Product Details

• Producers: Judith Frey
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Run Time: 33 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: B000LWRW1M
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #76,882 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

For more than one thousand years, the Silk Road was the vital trade link between medieval Europe and the exotic lands that stretched across the vast expanses of Asia. The inner life of the people who lived along the Silk Road is carried on in the music, poetry, and visual arts that express the most profound experiences of the soul. From Istanbul, a choir of Dervishes sings Persian poetry in its traditional form, as performed at the court of the Ottoman Empire in the 18th century. A Sufi call to prayer is performed on the ney, a reed flute whose tone is the symbol of the ecstatic, in an order of Dervishes founded in the 13th century by the poet and mystic Jallaludin Rumi. A Sufi melody is performed on the ney in the mode of nostalgia, bringing the past and present together in a timeless rhythm. A flute solo from Samarqand improvises on a Sufi theme, evoking the mystical feeling of this ancient land. The DVD includes a 20-page booklet with detailed music and photo identification. "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." Dr. Brenda Romero, Chair of Musicology, University of Colorado-Boulder "The DVD is a stunning journey through music, art, and poetry from Istanbul to Samarqand." Wes Blomster, music critic, The Boulder Daily Camera

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Silk Road - Sights and Sounds of Ancient Caravan Routes, July 15, 2007

By	Elizabeth M. Owen (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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 _The Silk Road: Music, Art, and Poetry from Istanbul to Samarqand_ elegantly conveys the sights and the sounds of the ancient caravan routes through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Central 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. Zoroastrianism, Islam, and Sufi Mysticism provide spiritual context for architectural and artistic monuments dating from antiquity to the present. Frey's exploration of oasis sites highlights the confluence of cultures and traditions along the Silk Road. Particularly impressive are the colorful gardens of paradise, including Herat, Samarkand, and Kabul, among others, conveyed in words and images from the 1970s, all of which create a striking contrast with the war-torn images featured in current daily news articles. This DVD will inspire those interested in history, literature, art, and religions of the World to journey again into the world of diversity, spirituality, and artistic nuance that characterizes The Silk Road.
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Elizabeth M. Owen, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Asian Art History
University of Denver