Oslo Kammerakademi - The Silk Road - Chamber Music for Winds (2023)

In a world where unrest and war make constant headlines, human migration is an issue that touches peoples everywhere. On its latest release, The Silk Road, the Oslo-based wind chamber ensemble Oslo Kammerakademi presents a beautiful programme inspired by the subject of cultural migration - what happens when cultures meet, for example because of the movement of populations, trade, politics or conflict.

The Silk Road features four works. Two of them are by 19th-century composers who were fascinated by the music of North Africa and the Middle East -Saint-Saens' work for military band, L'Orient et occident (1869), and Andre Caplet's three-movement Suite Persane (1900).

The disc also contains two works commissioned by Oslo Kammerakademi: the story of The Last Days of Sultan Selim III (2011) retold in music by Turkish composer Mert Karabey, and the album's title work, Gisle Kverndokk's suite The Silk Road (2017), inspired by music that might have been encountered along a trade route between Venice and China.

Oslo Kammerakademi was founded in 2009 by oboist and artistic director David Friedemann Strunck, and performs chamber music for winds with the historical Harmoniemusik instrumentation as a foundation - from its origin in Vienna in the 1780s to the music of our own time. The ensemble has established itself as a leader in Europe, with critically acclaimed CD recordings and invitations to prestigious festivals throughout Europe. The Silk Road is Oslo Kammerakademi's seventh recording for LAWO Classics.

TRACKLIST

1. Saint-Saens: L'Orient et occident
2. Andre Caplet: Suite Persane: I. Scharki (Chant d'amour)
3. II. Nihawend
4. III. Iskia Samaisi
5. Gisele Kverndokk:The Silk Road: I. Venice: Song of the Silk Merchants
6. II. Turkey: Don't leave any Hazelnuts on the Tree
7. III. Armenia: You are a Ploughman
8. IV. Azerbaijan: Shampan Ragsi - Country Dance
9. V. Iran: Khayam and the Pots
10. VI. Afghanistan: Atan - Nomad Dance
11. VII. Uzbekistan: Morning in the Desert
12. VIII. Kyrgyzstan: Shepherd's Melody
13. IX. Mongolia: Dance Melody
14. X. China: I love you, Snow in the North
15. Mert Karabey: The Last Days of Sultan Selim III