The Music of Strangers

"How can we create fresh music if we obsess with staying traditional? It’s a question that La La Land asked and then sort of brushed aside, leaving it to The Music of Strangers to explore. The film follows The Silk Road Project, an orchestral version of The Avengers made up of different musicians from around the world who each play an cultural instrument like it’s a superpower. The Captain America of this group is Yo-Yo Ma, a Paris-born Chinese cello prodigy who grew up in the United States. Their mission is simple: create new musical art."

""The Music of Strangers" is an aural celebration that's about using the past to break free of boundaries."

"The focus is on the individuals, emphasising the unifying power of song - as well as Ma's humanitarianism."

""Strangers" offers an inspiring look at creative people from very different walks of life who nonetheless communicate beautifully with one another. They don't need to speak a common language: Their dazzling music says it all."

"It's admirably high-minded, and internationalism and openness have never been needed more. But I must admit to finding this ... not complacent exactly, but perhaps too serenely self-regarding."

"Certainly makes for interesting viewing, but I just wanted a little more of their music and on the man who founded it all."

"Neville is as expert at getting the human stories behind the songs as he is in capturing the music."

"A first-rate music film capturing a restless desire to communicate beyond the boundaries of any single idiom."