The WorldNetwork Series Vol. [1-35]
World Network Vol. 36 Australia,
Rhythms from the Outer Core
The didjeridu is made from the trunk of a eucalyptus tree that has been eaten by termites. It is without doubt one of the oldest instrument in the world. It is played with circular breathing and produces a mysterious sound that is rich in overtones. Because it is rare to find recordings of didjeridu music on the market (as a general rule there are 10 recordings by "white" players to one by an Aborigine), Christian Scholze set off for Australia with the specific aim of recording two of the greatest didjeridu virtuosos playing with composer and connoisseur of the traditional music scene Michael Atherton and numerous guests.At the lips of didjeridu players Mark Atkins and Janawirri Yiparrka, the continuous stream of air becomes modulated into natural desert and steppe sounds, into old tribal songs and polyphonic melodies with break-neck rhythms. In the studio it was possible to fulfil the dream of recording the didjeridu being played with various other instruments: longer original compositions were created in which the didjeridus harmonised marvellously with bouzouki, accordion, dobro, hurdy-gurdy, soprano saxophone and flute. The session ended in a percussion fireworks that enticed formerly unheard-of sounds from the didjeridus. Ankala produce a sound in which the didjeridu combines organically with the various other instruments in order to tell about the heat and breadth of the country and its age-old culture.
| MP3 VBR H.Q kbps | Incl.Covers | 85 MB | Download HERE
World Network Vol. 37 azerbaijan,
The Legendary Art of Mugham
Wherever Alim Qasimov performs, he arouses overwhelming emotions and inspires journalists to veritable hymns of praise. His dramatic renditions, the virtuosity of his singing, and his vibrant tones have earned him the attribute "the magical voice" (Le Monde). This serious newspaper went on to make the following daring prediction: "In the not too distant future, his name will shine like that of Nusrat Fatek Ali Khan." The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung spoke of a "vocal miracle: each individual tone expresses fundamental emotions, the graceful beauty and atmospheric density of the music spans hours, even centuries, creating moments that are eternal. His perfect coloratura seems to soar over canyon-like distances with weightless ease, never artificial." Alim Qasimov is accompanied by two of his country’s most acclaimed musicians on the long-necked lute, tar, and the spike fiddle, kemanche. With instinctive assurance, they anticipate each note, illumining it with instrumental proficiency. Together they form the most popular Mugham trio in Azerbaijan. This is an already historical document of their much-lauded WDR concert in Cologne, during which Alim Qasimov introduced his 18-year-old daughter Ferganah for the first time, "the warm timbre and astonishing maturity of whose trained voice resound like a low-pitched bell". (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung)
| MP3 VBR H.Q kbps | Incl.Front Cover | 95 MB | Download HERE
World Network Vol. 38 Uzbekistan: A Haunting Voice
This CD submerges the listener in the musical culture of Uzbekistan. The main attraction is the voice of the country’s most distinguished traditional singer, Munadjat Yulchieva, whose dark vibrant tones already exerted their particular fascination on "Sufi Soul". Meantime, the unique quality of Munadjat’s voice, her power of expression, and her natural charisma have charmed audiences in the most eminent international concert halls, where sometimes people are so touched as to shed tears, as was recently the case in London. These recordings were made by Network in spring 1997 at the radio and television studio in Tashkent, the capital of the Central Asian state of Uzbekistan. The famous rubab player and professor at the Tashkent conservatoire Shavkat Mirzaev complemented his ensemble with additional outstanding local soloist so as to be able to present all his country’s countless instruments and styles. The lutes, string instruments and zithers played on this recording demand great concentration and skill in order to achieve the incredible glissando and vibrato effects. They are joined by flutes and percussion. The slow hypnotic build-up in the pieces ends in a dramatic climax during which the tremendous mastery of the singer and the ensemble highlight whole new facets of the melody.
