Urna
The Magical Voice From Mongolia – Portrait (Network Medien / Membran Media 495137, 2012)
Portrait is a compilation of songs by Urna (Urna Chahar-Tugchi), who is one of the great voices of Inner Mongolia. The album features tracks from various albums as well as archive recordings and other unreleased material.
Although Urna’s outstanding vocals and music are rooted in Mongolian tradition, her music features elements that are unconventional in Mongolian folk music. She is currently based in Europe and has been working with European or European-based musicians for many years. Most of her diverse recordings have the ethereal ambiance found in the ECM-style recordings; it’s a contemporary chamber music esthetic that highlights her captivating voice and combines it with tasteful minimal instrumentation.
At times she is accompanied by fiddle, zither, saxophone or Middle Eastern and Chinese musical instruments. Highlights include the “Sacre Concert” in Rome with Italian saxophonist Luigi Cinque; music from her “Amilal” project where she is accompanied by maestro Zoltan Lantos on violin and renowned Iranian percussionists Keyvan and Djamshid Chemirani; as well as her collaboration with Polish group Kroke.
The CD booklet includes extensive biographical information with notes in English, German and French.
Portrait features the talented Urna, who is able to charm audiences and take them to the Central Asian grasslands with her gifted voice.
Buy Portrait – The Magical Voice From Mongolia
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.