Glatt & Verkehrt, Austria’s largest world music festival will be held June 28 – July 29 in the town of Krems and at other places in the Wachau area. Krems is about 75 kms from Austria’s capital, Vienna.
The international festival features well known artists from various parts of the world as well as local and regional acts. Some of the highlights include the World Premieres of local musicians Burkhard Stangl and Elektro Guzzi, together with international stars such as singer-songwriter Eric Bibb, the legendary African jazz musician Hugh Masekela, and Juan De Marcos Gonzalez (the true head of the “Buena Vista Social Club” project), rising West African star Fatoumata Diawara, Lebanese trumpet sensation Ibrahim Maalouf (read a review of his brand new album at World Music Central), Iranian frame drum maestro Mohammad Reza Mortazavi, and Barbatuques from Sao Paolo.
Glatt & Verkehrt will also present a World Music Sound Trip focused on the musical traditions of the Danube Region. Artists featured include New York musician Frank London, Söndörgö (Hungary), Fanfare Shavale (Romania), Dürnsteiner Bläsergruppe and Trachtenkapelle Spitz (Austria), Trombone Head (Austria), and others.
Program
June 28, 2012, 18:00 at diverse wine taverns
Bessarabian Taraf
Dyas & Guests
Upper Austria’s world music scene is flourishing! Best example: the four artists of this double concert, all of whom have been living and working in Linz since the turn of the century. First, the duo Dyas: two accordion virtuosos and a couple on stage and in real life. Yova Serkova is from Lowetsch, the Bulgarian town about 70km south of the Danube; Andrej Serkov was born in Pobugskoje, about 200km north of Odessa.
Nenad Vasilic “Just Fly” / guest: Natasa Mirkovic
Born in 1975 in Nis, Nenad Vasilic has been living in Vienna for around 15 years. For us, he has thought of a luxury version of his program “Just Fly”, involving not only the rich tradition of his origins, but also Bulgarian, Croatian, and Bosnian elements as well as pure, powerful Jazz “with no American songs in the repertoire”. Old song traditions meet a new art of improvisation; wild excursions lead you through and across the Balkan area. Music to take off—“Just Fly”…
Friday, June 29th, 17:00 at diverse wine taverns
Die Strottern & Blech
Klosterneuburg, the hometown of the Strottern, is situated at the Danube, and before the river reaches Vienna it is forced to pass the Strottern’s network of ideas. This has transformed them ever since they became active in the scene, and it is still amazing how this simple duo formation can sustainably influence Viennese music with their vocals, violin, and guitar. The Strottern have always been interested in passing on some responsibility to guest musicians. So, for about two years now, in this cast, the duo has been expanded to a quartet.
Nadara
Roma, Romanian, Hungarian, German, and Jewish people living side by side in peace: this would be the vision of an ideal Transylvania. In fact, an online search for a certain village takes one to a jungle of place names in three or four different languages. Anyhow, the region’s cultural diversity is so big that the music by Nadara easily defies any national or ethnical classification.
Bessarabian Taraf
Söndörgö
In the form of Turkish or Persian instruments like the baglama or the saz, Turkey is also the origin of the impulse that preceded the development of the tambura. Söndörgö completely fell for tambura music. Their instrumental pieces are both delicate and fiery at the same time, their songs of passionately moving character.
Saturday, June 30th, 16:00 at Schiffstation Krems/Stein
Dunaj, Dunav, Dunarea!
With Frank London the New York composer, arranger, and trumpet player, an extraordinarily popular guest returns to the Wachau. Calling this man simply “active” would be more than an understatement; he is a busy musician.
Sunday, July 1st, 11:00 at Dürnstein
Fanfare Shavale
Close to two hundred people live in the small Romanian village of Zece Präjini. There, every real man plays at least one brass instrument. It is difficult to track back these musicians’ musical heritage, as they have been making music as long as they can think back in time. And together with their instruments, this tradition has been passed on from one generation to the next. Fanfare Shavale—from this very village—play a specific musical mixture: Romanian Gypsy music that combines the traditions of ancient Roma music with those of the Balkan.
H. Löschel Stadtkapelle
“Songs that travel from Germany along the Danube all the way to the Black Sea”, announces ensemble leader Hannes Löschel. How appropriate for this closing concert of our Danube special!
Friday, July 13th, 09:00 at Klangraum Krems – Arkadenhof
Percussion-workshop for kids with Adriano Adewale
Samba, baiao, maracatu and igexa—traditional Afro-Brazilian music and rhythms are at the basis of this kids’ workshop where a lot more than just shakers, drums and bells will be used as rhythm instruments: Adriano Adewale will show the kids how to use their own bodies and their own voices as rhythm instrument and how to improvise with them.
Thursday, July 19th, 20:00 at Castle of Spitz
Mnozil Brass
Pioneers have a rough ride, usually. Territories they have struggled to conquer are occupied by others with ease; ideas they have realized under great effort are easily made into money by imitators. But not with these gentlemen! In 1992 they started their careers as brass players for the regulars at the “Mnozil” Wirtshaus, right across one of the many houses of the University of Music and Applied Art in Vienna.
