesn’t it. I love this little video clip, thanks for sharing. I need to this documentary!
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I’m sure you’ll enjoy it, Otto. It just came out in the States in June. I don’t know if it’s available online yet or not.
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The short clip made me cry, and I wasn’t expecting that kind of reaction! It is surely a very moving and uplifting documentary. thanks for giving us a sneak peek!
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I hope you get a chance to see the whole thing, Lisa. It is very moving, but uplifting, which is rare these days.
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I’m not sure when that would be possible (to see the doc) but I look forward to that time! Paradise does has its challenges, and many times it’s when I rely on others to share what they’ve seen/heard — but that’s nice too, because Life’s about sharing!
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A most beautiful and welcome break. Yo Yo Ma is such a class act and a truly lovely person. A wonderful and very timely post.
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Thanks, Susan. Yes, Yo-Yo is, among other things, humble and inquisitive.
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I AGREE, WE DO NEED HOPE. TAKING A BREAK FROM THE CONSTANT TALK of politics and terror attacks ON THE NEWS AND ENJOYING MUSIC, ESPECIALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THE EDMONTON FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL. I still know what is going on, but getting away from being baraged.Great post!
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Yes Jane, I was blessedly offline during the whole week of the RNC! I’m so glad. It just gets to be too much! Thanks for your kind words.
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Yup. Hope is what we need. Sadly the “democratic” system in the U.S. appears to be broken.
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I sometimes get very angry and disappointed about how things are going in the US, but then I look across the pond and realize there’s a heck of a lot of extremism and craziness all over the world. You guys have been lucky with the election of your new PM. I wish him success. Canada may be the last remaining bright light…
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Yo Yo Ma seems to be such a soulful person. And we like soulful people.
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True that. And he’s also a very humble person.
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It was lovely. I enjoyed learning more about some of the musicians, but I wish there had been time for the stories of some of the other musicians in the ensemble.
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That would have been good, but I’m afraid it would be hard to fit it all in. Of course it only ran 1.5 hours. Would you have cut anything in order to make room for other back stories?
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Yes, music is very joining. Great project. Have a happy day! 😀
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Thank you. You too. It is very hot here this week. :-0
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