Earlier this month, the Library for the Performing Arts at Manhattan’s Lincoln Center resonated with the vibrant sounds of From Near and Far, a new musical project by the New York-based ensemble Trio Fadolín. The performance, part of the New York Public Library’s cultural programming, captivated audiences with its rich exploration of Uzbek musical traditions and beyond. Suspense, melancholy, and drama were interwoven with personal stories shared by Ljova (Lev Zhurbin), a member of the ensemble and virtuoso of the fadolín — a one-of-a-kind string instrument custom-made for him — blending the tonal depth of the violin, viola, and cello.
The program featured compositions by Ljova, Uzbek composer Dmitry Yanov-Yanovsky, and Ljova’s father, the renowned Soviet-era composer Alexander Zhurbin. Adding a poignant layer to the evening, Alexander Zhurbin attended the concert in person, providing a tangible connection to the ensemble’s exploration of cultural and familial roots.
Alexander Zhurbin, 1985
Much of Ljova’s career has been dedicated to uncovering and performing music from underrepresented regions, introducing audiences to sounds often unfamiliar in the West. Born in Moscow, he immigrated to New York in 1990 with his parents, quickly immersing himself in the city’s multicultural and musical landscape. As a composer, arranger, and bandleader for his ensemble, Ljova and the Kontraband, he has collaborated with globally acclaimed groups including the Yo-Yo Ma-founded Silkroad Ensemble (now called Silkroad). Ljova’s work defies boundaries, blending Eastern and Western influences to honor and innovate musical traditions.
The trio’s members — Ljova, violinist Sabina Torosjan (born in Estonia), and cellist Valeriya Sholokhova (born in Ukraine) — found a shared connection to Uzbekistan through their personal histories, which became the foundation for From Near and Far.
TCA spoke with the trio about their musical and familial ties to Uzbekistan.
TCA: Can you share how your personal histories connect you to Uzbekistan?
Ljova: My father, Alexander Zhurbin, wrote the Soviet Union’s first rock opera, Orpheus and Eurydice, in 1975. It played in stadiums and was in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest-running musical in Russia. He was born in Tashkent and lived there until his mid-20s when he moved to Leningrad — now St. Petersburg — to study, and then to Moscow to work as a composer in film, TV, musicals, and the concert stage.
Sabina: Just like many people from the former Soviet Union, I have a mixed background. I grew up in Estonia. My mother’s side of the family was Ukrainian Jews and my father’s side was Armenian. The interesting connection to Uzbekistan is that it is where my father was born. His father was sent to work there as a veterinarian at the time, in Biruni, Uzbekistan. But shortly after my father was born, his family returned to Yerevan.
Valeriya: My grandfather’s family sought refuge there during World War II and survived those difficult years in Uzbekistan. However, they returned to Ukraine as soon as they were able. There are pictures of my grandfather as a child wearing an Uzbek tyubeteyka, and I am deeply grateful for the safe haven that Uzbekistan provided for my family during that time. I find this photograph particularly moving because it symbolizes how Central Asia offered my grandfather a place where he could wear a head covering — albeit with a Central Asian twist — in safety. Remarkably and unironically, I haven’t seen another picture of him wearing a head covering until he moved to the United States, over 70 years later.
TCA: What was the inspiration behind From Near and Far and how do you connect with Uzbekistan’s rich musical and cultural traditions?
Ljova: We had commissioned my dad to write a piece for our trio, his Three Muses, and performed it several times on our programs, including at The Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center, but this time out, we thought to contextualize it within a program of other music from Uzbekistan. We discovered a trio by Uzbekistan-born composer Dmitry Yanov-Yanovsky — who lives in Tashkent to this day — that was previously commissioned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Both the work of Dmitry Yanov-Yanovsky and my father came from a classical music tradition. I wanted to bring a strain of folk music into the concert as well, to complement the program, hence, my suite of Central Asian Dances was born. At this moment, my connection is musical and culinary, the two best ways to travel without leaving home. I know a few Uzbek-born musicians here in New York, and of course, I’ve been to the restaurants. I hope to visit and travel to Uzbekistan one day, to visit and experience the land where my dad and grandparents spent their younger years, and where so many of the Jewish community found refuge in difficult times. I want to see Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, and Ferghana, to get a sense of the sweep… to see the Silk Road.