Friday, July 20th, 19:00 at Stift Göttweig and 20 Uhr | castle of Spitz
Workshop Reprises
Traditional music is everywhere, both in the cities and in the countryside. Viennese music, Sevdalinke, Klezmer, Tango, Musette, etc. etc.—all come about anew again and again between the two poles of “rural” and “urban”, between urban exodus and rural exodus, yet also between the desolation of city centers and the flourishing of culture in the suburbs.
Feier.Abend
As it is with cabaret artists and actors—and maybe even artists in general—Erwin Steinhauer reinvents himself over and over again. That’s why we sometimes forget how long he has been around in the German-speaking (cabaret) art landscape. He can definitely be called a pioneer of modern Austrian cabaret.
Saturday, July 21st, 19:00 at| Klangraum Krems Minoritenkirche
Contradiction & Cineamano
The Basque culture and with it the Basque language (Euskara) are among the oldest linguistic forms in Europe. The connection between language and folk music is especially impressive in this region. The tradition of the Bertsolaritza is based on improvisation. Spontaneously formed rhymes are at the core of these a capella songs, and the reputation of the performers increases with their originality, musical virtuosity and, above all, emotional depth.
Wednesday, July 25th, 18:00 at Winzer Krems, Sandgrube 13
From folk to world music: singer-songwriters are as essential to Glatt & Verkehrt as salt is to soup. At the festival’s opening: Eric Bibb & Habib Koité—Brothers in Bamako!
Youn Sun Nah & Ulf Wakenius
From folk to world music: singer-songwriters are as essential to Glatt &Verkehrt as salt is to soup. At the festival’s opening: Youn Sun Nah from Korea together with Ulf Wakenius.
Burkhard Stangl “Imaginary Folksongs”
From folk to world music: singer-songwriters are as essential to Glatt&Verkehrt as salt is to soup. At the festival’s opening: a beautiful Austrian project directed by guitarist Burkhard Stangl and devoted to a local song repertoire.
Thursday, July 26th, 18:00 at Winzer Krems, Sandgrube 13
Houria Aïchi & L´Hijâz`Car
The Eastern world is full of clichés. Yet, the musicians found subsumed in this region don’t really care and that’s why we in the Western world look forward to Algerian singer Houria Aichi and her contemporary French ensemble L’Hijaz Car.
Ibrahim Maalouf
The Eastern world is full of clichés. Yet, the musicians found subsumed in this region don’t really care and that’s why we in the Western world look forward to the versatile Lebanese trumpet player Ibrahim Maalouf.
Mohammad Reza Mortazavi & Han Bennink
The Eastern world is full of clichés. Yet, the musicians found subsumed in this region don’t really care and that’s why we in the Western world look forward to a duo performance of the frame drum virtuoso Mohammad Reza Mortazavi and the Dutch drummer Han Bennink.
Friday, July 27th, 18:00 at Winzer Krems, Sandgrube 13
Marewrew & Oki
São Paulo is Japan’s biggest city—outside of Japan… That’s why the styles and genres on this festival day not only merge within the melting pot of Brazil, but all the way across the oceans: the a capella quartet Marewrew featuring Dub Ainu—a homage to the indigenous culture on Hokkaido and in easternmost Russia.
Kiwi & Papaya Sakaki Mangoes
São Paulo is Japan’s biggest city—outside of Japan… That’s why the styles and genres on this festival day not only merge within the melting pot of Brazil, but all the way across the oceans: with the delicious culinary combo “Kiwi and the Papaya Mangoes”!
Barbatuques
São Paulo is Japan’s biggest city—outside of Japan… That’s why the styles and genres on this festival day not only merge within the melting pot of Brazil, but all the way across the oceans: with Barbatuqes, a collective performing perfect body percussion.
Saturday, July 28th, 18:00 at Winzer Krems, Sandgrube 13
Juan de Marcos & Afro Cuban All Stars
A group of brilliant musicians around the man without whom the world-wide success of the “Buena Vista Social Club” would not have been the same: Juan de Marcos González’ Afro Cuban All Stars.
Elektro Guzzi feat. Yoruba Percussion
Three ensemble members of Yoruba Andabo join the adventure of an encounter with the German-Austrian guitar band Elektro Guzzi.
Yoruba Andabo
Rumba is much more than just a standard dance in our dancing schools; it is rather a true Afro-Cuban culture, which Yoruba Andabo is devoted to.
Sunday, July 29, 17:00 at Winzer Krems, Sandgrube 13
Mamadou Diabate’s Percussion Mania feat. Juan Garcia Herreros
Hugh Masekela
The evening culminates in the appearance of a living legend: Hugh Masekela, trumpeter, singer, integration figure from South Africa.
Fatoumata Diawara
Then, the charismatic, versatile gifted Fatoumata Diawara comes on stage. Her songs combine elements from Mali, Ivory Coast and her place of residence, Paris.
More information at www.glattundverkehrt.at
Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central
