Category Archives: What’s up?

Laying the ground for the future of traditions: artistic offer 2022-2023

On this occasion I share with you a brief information about the artistic offer we have for you. I will start by putting the news at the top: Xurxo Fernandes’s Levaino!, Ali Doğan Gönültaş, Di Gasn Trio and mujereson. This last one is so new that it hasn’t been premiered yet!

I invite you to click on the link of each one, where you will be able to see a video. Or listen to this playlist with pieces by all of them while you read: so beautiful that hurts.

Araceli Tzigane +34676302882

XURXO FERNANDES – Galicia

“Levaino!“, that is, “take it“. “Take it, take the song of our motherland“. That is the call that gives its name to the new work of Xurxo Fernandes, the restless Galician singer, dancer and folk collector, after spreading his knowledge and his art throughout Europe with Radio Cos. He is accompanied by a line-up of four musicians and a troupe of colourfull entertainers.

ALI DOĞAN GÖNÜLTAŞ – Anatolia

After hundreds of concerts in Turkey and two albums released with his extraordinary band of postrock, collage and experiential genres Ze Tîje, the Kurdish artists from Anatolya, settled in Istanbul, has self produced his album Kiğı, a personal look at the 150-year musical process of Kiğı, his birthplace, consists of works in the regional languages of Krmancki, Kurmanci, Kirdaski, Armenian, and Turkish.

DI GASN TRIO (QUARTET) – Israel

Di Gasn Trio (quartet most of the times) is a band chiefly influenced by music of the Balkan region and Klezmer music of Eastern Europe, blending additional elements of jazz, Arabic and classical music. Gal Klein and Yanush Hurwitz met in 2013. The fusion of these two musical ‘worlds’, though seemingly far apart but which actually embrace one another, created a unique musical result.

mujereson, by Patricia Álvarez & Vigüela – Spain

mujereson is born from a question:

How can we women continue to enjoy tradition despite the message and the narrative it constructs about us?

mujereson is a dialogue between the group Vigüela and the dancer Patricia Álvarez. A dance approach to how women are portrayed in the repertoire of Castilian sones.

To be premiered at the Fira Mediterrània de Manresa on October 7th.

RODOPI ENSEMBLE – Greek Thrace

Thrace is the birthday of Dionysus. A region at the Balcans, on the Southeast of Europe, at the North of Aegean sea, splitted between Bulgaria, Greece and the European Turkey. In Trace, the administrative borders blur in a cultural continuum that is evident on the unique features of its music and its dances. From the Greek part of Thrace it comes the Rodopi Ensemble.

We have a special collaboration with Medigrecian, the agency lead by Alkis Zopoglou, qanunist of Rodopi Ensemble. Learn more here about the other proposals of music from Greece.

HUDAKI VILLAGE BAND – Ukraine 

Nick Hobbs, CHARMWORKS: “I don’t know if there is a village called Hudaki but, if there is, that’s where I’m retiring to. Their music has a lovely languidness, speaking for itself without showy display. There’s no lead singer; voices and instruments come and go in all kinds of combinations. They’re delightful; positively adorable.”

VIGÜELA – Castile-La Mancha

The unique masters of son, jota, seguidilla and fandango. The history of Vigüela is the story of a vital surrender to a cultural legacy of a wild and very ignored beauty: the traditional music of the center of the Iberian Peninsula.

“I just cannot keep it in myself. I had the chance to listen to Vigüela live afterwards!!!! Wow… I really liked them… Truly amazing… indeed.” Zsuzsanna Kerényi. Cultural manager, Hungarian Heritage House

JANUSZ PRUSINOWSKI KOMPANIA – Poland

Janusz Prusinowski Kompania is the main representative of Polish traditional music, appreciated internationally both by the institutions and the public. At the same time, they are born entertainers, that combine their work in concerts in very diverse contexts, from rural parties to temples of music like the Carnegie Hall in New York, with folk dance workshops.

ENTAVÍA – Castile and León

Roots attached to the past and wings to fly towards the future… Entavía is a project born in Salamanca, made up of like-minded musicians. Entavía released their first album, Raíces con Alas, in 2017. And in Autumn of 2021 they released their second work: Arando Ñieve (Plowing Snow). They have played massively in Spain and have performed also in Portugal and Greece. This second album will be the definitive boost for their international career.

MONSIEUR DOUMANI – Cyprus

Cyprus’ most exported cultural product since Aphrodite. During their 9-year career Monsieur Doumani have received numerous awards including the ‘Best Group‘ Award in Songlines Music Awards 2019, the ‘Critics Award’ in Andrea Parodi World Music Awards and the German Records Critics Award (Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik) for their album Angathin (2018), which has also been awarded as ‘Best Album of 2018’ in the Transglobal World Music Chart“.

With Monsieur Doumani we work only for some regions. Feel free to ask.

Thank you for watching.

mujereson, world premiere at Fira Mediterrània de Manresa. With Patricia Álvarez & Vigüela

mujereson, world premiere at Fira Mediterrània de Manresa, Friday 7th October at 17:30 at L’Anònima. 

👉 And meet Araceli Tzigane, from Mapamundi Música, there. For any questions: +34676302882

 

mujereson,

by Patricia Álvarez & Vigüela 

mujereson is a dialogue between the group Vigüela and the dancer Patricia Álvarez. A dance approach to how women are portrayed in the repertoire of Castilian sones. 

