Ballads and legends featuring kings and queens, poets, pirates, mercenaries, merchants and peasants
Hirundo Maris:
Arianna Savall: soprano, harp, lyra,
Petter Udland Johansen: tenor, traditional violin, hardingfele, gittern, lyra,
Tristan Driessens: oud, lavta,
Efren Lopez: oud, lavta, hurdy gurdy, bendir,
Derya Türkan: kemençe,
David Mayoral: percussion, bells, santur,
“I want to sing like the birds sing, without worrying about who hears or what they think.” Rûmî
When we set sail for new horizons, music will be the wind that blows us to new seas and new places, poetry will be our captain and our inspiration, and we will steer our ship to the shore where music and poetry will open up a new world to us. In this new program, Looking for New Horizons, we will be inspired by the rich musical and poetic traditions of the Middle Ages. The fascination we humans have for extraordinary adventures and stories has followed us since the days when we sat around a fire and gazed at the stars, and when, in a moment out of time, the shaman or druid could charm his listeners with a magical and marvelous tale. Today, many of us seek the same excitement through modern storytellers like Netflix, but the need to dream through music and words remains the same. Our program showcases the rich song culture found in the Middle Ages. In Norway, where our journey begins, it was the skald who sang and told the stories of gods, kings, princesses and heroes, just as the troubadours and trobairitz of Europe sang the praises of Amor and her unattainable beauty. This journey from Scandinavia to ancient Constantinople, where so many cultures and languages meet, is an important part of our heritage and has inspired many artists over the centuries.
December 2021, Arianna Savall, Petter Udland Johansen and Tristan Driessens.