| MP3 VBR H.Q kbps | Incl.Covers | 102 MB | Download Part One
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World Network Vol. 39 China: The Sound of Silk and Bamboo
| MP3 VBR H.Q kbps | No Covers | 95 MB |In Chinese music, the zheng zither is the favourite solo instrument and has been played and revered for more than 1,000 years. Alongside the pipa lute, also called the queen of instruments, it is looked upon as the most subtle instrument in the Chinese repertoire. At the hands of a master, it brings forth ethereal harmonies and the finest glissandi. In classical compositions for the zheng, meditative-contemplative melodies are resolved in dramatic climaxes. Silence is as important as sound. The poetically iconic titles of the pieces are reflected in corresponding contents, music as intoned philosophy. Louis Chen is regarded as the most outstanding virtuoso of the southern Chinese zheng school. Professor at the University of Hong Kong, he has been performing publicly for forty years and has gained worldwide popularity for the zheng repertoire. Ya Dong has been playing the pipa since she was six years old and gave her first solo concerts at the age of 13. She worked as a lecturer at the School of Music in Shanghai and has been awarded numerous prizes (among them the Chinese National Prize for Solo Playing). As a contrast to the solo and duet pieces with the pipa, virtuoso performances on three other instruments are included: the Chinese violin or erh-hu, whose history can be traced back more than 3,000 years, the sheng, the great-grandmother of the mouth organ, and the ti-tse or flute. One of the highpoints in the much-lauded WDR concert series "Nachtmusik" is finally available on CD.
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World Network Vol. 40 Venezuela,
Venzeuela: Fredy Renya/Lilia Vera/Serenata Guyanesa/Trio Llanero
Popular music in Venezuela emanated from a meeting of three cultures: the five-thousand-year-old musical traditions of the indigenous peoples became mixed with the Arab-Andalusian songs and dances of the Spanish conquerors and the complex sound patterns of the music of the African slaves forced to work along the Caribbean coast of Venezuela. These manifold ethnic and multicultural melting-processes turned Venezuela into a country of Mestizos. The complex tones, the numerous rhythmic variations and the virtuosity it demands of the singers of its folk poetry, have made Venezuelan folk music one of Latin America’s most attractive. Prominence is given here to the national instrument, the cuatro, a small, multi-stringed guitar that requires a high degree of musicality and dexterity. Other string instruments included on this recording are the guitar, the mandolin, the bandola, the harp, plus drums and maracas. The songs and dance and instrumental pieces are performed by Venezuela’s most renowned interpreters: Lilia Vera, the illustrious voice of Venezuelan folk music and winner of numerous national and international prizes; four thorough-bred musicians forming the Serenata Guayanesa who have been exploring their country’s musical tradition for 25 years and have become almost synonymous with Venezuelan music, from traditional rhythms to coffee house music; Fredy Reyna, who made the cuatro famous all over the world; and the Trio Llanero, who in the late 1970s became the highly successful heirs of the country’s harp-playing tradition.
| MP3 VBR H.Q kbps | Incl.Covers | 110 MB | Download Part One
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World Network Vol. 41 Romania,
Wild Sounds from Transylvania, Wallachia & Moldavia
| MP3 192 kbps | No Covers | 95 MB |Decades ago, the WDR recording team travelled around Romania so as to capture the country’s wide range of folk music in pristine form. Taraf de Haiduks, a gypsy orchestra who meantime enjoy worldwide fame, have been invited to Cologne several times over the past years. These recordings confirm that music is still an essential element in everyday life in Romania and that ancient melodies that have been handed down orally are still surviving in "newer" arrangements without losing any of their charm. The CD introduces excellent musicians who have been playing since their childhood and have attained a remarkable virtuosity. Solo and ensemble pieces serve to unveil the complex and rich musical culture of Transylvania, Wallachia and Moldavia: the inimitable sound of the gypsy orchestra, called Taraf, with its vertiginous dance rhythms and heart-rending ballads; the warm, yearning tone of the singing, the flute, the ocarina and the taragot, a saxophone-like instrument; a "daemonic" violinist; the unfamiliar sounds of the vioara cu goarna or violin with a horn, of a female alpenhorn ensemble, and of the cimpoi, the Romanian bagpipes. In their sheer enjoyment of music Taraf de Haidouks almost explode, as do the Fanfare Ciocarlia, a brass band who introduce themselves as follows: "We are one of the last gypsy orchestras of our kind in Romania with a rich repertoire and an old tradition, and, we are the fastest." Little wonder that some experts say "the best party music is to be found in Romania".
