The WorldNetwork collection is produced in close cooperation between Germany's largest broadcasting company WDR (West German Radio & Television) and NETWORK. Since its inception, the WDR has committed itself to inviting great artists from all over the world to record at its Cologne studios. When this wasn't possible or feasible, recordings were made directly on location. The best sound technicians have spared no effort to record theseunique musical moments live: without overdubbing, multi-tracking or other cosmetic effects.Christian Scholze and Jean Trouillet have selected, together with Jan Reichow, the mostoutstanding concert, festival and studio recordings from decades of archive material to create this unique collection. Over the past years, Network, in collaboration with the WDR, has made local recordings, among others, in Senegal, Australia, Cuba,Brazil and Uzbekistan. Many CDs in this collection have received national and international record awards. The jury of the International Phonographic Award explained their decision: "Recordings from four continents, interpreted in high quality by singers and instrumentalists who, although receptive to new sources of inspiration, are nevertheless deeply rooted in the tradition of their culture and have not adapted to current trends: these recordings in the WorldNetwork collection illustrate the diversity of predominantly non-commercial world-music of extraordinary quality."
World Network Vol.1-India:Shivkumar Sharma & Zakir Hussain
Thousands of bootleg cassettes of the famed Beethovenhalle Concert in Bonn are still in circulation among aficionados. At home, Mohammad Reza Shadjarian, the foremost classical singer of Iran, enjoys the stature of a national icon, even though he continued to perform long after the decision of the orthodox Mullahs to ban public performances. The musical background for Shadjarian’s art is formed by impressive instrumental improvisations, to which Shadjarian sings the lyrics of the 14th century poets Sa’di and Hafez. When Goethe discovered these poems some two hundred years ago he was alleged to have said, "Admit it – the poets of the East are simply superior!" Shadjarian’s voice is almost startling in its intimacy. It touches the listener’s heart with its incredible poignancy and expressiveness. Under the direction of the composer Parviz Meshkatian, the ensemble features eleven of the most accomplished musicians in Iran. The roots of Persian music trace back to antiquity. When Alexander the Great conquered the East, he was fascinated by the variety of instruments and melodies he discovered there. The Iranian high plain and Mesopotamia have long been known as cradles of music where many prototypes of instruments known to us in the West found their origin. The lute, the cimbalon, the oboe, the fiddle and the harp, for example, all came to us from the Orient.
/Ensemble Aref. Personnel: Mohammad Reza Shadjarian (vocals); Parviz Meshkatian (santur); Dariush Pirniakan, Farrokh Mazhari, Mansur Sinaki (tar); Mohammad Firuzi (barbat); Ardeshir Kamkar, Said Farajpouri (kemantche); Ardesir Fahimi (gheytchek); Jamshid Andalibi (ney); Bidjan Kamkar (robab, daff); Arjank Kamkar (tonbak, table zurkhaneh). Recorded live at the Beethovenhalle, Bonn on October 17, 1987. Includes liner notes by Jean Trouillet. Vocal performance is at the heart of Iranian classical music, and Shadjarian is among Iran's greatest living singers. This beautiful recording is particularly welcome because it contains just one extended suite -- a recent composition -- rather than the isolated movements too often offered by western labels. The Aref Ensemble explores the tradition by adding some instruments from folk tradition to the basic classical grouping, to fine effect. (68:50) ~ John Storm Roberts
1. Moqaddameh (Overture): Tchekad 2. Awaz: Based on a Poem of Sa'di 3. Doktharake Julideh (Instrumental) / Mesnewi: / Tasnif: World Network Vol. 3
Shivkumar Sharma, the great santur virtuoso, weighs every note he plays with infinitesimal care. The santur is known to us in Europe as the cimbalon. As if free of gravity’s fetters, Sharma hovers over the hundred strings of his instrument to create sounds of dazzling beauty, ranging from meditative calm to complex, percussive whirlwind passages. He is accompanied by India’s legendary tabla player, Zakir Hussain. Hussain achieved renown as a classical artist at an early age. In later years he went on to experiment with many other musical genres including famed jam sessions with many jazz and rock stars. Before Shivkumar Sharma, no one considered it possible to perform classical music on the santur. His sensitive and virtuoso playing has all but dispelled this hollow notion. To date, however, no one has emerged to rival Sharma – for the instrument was long known only in folk music.
