The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble

Music documentaries can be fascinating in many cases. This is the case of The Music of Strangers, the documentary produced and directed by Morgan Neville which tells the story of the wonderful musical adventure and inter-culture experience which is 'The Silk Road' ensemble and organization started in 1998 by the famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

The documentary deals both with the initial phases of the project (based on filmed material from their first encounters around the year 2000) and its later evolution. While the value of the cultural interaction is quite well presented, there is less mention if at all about the novelty of the approach of gathering together artists with very different backgrounds and having them play music in a fusion mode that was maybe acceptable in jazz, but much less in classical music where many of them (including Yo-Yo Ma) came from. Actually Ma is a pioneer from this perspective, using his almost pop star reputation to bring classical music to the wider audiences, but also the music of people and peoples to the classical musicians world.

There is no central story telling in the film which mainly builds itself by the interleaved personal stories told by Yo-Yo Ma and a few of the musicians, their own perspective about the work in the the ensemble, the interaction with other musicals, and their philosophies about the scope and the benefits of the project. We have the opportunity to meet Chinese lute virtuous Wu Man and hear her speaking about the challenges of learning and making music in China immediately after the Cultural Revolution, and Spanish bagpiper Cristina Pato about building her path as a woman artist in a less developed area of Spain, we see Syrian clarinetist Kinan Azmeh talking about his feelings about making music while his country is torn by war, and Iranian musician Kayhan Kalhor telling the story of his family broken by the political situation in his country and by exile. Most of all we see their opening to dialog and artistic collaboration, their passion of talking and especially playing music. A few of the meetings, concerts, family reunions and activities of volunteering with refugees are caught also on record.Watching them is a fascinating and beautiful cultural and musical experience.

The subjects of this documentary are the renowned cellist Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, an international orchestra which he created. Some of the other members, renowned in their respective countries and regions, are also interviewed. They include Kinan Azmeh (from Syria), Kayhan Kalhor (a Kurdish Iranian living in exile), Wu Man (from the Chinese province of Zhejiang), and Cristina Pato (from the Celtic region of Galicia in northwestern Spain).

This film ably juxtaposes the spiritual beauty in discussions of music and culture against the troubles of the world including histories that are current (Syria), recent (Iran), and distant (the cultural revolution in China in the 1960s). These discussions also include the difficulty in maintaining culture and music during such difficult times. Similarly, modern economics is also a challenge to maintaining cultural history which is most important as many musical instruments are unique to certain countries and regions.

As the main interviewee, Ma is inspirational due to his modesty, his intelligence, and his ability to articulate the spirituality he sees in his art. It is also refreshing to witness someone who is world famous but who also seems resistant to the trashy and vulgar sides of fame.

One of the most gripping scenes is where Azmeh visits Syrian refugee camps in Syria and teaches basic music to a group of young girls. An aerial view of the camps is heart-wrenching.

With such a great collective of music, I was expecting a grand finale. The finale was pleasant though it could have been more emotional. While this film takes on great principles, it occasionally seems a bit too earnest. But when it covers so much beautiful music, art, architecture, and spiritual values, how can one not like it? It's no surprise that its director, Morgan Neville, directed another musical documentary "20 Feet from Stardom" which was one of the best movies of 2013.

Yo Yo Ma is legendary and the movie does act like somewhat of a biography of the man, but it's real focus is creating this orchestra that brings together music from many different nations and many different cultures to see how they would sound all as one. So the film gives us good music and a good message about coming together.

While Ma is most likely the most well known of these musicians (At least for me, anyway) The movie does do a profile of a few of the other musicians as well.

But for the most part, it's an excellent conceptual film that introduces all different types of music in the world and the people who make it and how that music can work as one.

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This movie is screening in New Zealand as part of the International Film Festival.

It is one of the most moving films I have seen in a long time. Yo Yo Ma and the other members of the Silk Road Ensemble are not only brilliant musicians, they are inspirational human beings.

Their passion for music and their ability to blend the music of different cultures is fully on display in the movie; sometimes their music filled me with joy; at other times it moved me to tears.

The most moving scene for me was to see the two Syrian members of the Ensemble going into the Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon and Jordan and reaching out to the children their with their music and their message of hope. I defy anyone to watch it with dry eyes. Truly a movie for the times we are living in.

I've watched this movie during 9 hours flight from Dubai to Jakarta. And the only movie I watched till the end. It really moved me. Music and the other kind of arts really the best language to unite different cultures. It really the big idea from big person like Yo Yo Ma. The editing of this film really amazing and create a beautiful story. Bravo