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World Network Vol. 42 Mali,
The Divas from Mali
These four outstanding veterans of the epic songs of Mali’s two largest ethnic groups spirit us far back into the history of the country’s ballad tradition. In the 13th century, Mali extended over an area that was almost the size of Europe. The singers look back with pride on this history. Whereas in former times music-making was the exclusive domain of men, since the country gained its independence women have secured themselves a position and range far ahead of the men on the popularity scale. It was Oumou Sangaré who made the Wassoulou sound with its funky rhythms world famous. She combines traditional and modern instruments and weaves new sound patterns into old melodies. A beautiful traditional recording introduces Sali Sidibé. Kandia Kouyaté is the grande dame of Manding song, and for many years she was the soloist with the National Ensemble. Under the starry canopy of the Sahara her powerful and seductive voice would charm any audience. Mah Damba too is from one of the country’s dynasties of great musicians. As in the case of Kandia Kouyaté, we hear her in the traditional trio ensemble with a balaphon player and a player of the "royal" kora or harp.
| MP3 VBR H.Q kbps | Incl.Covers | 110 MB | Download Part One
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World Network Vol. 43 Haiti,
Ti-Coca, Toto Bissainthe
In Haiti, the most "African" country in the Caribbean, the drums are the guardians of voodoo, while the rhythms and songs of the local troubadours keep the Black heritage alive. Ti-Coca and his musicians take us to the roots of the Merengue, a high-tech variation of which is played in the neighbouring Dominican Republic. The Haitian version is smoother and less jittery. Other local dances evoke the music of voodoo ceremonies, bringing them to the dance halls. Simbi the sea god and Dambala the serpent god celebrate a party together. Ti-Coca is a caribbean dandy with a voice reminiscent of some of the great Cuban voices of the past. Accompanied by accordion, double bass, banjo and drums, he sings with a band whose understated approach gently revives traditional musical forms in a way that is truly sensational. By including recordings of the late Toto Bissainthe, we pay homage to this grande dame of Haiti whose vocal improvisations enthralled audiences in the 70s.
| MP3 320 kbps | Incl.Front Cover | 135 MB | Download Part One
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World Network Vol. 44 Peru,
...,Los Romanticos de Sicay, A mi patria
Peru’s great geographic and ethnic diversity and its chequered history are all reflected in the enormous variety of its musical traditions. This CD is the first to present music from all over the country, providing a broad insight into the music of the coast and the mountains, played on a wealth of different flutes, percussion and stringed instruments and featuring such outstanding soloists as charango player Jaime Guardia and violinist M?ximo Dami?n. Down the centuries, since the days of the Spanish conquistadores, European and Black African musical elements have forged a fascinating synthesis. Carmen Fl?rez draws from the wellspring of Creole tradition and her voice can lend the simplest of songs all the depth of a cante jondo. Susana Banca, often described as the lyrical voice of Peru, proudly sings of the sufffering and rebellion of her forebears, in the rhythms of the sugar plantations and cotton fields of the north and south coasts and Lima’s ethnic melting pot. Guitarrist Félix Casaverde is renowned as one of the finest interpreters of Peruvian coastal music.
| MP3 320 kbps | Incl. Covers | 165 MB | Download Part One
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World Network Vol. 45 Tunesia,
Sonia M’Barek Takht
This young Tunisian singer is one of the most interesting new talents to emerge in the world of classical Arab singing. She grew up in a family that she describes as "conservative but passionate in their enthusiasm for music" and, even as a child, accompanied by her grandmother, she sang maalouf. This traditional "classical" Tunisian musical form, so closely linked to the musical heritage of Libya, Algeria and Morocco, has its roots in medieval Andalusia. Traditionally sung by male choirs, it was not until the 1930s that women also began to perform it. Sonia M’Barek has made this genre into an intimate solo repertoire, developing it with her own distinctive approach. For this unique WDR recording session, she personally selected the finest of musicians to accompany her on violin and kementche, on the nay flute, the Arab qanoun zither, the oud lute, cello and percussion. Apart from a voice of enormous expressive power, she also has a thorough musical training. Little did she imagine, when she made her public debut at the age of eight, that by the age of twenty she would be leading her own ensemble. In Tunisia, she is a star. The French press (Figaro) has hailed her as a "modern diva", claiming that "this lovely young woman has enchanted the world with her sensual and enrapturing voice."
