The historic Tilla Kari religious academy, Registan Square, Samarqand
Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia
This new DVD presents the arts of the Islamic world in the regions of ancient Persia, where Islam flourished after the 7th century with an artistic renaissance that reflected the beauty of Persian culture.
Featuring rare recordings of 6th-century Persian classical music, Sufi music from an order founded by the poet Rumi in the 13th century, historic photographs of Islamic architecture, and Persian and Sufi poetry.Includes a 20-page booklet of music and photo identification.
(For complete ordering information, see bottom of page)
Includes a new CD-Rom with Persian and Islamic history, aesthetics, and photos
Reviews:
"A stunning journey through music, art, and poetry from Istanbul to Samarqand." Wes Blomster, Ph.D., music critic, The Boulder Daily Camera
"The Silk Road: Music, Art, and Poetry from Istanbul to Samarqand" effectively uses the sublime power of Sufi music drawn from rare recordings to evoke the rich spiritual legacy of the western Silk Road lands." Theodore Levin, Ph.D., Professor of Music, Dartmouth College
"Judith Frey's DVD on the Silk Road brings to life a marvelous artistic combination of visual representations of architectural treasures with rare and wondrous musical selections from a private collection." Brenda Romero, Ph.D., Chair of Musicology, University of Colorado-Boulder
"From the melodious tones of the camel bells and the haunting sounds of the ney to the geometric perfection of Islamic mosaics, Judith Frey's Silk Road DVD elegantly conveys the sights and sounds of the ancient caravan routes through western Asia. Combining stunning visual images with subtle poems and rhythmic music, Frey explores the history, literature, religions, and artistic traditions of lands associated with the Persian Empire." Elizabeth Owen, Ph.D., associate professor, Asian Art History, University of Denver
“The DVD is a masterpiece, and will help the western mind understand Islamic culture,” Eugene J. Kinder, M.D., psychoanalyst, Boulder
The DVD features historic music recorded up to 40 years ago:
Taksim (solo improvisation; conclusion), performed on the ney, from the Mevlevi order of Dervishes founded by Jallaludin Rumi in the 13th century in Konya, Turkey (recorded in the early 1970s)
Improvised solo for the ney, a reed flute whose tone is the symbol of the ecstatic, used by the Dervishes to convey mystical experience
Såki icelim cåmini dem-saz ederek gel(“Saki, come let us drink the wine of friendship”), Persian poetry sung by the Choirs of the Musique Classique Turque, as was performed by Dervishes for the court of the Ottoman Empire in the 18th century (recorded in the early 1970s)
Persian poetry with a secular theme traditionally performed at the Court of Topkapi in Istanbul
Taksim (solo meditation), from the Mevlevi order of Dervishes founded by the poet Rumi in the 13th century (recorded in the early 1970s)
Sufi call to prayer performed on the ney
Taksim (solo) improvisation on the ney in the mode of nostalgia (Hűseynî) with bendir (drum), by Sufi musicians(recorded in the mid-1970s)
A Sufi melody with rhythmic drumbeat performed in the mode of nostalgia, bringing the past and present together in a timeless reverie
Homayun (improvisation, the scale of kings), written down in the 6th century,performed on the Persian santur (recorded in the late 1960s)
Persian classical music for santur (dulcimer) unfolds as the expression of a moment in time, or a state of being
Improvisation, Sufi "The cry from the depths of the soul," performed on the ney with accompaniment (drone), from Samarqand, 1999
A solo for the ney from Samarqand improvises on a Sufi theme, evoking the mystical feeling of this ancient land
Produced and directed by Judith Frey copyright 2006
Judith Frey traveled to Samarqand and Bukhara in 1999 and began work on The Silk Road: Music, Art, and Poetry from Istanbul to Samarqand in 2001, completing the DVD in 2006.She has also produced two multi-media presentations, Rhythms of Africa: Traditional Music and Art South of the Sahara, and The Quest for the Sacred in Traditional Cultures, covering more than a dozen musical and artistic traditions from around the world.Judith Frey has been a guest lecturer at the Denver Art Museum (1997, 2007), the Denver Museum of Nature and Science (1996), the University of Denver (art history, 2007), the University of Colorado at Boulder (art history, 2003; musicology, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2007), Henderson Museum at the University of Colorado (2000); the University of Colorado Center for Asian Studies (seminar for teachers, 2008); Arapahoe Community College Distinguished Lecture Series, Denver (2003), LaRoche College in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1998); Yale University, Center for Middle East Studies (From Sand to Sea: Cultural Exchange Through Trade on the Silk Road, 2008).
Running time: 33 minutes; with 20-page booklet that includes music and photo identification. Includes a new CD-Rom with detailed Persian and Islamic history, aesthetics, and 86 photos
Ordering information: Price: $35.00 (sales tax for Colorado residents only)
Shipping and handling: $4.00 (United States) International shipping - postage calculated.
Payment: Paypal (below) For phone orders, call 303-444-8042 or 1-888-MUSEART (1-888-687-3278) Mastercard, Visa, and checks accepted
Inquiries: judy@ionsky.com Muse Productions PO Box 102 Boulder, CO 80306
