The Sounds of Eternity. Review by Obscuresound
Uniting Western symphonic structures with the improvisational depth of Azerbaijani mugham, The Sounds of Eternity captures a groundbreaking live performance by the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra. Under the baton of maestro Farkhad Khudyev, this ambitious record features world-renowned soloists like Alim Qasimov and Imamyar Hasanov, integrating the ancient, mournful tones of the kamancha with traditional dance and percussion. The result is a transportive cultural dialogue that serves as Khudyev’s life mission: a plea for global peace rooted in the transformative power of love.
Two fantastic performances precede the epic, gorgeous title track. Opening, “Circus for Clarinet and Symphony Orchestra” embraces a familiar orchestral array, propelled by clarinet (acting as the central narrator) amidst a dynamically evolving tonal display. The variety is apparent in the first minute even, as twinkling, lush piano quickly shifts into personality-filled orchestration, hectic and capricious in its assortment of woodwinds, brass, and strings. An elegant shift takes hold around the 30-second mark, with the performance seamlessly shifting between bustling fervency and balmy, lush interactions of clarinet and gentle orchestration. The orchestra’s musicianship and capacity for striking shifts are on full display here, audibly capturing the paradoxes of life in artful form.