Sevara Nazarkhan

一個女子撫琴獨唱的形象有著久遠的歷史。在那傳奇的絲綢之路逶迤貫連的國度——伊朗、土爾其、中亞和中國，這一形象常見諸于文章和飾畫。在那些富于異域情調(diào)的地方，象布哈拉和撒馬爾罕——現(xiàn)在的烏茲別克斯坦的兩個城市 ，音樂是高尚、典雅的。

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Sevara Nazarkhan，一個25歲的烏茲別克斯坦歌手、創(chuàng)作人和音樂家，傳承了那一段消逝的歷史。她使用的樂器是DOUTAR——一種十五世紀(jì)的中亞二弦琵琶，以撥釋而非彈拂的指法演奏。在這一器樂為牧者和旅人專司的年代，琴弦是用動物的腸道制成的。在絲綢之路得以發(fā)展，馬可.波羅販來干果和動物毛皮以換取珍寶和中國陶瓷的時期，琴弦開始采用絲制。DOUTAR的琴音溫醇悅耳，在Sevara的指間傳出，伴著她的歌聲，婉如一縷來自遠古的嘆息。

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Sevara Nazarkhan is an Uzbek pop star who stands out for her expert handling of not only contemporary styles but Central Asian folk music as well. Her mastery and use of the Uzbek doutar (a two-stringed plucked shepherd's instrument dating back to the 15th century) establishes Nazarkhan as an accomplished world musician as well as a pop sensation. Sevara was brought up by two musically accomplished parents, her father a classically trained vocalist and her mother a music educator well-versed on string instruments. Sevara spent five years studying Uzbek folk music at the Tashkent State Conservatory between 1998 and 2003. During that time she performed with a variety of local groups, amassing something of a cult following. Her original compositions were a hit throughout Uzbekistan's underground urban culture, heard on local radio and illegal mixtapes. Nazarkhan's debut recording was released by the Calabash label. The self-produced record, entitled Gozal Dema, earned her a BBC World Music Award and an international reputation. The world music festival circuit opened up, leading to international performances and widespread recognition throughout Europe. Her appearance at the WOMAD festival in 2000 introduced her music to world music mogul Peter Gabriel, who signed her to his Real World label for a 2003 release, Yol Bolsin. Her seamless integration of ancient instrumentation and repertoire with modern technology and aesthetics caught the attention of listeners worldwide. A second record for Calabash continued to develop the artist's split personality, trading turntables for oud and tambour. Nazarkhan resharpened her urban edge for her Real World follow-up release, Sen, which hit shelves in 2007 and went directly the top of World Music Charts Europe.