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.
A commanding intrigue then presents within “Concerto for Kamancha and Symphony Orchestra. Largo.” While the opener embraced an enjoyably familiar realm through Jonathan Gunn’s clarinet lead, “Concerto for Kamancha” immerses as the first concerto composed for the kamancha, an ancient bowed string instrument very capable of expressive allure, particularly melancholy and intrigue. The piece also integrates mugham, an improvisational modal system rooted in Azerbaijani folk tradition, while also retaining Western symphonic structures — resulting in a sound that bridges cultural authenticity and inviting structural approachability. Kamancha player Imamyar Hasanov performs beautifully, guiding a melodically moving sound that culminates in orchestral expanses like at 04:40, when grandiose strings and clashing percussion lend a spirited, emotional enthrallment.
The live album’s 25-minute centerpiece, “The Sounds of Eternity (Dedicated to World’s Peace)” is a triumph, infusing the talents of the orchestra’s players with a colorful, genius knack for tonal change, reminiscent of Igor Stravinsky. Hasanov’s kamancha performance again impresses, as does the involvement of mugham master Alim Qasimov, in addition to nagara drum master Natig Shirinov and dancer Laman Hendricks. The performance is the culmination of maestro Farkhad Khudyev’s life mission, tracing his Turkmenistan birth and Azerbaijani origins into an arrival into the United States at an early age, pursuing music.
The piece reflects Khudyev’s drive to bring two worlds together through music: the Central Asia/Caucasus and the West. Ancient Mugham singing is a striking element alongside the emotively gripping instrumentation, highlighting both traditional and predecessor-instruments like Kamancha and Naghara. The result bridges traditional dance and the symphonic orchestra, arriving at a finale with a powerful message to the world, sung by the Mugham Singer: “How to gain happiness? How? Let me tell you an advice. The secret to happiness is Love, simply Love!” The composition invigorates in its range of impassioned vocals and striking instrumentation, all while being fixated thematically on the beauty of love as a driver of happiness. The Sounds of Eternity is a fantastic live album from the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra.
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