Sabina: In the past few years, I’ve met more and more incredible people and artists from Uzbekistan and, as a result, have been more exposed to the incredibly rich culture. From what I’ve been exposed to, it’s very beautiful, soulful, and easy to connect to.
Valeriya: I believe we share an appreciation for Uzbekistan and a fascination with its rich cultural tapestry. What initially began as a lighthearted joke during our first recording project together — a set of waltzes by a New Jersey-based composer of Uzbek origin — about how all the artists in the studio had roots in Uzbekistan, eventually grew into the program we’ve built for the NYPL. In the wake of the full-scale Russian invasion, we’ve also been focusing on music from former Soviet republics, intentionally moving away from a “Russian”-centered repertoire. This has allowed us to delve into and celebrate the musical heritage of Uzbekistan, for which we are deeply grateful.
TCA: During the From Near and Far concert, you mentioned discovering Uzbek music through some unique and unexpected sources. Can you share how your search shaped your repertoire?
Ljova: I drew inspiration from the Hungarian composer Bela Bartók, who was among the first ethnomusicologists to preserve in recorded and notated form the folk music of the Magyar people, as well as Romani, Slovaks, Rusyns, Serbs, and others. His electrifying suite of Romanian Folk Dances, from 1915, is a staple at concerts worldwide. I wanted to write something similar, but using themes from Uzbekistan, particularly from the Bukharian Jewish Community. I was aware of the group Shashmaqom, whom I was lucky to hear perform in New York several times as part of presentations by the Center for Traditional Music and Dance, but I also wanted to hear other sources.
Alexander Khafizov is a highly in-demand clarinetist on the concert and social circuit in New York, a YouTube star with millions of views, but, in his spare time from performing, he is also an excellent barber. I thought he might be a good starting point for research on where to find Bukharian Jewish music, but he just said, “Go to YouTube.” When pressed further, he suggested Yulduz Turdiyeva. Thus began my journey, and the seeding of my YouTube algorithm.
In parallel, I started googling and came across a trove of Bukharian melodies collected by ethnomusicologist Elena Reikher from the Bukharian diaspora community in Israel. As I started trying to find recordings of the pieces she collected, I found other music that was recommended by the algorithm. I kept all the pieces I liked in a hidden YouTube playlist.
TCA: What are the unique challenges or distinct aspects of playing your instruments when interpreting traditional and contemporary music from Uzbekistan and the broader Central Asian region?
Ljova: One of the great things about the fadolín is that it’s new. We are building the repertoire afresh.
Sabina: In the program that we presented, some of it still fell into the category of “classical music” and as a result was more familiar to my ear, and didn’t require a different approach, but the suite written by Ljova based on different Central Asian songs required me to get more familiar with the songs themselves and the style of performance. The different meters, very beautiful flowing melodies, and driving rhythms made the piece really fun to play.
Valeriya: Playing Central Asian melodies on a string instrument like the cello is a truly enjoyable experience. While the cello evolved in Western Europe, it shares a connection with its distant bowed cousins in Central Asia. One unique challenge is performing microtonal music, quarter-tones that are unfamiliar to the Western ear. Exploring these pitches on the cello was both rewarding and great fun, allowing me to portray the music and culture I deeply admire.
TCA: How have Western audiences responded to your interpretations of Central Asian-influenced music and do you plan to present music from this region in upcoming projects?
Ljova: This was our very first concert focusing on music from Central Asia in such an expanded way. I’m hopeful that we will get to perform these pieces many more times, and I’m hoping to find time to work on more Central Asian folkloric sources for a future project. It’s such a trove of beautiful music, sentiment, and flavor.
Sabina: I thought our program was very well received by the audience, and I’m really looking forward to repeating it and adding to it.
Valeriya: We have performed Lev’s Central Asian Suite to great public acclaim. Audiences from all walks of life have shared how fun and relatable they found the music. After all, folk music has a unique way of resonating and speaking directly to its listeners. We are thrilled to have these pieces as a vibrant addition to our repertoire.
