Review Gianluigi Mattietti 2016 (In the steppes of Sápmi)

Gianluigi Mattietti – Il Corriere Musicale

Release Details

Date : 2016-03-14
Place : Milano (Ita)

About "In the steppes of Sápmi"

“An extreme, radical will in the use of ‘prepared’ voices was also at the basis of In the steppes of Sápmi (2014) by Ansgar Beste, a choral piece having already been performed in the past year at the Lucerne Festival. Inspired by the ‘joik’ chants of the Lappish peoples of the Sami, short melodies, vocalizations imitating animal calls, the Swedish composer (student of Furrer, Rihm and Francesconi) made the choristers sing into spring drums (some of them modified by the insertion of a kazoo), while obtaining a dense, shrill, urging polyphony which evoked religious ceremonies, very repetitive shamanic rituals, and at the same time the atmosphere of these barren, inhospitable, windswept regions. The performance was entrusted to the excellent SWR Vocal Ensemble Stuttgart conducted by Marcus Creed […].”

(Translation by Ansgar Beste)

 

“Una volontà estrema, radicale, nell’uso di voci ‘preparate’, era anche alla base di In the steppes of Sápmi (2014) di Ansgar Beste, pezzo per coro già eseguito lo scorso anno al Festival di Lucerna. Ispirandosi ai canti ‘Joik’ delle popolazioni lapponi dei Sami, brevi melodie, vocalizzazioni che imitavano i versi degli animali, il compositore svedese (allievo di Furrer, Rihm e Francesconi) faceva cantare i coristi dentro degli spring drums (alcuni modificati con l’inserimento di un kazoo), ottenendo una polifonia fitta, aspra, incalzante, che evocava cerimonie religiose, i rituali sciamanici, molto ripetitivi, e insieme l’atmosfera di quelle regioni brulle, inospitali, sferzate dal vento. L’esecuzione era affidata all’ottimo SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart, diretto da Marcus Creed […].”

 

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