If travelling to distant countries is impossible due to the pandemic, one can still explore other cultures in one’s mind. Author Karl May never visited Arab lands or the Wild West, yet he wrote captivating books about them. So why shouldn’t music take us where we cannot physically travel? In the last 30 days, we have re-recorded numerous works that make such imaginary expeditions possible.
This march Abel Tansman takes you on a great voyage of discovery with the Dutch navigator of the same name, starting with the bustle of the Dutch port from which the ship then departs – picking up speed and weathering a storm on the high seas to eventually discover Tasmania – south of Australia.
Perhaps visit this part of the world with Carl Wittrock’s composition The African Connection, which is based on original African rhythms? Of course, the drums play a conspicuous role, but the orchestra can also let off steam in a splendid way. Transitioning into a dance, the introduction depicts the awakening of nature. The motif of this dance comes from a dance from Gambia called Apollo. The calm middle section is based on the rhythm of the gigbo, a traditional dance from Ghana. The last part uses the so-called kono rhythm. The work sounds best when djembes are used.
The city of Ayutthaya is located in central Thailand and was the capital of the Siamese kingdom of Ayutthaya, one of the most important cities in Southeast Asia. You can visit this Far Eastern city with the composition of the same name by Andreas Waldner. Worldwide trade relations and intercultural exchange with people from all over the world made Ayutthaya a metropolis in today’s sense as early as the 17th and 18th centuries. On 7 April 1767, the city met a terrible fate from which it was never to recover – it was conquered by the Burmese, looted and almost completely destroyed.
And so there would be many more stories and anecdotes to tell, but you can find them all yourself in the 77 News. If you are a full member, you can also read all the stories and scores, or listen to the music listings.
