Mongolia: Chants Diphonique et Instruments Traditionels

Recorded by the composer, lecturer and ornithologist Bernard Fort in Mongolia and Lyon, this disc features two top professional musicians from Mongolia: Chinbat Baasankhuu on the melodious pentatonic yatga zither, with Bayarbaatar Davaasuren contributing overtone singing and morin huur fiddle. Chinbat contributes some unusual and attractive solo arrangements for the yatga, perhaps reflecting her time studying in China and Korea; her playing seems strongly influenced by contemporary Chinese zheng style.

Overall the mood of the disc is meditative and introverted, perhaps darker in tone than we tend to hear in recordings from Mongolia. There are some superb examples of khöömei (overtone singing) from Bayarbaatar, particularly in the remarkable original composition ‘Chinggis Khaanii Magtaal’ (Praise of Genghis Khan) which develops in intensity over a leisurely 13 minutes.