| MP3 320 kbps | Incl. Covers | 170 MB | Download Part One
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World Network Vol. 46: Greece - Epirus,
Petro-Loukas Chalkia & Kompania
Scintered by high mountains, on the border to Albania, in north-west Greece, lies Epirus. Here, in this remote region, a musical tradition based on ancient Byzantine musical scales has survived. The main instruments are clarinet, violin, lute and the defi frame-drum. The laments, with their complex ornamentation, and the upbeat wedding dances, are legendary. The Chalkias brothers come from a long line of musicians, and their family has shaped the musical life of the region for centuries. As a young shepherd, Petro-Loukas made his first simple clarinet and performed at weddings. Today, he is regarded as the last living virtuoso in the great clarinet tradition of Epirus. Famed for his incredible improvisational abilities, he has toured worldwide and has been invited to countless festivals. His brother, Achilleas, accompanies him divinely on violin, with a touch as raw as it is sensual. They are joined by Christos Zotos on lute, a musician in great demand as a soloist for his skilful improvisations on the basis of traditional scales. These Network recordings, made in Athens, document a musical dialogue of enormous sensitivity.
| MP3 320 kbps | Incl. Covers | 160 MB | Download Part One
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World Network Vol. 47: Armenia,
Heavenly Duduk
The warm, nasal tones of the duduk played by Djivan Gasparayan has enchanted us for years. Armenia’s most famous musician is a living legend, whose reputation has reached Hollywood, where he has created the soundtracks for The Crow, The Siege, The Russia House, for the films of Atom Egoyan and many others. He has won countless prizes, including UNESCO awards. Since the 60s, he has toured the world several times, even playing at the Kremlin for Stalin, Khrushchev and Brezhnev. Brian Eno described one of his albums as "without a doubt one of the most beautiful and most soulful recordings I have ever heard". No wonder that many regard him as the world’s leading duduk virtuoso. There is probably no other woodwind instrument with a softer sound, and the folk music of Armenia seems to harbour a positively inexhaustible store of ballads, performed on this Netowrk recording by Djivan Gasparyan and his fellow musicians with tangible emotion.
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Booklet Scans
World Network Vol. 48 Pakistan,
Sindhi Soul Session
Sindh, the southern province of Pakistan, is considered to be the true home of the wandering mystics and ascetics known as dervishes. Every year, the world’s biggest Sufi music festival takes place here. Hundreds of thousands of people gather at the shrine of Sufi mystic Shah Abdul Latif to mark the anniversary of his death. Music is a key element in the celebrations, for the night-long performances of music held by Shah Latif in the eighteenth century are legendary. This CD presents the most outstanding virtuoso musicians: the exalted voice of the legendary Sohrab Fakir; Mohamed Fakir, one of the last great performers of the extremely difficult stringed instrument surando, whose improvisations verge on pure jazz; soloists on the double flute alghoza and the bamboo flute bansuri that have been played here for thousands of years. The alghoza evokes, as no other instrument can, an image of endless camel rides through the heat of the Sindh desert. This is a truly impressive document of the ancient and still vital Sufi tradition.
| MP3 320 kbps | Incl. Covers | 150 MB | Download Part One
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World Network Vol. 49 Japan,
Master Of Shakuhachi
It is hard to believe the sounds that can be produced by a bamboo pipe with five finger holes and no mouthpiece. In the hands of a master who has concentrated for decades solely on this "simple" instrument, the breath is modulated to describe the sounds of nature and the "singing bamboo" blossoms once again. Subtle changes in tonality create infinite variations on the long individual note, using an astonishingly broad range of microtones and dynamic shading to achieve a rich tapestry of sound that makes listening a fascinating new experience. Tajima Tadashi is such a master, an almost esoteric sorcerer of sound whose playing may be described as distinctly meditative and introverted. The solo repertoire of the shakuhachi allows the player enormous freedom to develop a highly individual sound. In Zen Buddhism, this instrument is regarded as a tool of meditation. Tajima Tadashi learned his art from one of the great masters and is regarded today as one of the best and most versatile shakuhachi players in all Japan. The winner of many awards, he presents his art at concerts throughout the world and also trains young players.
| MP3 VBR kbps | Incl. Covers | 105 MB | Download Part One
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