World The voices of Persia

Choir of the Screaming Men & Bulgarian Voices Angelite

Reflecting the creativity that has driven him to explore almost every genre as an artist, André Heller has invited very different groups to perform together in joint concerts at the Reflektor festival curated by him. The Finnish choir of screaming men »Mieskuoro Huutajat« and the Bulgarian women’s choir »Angelite« both count among the best-known vocal groups of their respective countries, and they have gained fame far beyond those borders. A choir that doesn’t sing? In the choir’s concerts, Mieskuoro Huutajat declaims, shouts and screams everything from national anthems to nursery rhymes and legislative texts. At times, the 30 men bellow in unisono, at other times in multiple rhythmically complex groups of voices, usually a cappella and sometimes using props such as megaphones or Alpine-horn-like flues. Petri Sirviö composes works for the choir and conducts it – with a drumstick. Bulgarian Voices Angelite take a slightly more conventional approach: the women’s choir presents Bulgaria’s unique singing tradition in colourful costumes. In addition to Bulgarian folk songs, the choir also performs contemporary commissioned works that build on that musical legacy. With music balanced between western harmony and eastern microtonal vibrations, the choir leaves all folk cliches far behind.

World Sona Jobarteh – The magic of the African harp

Sona Jobarteh is the first professional female kora player to have conquered a previously male domain. She comes from a family of Gambian musicians with a long tradition of playing the kora, a 21-stringed West African bridge harp. Until now, women were only allowed to sing to the sounds of the kora – Sona Jobarteh combines both in her meditative music-making. Born and raised in London, she studied both classical music and traditional African music. Sona Jobarteh shows us how well tradition and innovation can complement one another.

The Golden Voices of Gospel

»Clap your hands...«, »stamp your feet...«, »shout hallelujah....« will be the order of the day when the audience is invited to join in and experience the music. The sometimes melancholy, sometimes rousingly spirited gospels, supported by the fantastic rhythm section, get under your skin like hardly any other music. And yet these are church songs as they are sung in the services of the Black Churches in the USA and the Caribbean. In their very personal and inimitable way, the Golden Voices of Gospel invite you on a journey through a century of spirituals, traditionals and gospels. This music expresses like no other the attitude to life, the pride and the devotion of the vast majority of the black population in the USA.

World The magic of the sitar with Anoushka Shankar

Mystical, spiritual, enrapturing – when Anoushka Shankar picks up the strings of her sitar, she opens up a musical world all of her own. The daughter legendary musician Ravi Shankar, she was introduced to the language of classical Indian music by her father at an early age. Today, the artist, who performed as a soloist with the Berliner Philharmoniker in 2017, transports her father’s legacy around the world. At the same time, she and her ensemble combine the traditional music of her country with her own personal, contemporary perspective.

Holy Voices – Three Faiths, One God

Be it Islam, Judaism or Christianity – none of the Abrahamic religions would be the same without music and song. And even though religious conflict keeps rocking the world to its core, the shared roots of these religions come through clearly in traditional sacred music. Three singers whose biographies couldn’t make them more fitting for the project invite the audience to join them for a fascinating musical journey of discovery through these cultures and religions. Patrizia Bovi has deep roots in the Italian music of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Fadia El-Hage grew up in Beirut and studied singing there and in Germany. Françoise Atlan was born in France with Jewish-Algerian roots, and has made the musical diversity of Sephardic Judaism in the Mediterranean region her repertoire. Their joint programme »Holy Voices« presents Muslim Sufi songs that call the faithful to prayer or that extol the full moon. From the Jewish tradition come excerpts from the Song of Solomon and songs from Morocco and the Balkans, where Spain’s Jewish population sought refuge after the expulsion of 1492. And Christianity is represented by the medieval compositions of Hildegard von Bingen, as well as songs from Corsica, Lebanon and Spain.

Rapauke and the world of birds

Rapauke and the world of birds

Rapauke an the world of radio

Rapauke and the world of radio

Rapauke and the world of craftsmanship