Music from countries around the Mediterranean: Corsica | Sardinia | Macedonia | Bosnia | Morocco | Algeria.
C o r s i c a : Barbara Furtuna.
The group managed to build an international reputation in just a few years. In addition to its own recitals, the group also often collaborates with other ensembles. The four men sing polyphonically and can certainly stand next to the Corsican greats such as I Muvrini and A Filetta. We hear a cantor with backing vocals from the other group members. And when singing in traditional polyphony, the group does an excellent job.
CD. Sì cvita sì – Barbara Furtuna.
LABEL: Buda Musique (2013), code: 860238. Video
S a r d i n i a : Elena Ledda.
Elena was born in Sardinia, which is very rich in great interpreters and excellent musicians, able to consistently interpret the cultural heritage of the island and Elena Ledda is no exception. Her soprano voice was suitable for opera, which she performed early in her career, but she was drawn to the folk singing of Sardinia and eventually recorded mainly in that genre.
CD. Maremannu – Elena Ledda.
LABEL: Biber (2000), code: 76691. Video
M a c e d o n i a : Ferus Mustafov & Esma Redzepova.
Ferus Mustafov, was a Macedonian saxophonist of Roma descent. He was a multi-instrumentalist and was very popular in his home country for his repertoire of Balkan folk and gypsy music. Singer Esma Redzepova had an expressive, emotional voice that earned her the title “Queen of Gypsy Music”. She was chosen to represent Macedonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö, Sweden.
CD. Legends of gypsy music from Macedonia – Ferus Mustafov & Esma Redzepova. LABEL: Arc (2008), code: EUCD 2120. Video
B o s n i a : Goran Bregovic.
He was best known as a composer of film music. With Karmen: With A Happy End he stages his first opera. The piece contains only a few references to Bizet’s earlier opera Carmen. Goran Bregovic, a great lover of gypsy music, thought it was time for a ‘gypsy opera’. The composer does not shy away from any controversial theme in the story: corruption, racism and prostitution are all mentioned. Bregovic gives those heavy themes in his lyrics that typical pitch-black humor.
CD. Karmen: With A Happy End van Goran Bregović.
LABEL: Mercury Records (2007), code: 9848791. Video
M a r o c c o : Dries El Maloumi.
Driss is sometimes called ‘the magician of the oud’ because of his virtuoso and inventive playing on the Arabic lute. He was born and raised in the large Moroccan seaside resort of Agadir and studied Arabic philosophy and literature as well as Arabic and Western classical music. Dries El Maloumi chose the title for his solo studio album Makan, which means ‘location’ or ‘place’ in Arabic. He shows an incredible variation in his oud playing in terms of melody, rhythm, intonation and timbre.
CD. Makan – Driss el Maloumi.
LABEL: Contre Jour (2013), code: CJ029. Video
A l g e r i a : Amar Sundy.
Five years after his last album, the Algerian Tuareg bluesman Amar Sundy releases the album Sadaka. Amar Sundy, who has been in France for a while, fuses the atmospheric music of the desert with French chanson and of course his beloved blues. All the songs on the album use the blues as a base, but move beyond it and create something completely different from it, while retaining their feeling and emotion. The core band consists of drums and percussion, electric bass, a choir of female backing singers and an accordion on many songs. Plus some guests with instruments such as: the Hawaiian lap steel, a bassist and the singer Mokhtar Samba.
CD. Sadaka – Amar Sundy.
LABEL: Dixiefrog Records (2009), code: DGFCD 8662. Video
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