Sevara Nazarkhan

一个女子抚琴独唱的形象有着久远的历史。在那传奇的丝绸之路逶迤贯连的国度——伊朗、土尔其、中亚和中国，这一形象常见诸于文章和饰画。在那些富于异域情调的地方，象布哈拉和撒马尔罕——现在的乌兹别克斯坦的两个城市 ，音乐是高尚、典雅的。

Sevara Nazarkhan，一个25岁的乌兹别克斯坦歌手、创作人和音乐家，传承了那一段消逝的历史。她使用的乐器是DOUTAR——一种十五世纪的中亚二弦琵琶，以拨释而非弹拂的指法演奏。在这一器乐为牧者和旅人专司的年代，琴弦是用动物的肠道制成的。在丝绸之路得以发展，马可.波罗贩来干果和动物毛皮以换取珍宝和中国陶瓷的时期，琴弦开始采用丝制。DOUTAR的琴音温醇悦耳，在Sevara的指间传出，伴着她的歌声，婉如一缕来自远古的叹息。

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.