Abel Selaocoe has been shaking up the music scene for a few years now: with his captivating concerts, in which he not only plays the cello but also sings and uses his body and instrument for percussion, he has won the hearts of audiences across genres. Together with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, he now explores France’s relationship with the African continent.
The programme takes its inspiration from the Mistral, the powerful wind that sweeps through France towards Africa:
»It reshapes deeply rooted trees and alters vast landscapes. Like the Mistral, we move across cultures that have coexisted for centuries, first colliding through conquest and colonial rule, before ultimately coming together through the pursuit of freedom and the search for a shared cultural expression.«
This musical journey begins at the Baroque court of Louis XIV, where Rameau, Lully, Marais and Delalande delighted aristocratic audiences. Via Debussy and Ligeti, who in the 20th century engaged with the music of cultures beyond Europe, the programme arrives in the present day. Original compositions by the charismatic Abel Selaocoe form both the climax and conclusion of the concert.
PERFORMERS
Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen orchestra
Abel Selaocoe cello and voice
Sidiki Dembélé percussion
Antti Tikkanen concertmaster and director
PROGRAM
Jean-Philippe Rameau
Une symphonie imaginaire
Jean-Baptiste Lully
Suite imaginaire
Marin Marais
Les voix humaines
Michel-Richard Delalande
Troisième Leçon du Jeudi Saint
Claude Debussy
Sonata in D minor for Violoncello and Piano
György Ligeti
Studies in African Rhythms
György Ligeti
Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet
Abel Selaocoe
Qhawe
Abel Selaocoe
Tsohle tsohle
Abel Selaocoe
Takamba
Sidiki Dembélé
Shaka
Abel Selaocoe
Kea Morata
