The Music of Kyrgyzstan

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The way the world is going at present, we need to wise up on everything to do with Central Asia: The Music of Kyrgyzstan could not have come at a better time. Sandwiched between China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan shares its musical culture with each of the three last named, and that culture is beguiling in its homespun acoustic simplicity. The instruments could not be more basic: lutes, flutes of wood and clay, chimes and jews' harps plus an extraordinary variant on the Australian bullroarer. And what the troupe in this recording do has its roots in distant antiquity: songs of love and pain, and instrumental improvisations. You won't be dazzled, but you will be charmed, particularly by the female singer's warm and mellow tone, by the plangency of the lutes, and the wide tonal variations of the flutes. The liner notes are excellent, and include full translations of the lyrics. ARC are to be congratulated, and should immediately do more CDs along these lines. Though they should perhaps invest in better recording equipment--the sound is a bit cavernous. Read more The Music of Kyrgyzstan

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The way the world is going at present, we need to wise up on everything to do with Central Asia: The Music of Kyrgyzstan could not have come at a better time. Sandwiched between China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan shares its musical culture with each of the three last named, and that culture is beguiling in its homespun acoustic simplicity. The instruments could not be more basic: lutes, flutes of wood and clay, chimes and jews' harps plus an extraordinary variant on the Australian bullroarer. And what the troupe in this recording do has its roots in distant antiquity: songs of love and pain, and instrumental improvisations.

Reviews By D. Wyatt : Date 4 Oct 2011
It seems churlish to complain about recordings from Kyrgyzstan - after all they are rare enough. And there are many excellent points to this one. The ensemble is very professional, the lady singer has a lovely voice, the flautist especially makes a very evocative sound. But that's just the trouble. It sounds too much like a carefully-crafted, even composed, version of nomadic culture. The big vibrato of the flute player (always on, not as a special effect - unlike our lady singer) is distracting, some of the pieces are 'orchestrated' in a way that - despite the traditional instruments - sounds a bit too much like it's been done to appeal to (western?) ears, and some pieces (the Train, no.4) with a faux-naif impression of train sounds on the 'guitar' & a parting whistle from the flute? Sorry this doesn't sound genuine to me.

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