Musical journeys with Eirimas Velička | African music

This time, our musical journey series continues in sub-Saharan Africa, whose vast expanses bring together a multitude of fascinating musical cultures. African music is distinguished by an extraordinary variety of forms and expressions, the timbral diversity of musical instruments, choral singing traditions and multilayered rhythms. We will listen to rare and unusual recordings: polyphonic singing by Central African Pygmies, mythic stories about the origins of instruments, a playful balafon ensemble, the meditative sound of Zimbabwean mbira, choral harmonies of Tanzania’s Wagogo people, and a xylophone and drum ensemble from Burkina Faso. The evening will be led by world music expert and doctor of art studies Eirimas Velička. Please note: this is not a concert; recordings will be played through high-quality sound equipment.***CLOSER TO MUSIC EVENTS are music evenings in different formats, devoted to attentive listening and deeper musical discovery. Some are led by engaging “companions”—musicologists, musicians, music lovers and other knowledgeable people who invite participants to explore the musical culture of a particular genre, composer, instrument, performer or country. At other gatherings, recorded music is at the centre of the evening: participants listen to a programme prepared in advance. We listen to high-quality recordings played from vinyl records or high-resolution digital files, allowing us to sense their particular emotional content, appreciate performance nuances and immerse ourselves in the depths of the music.