As the philosopher Ernst Cassirer points out, we are symbolic animals and what we understand by cultural traditions are catalogues and manuals of behaviour constructed on the basis of symbols and they mark, on many occasions, how we see the world and how we see ourselves.

The music of the son is intimately linked to the message of the text, it speaks to us of experiences of legends, of stories that belong to the collective memory of communities and women are, on many occasions, represented in these lyrics through archetypes and characters full of clichés and corseted in forms of behaviour.

This spectacle brings together different songs that portray different archetypes of women, which could reconstruct the biography of our grandmothers and mothers: What is expected of a woman at the age of 20, what happens when she gets married, and if she doesn’t get married…? The choices of many women in the Iberian territory, the shortcomings, the longings, the prohibitions are portrayed in this corpus of knowledge that make up our musical tradition.

Symbolisation as a shape

Vigüela is a group with a long and strong link to tradition, their many years of research into singing, their styles and manners make them an international reference. They live tradition not as an artistic challenge but as a daily action, integrated in their day to day life.

Patricia Álvarez is a dancer specialised in traditional dances and folklore of the Mediterranean area, from a contemporary vision of dance that distances her from specific languages, although she relies on this corpus of traditional and folkloric information to navigate the performing arts.

All of them are united by this interest in the tradition that goes beyond the artistic fact, how the tradition is integrated in our subconscious, the experience itself that is linked to forms of expression through voices, sound or the body. Those symbols that take shape through music and dance.

mujereson is born from a question:

How can we women continue to enjoy tradition despite the message and the narrative it constructs about us?

 

It’s our birthday! ?14 years of genuine musics. Mastering of music traditions and high artistry, by Mapamundi Música.

Today, December 27th 2021, marks 14 years since the first concert organised under the Mapamundi Música brand. 

On 27th December 2007, the first concert managed by Mapamundi Música took place. It was in Sevilla la Nueva, a town in the province of Madrid, by the trio Cherno More, with the Sudanese artist Wafir Shaikheldin and the Bulgarian brothers Nasco and Ivo Hristov. This picture of me is in front of the stage for the first concert in Spain by Chuchurumel, Portuguese band, in June 2008 in Móstoles. Great memories.

Personally, during these years I have been able to meet and befriend professionals whom I greatly admire for their professionalism and commitment and I look forward to welcoming more colleagues and collaborators.

Mapamundi Música has attended dozens of fairs, festivals and conferences and has had three artists on the official WOMEX programme (Gulaza, Monsieur Doumani and Hudaki Village Band), something that back in 2007 seemed a dream hard to reach.

All this time we have maintained our radio activity, mainly with Mundofonías.

In July 2018 I started publishing the monthly newsletter Mapamundi Música, with the aim of delving deeper into what’s behind the scenes and giving visibility to professionals to learn from, as well as contributing to the community with useful news and some reflections.

I hope that in 2022 we can finally leave behind the nightmare that is making life so difficult for us. Count on Mapamundi Música and the know-how of our artists. Trust us, you won’t regret it. 

Thank you for your attention and very happy and successful 2022.

Araceli Tzigane

120 minutes with the music of my life, by Araceli Tzigane

The playlist with 2 hours of some of the music of the life of Araceli Tzigane is available now on the website of New Model Radio. Some of the artists died long time ago but the ones might enjoy to listen to the playlist and maybe discover some wonders they might now know.

The selection ranges from a rebetiko recording from 1932 to some of today’s most exciting artists, such as Sam Lee, through little-remembered milestones in history, such as Reinette l’Oranaise, and others who have gone on to big success, such as Mori Kanté with his Yeke Yeke, or pioneers of the concept of “world music”, such as Aksak Maboul, with a piece from 1980. And of course, some of the apple of Araceli’s eye, like Janusz Prusinowski Kompania or Vigüela.

Here you are:

Version in English
Version in Slovak

The playlist includes:

– Janusz Prusinowski Kompania – Mazurek „Skarga“
– Vigüela – Arrímate, pichón, a mí
– Alamaailman Vasarat – Mamelukki & Musta Leski
– Zaharias Kasimatis & Antonis Ntalgas – I dio seretes
– Four men from Vegas de Matute, Spain (Alan Lomax’s recording) – Ronda del caracol
– Alim Qasımov – Bagishlamani
– Aksak Maboul – I Viaggi Formano La Gioventu
– Stevie Wonder – Master Blaster
– Al Tall & Muluk El Hwa – Absencia – La jove negra
– Bienvenida Aguado – La mujer de Terah
– Ashkhabad – Bibining
– Iva Bittová – Zeleny vinecek
– Meira Asher – Maligora the Sand Child
– Le Diablo Mariachi – Vamp No Blues
– Lhasa De Sela – My Name
– Balkanto Vero & Ivica Vucelja – Under the sheet
– Bolivia Manta – Minerito
– Jorge Ben Jor – Mas, Que Nada!
– Reinette l’Oranaise – Nhabek Nhabek
– David Krakauer – Klezmer a La Bechet
– Cantor Moishe Oysher – Sheyibone Beit Hamikdash
– Mory Kante – Yeke Yeke
– Wowakin Trio – Kalineczka
– Sam Lee – The Ballad Of George Collins
– Dezoriental – Terra Incognita
– Les Négresses Vertes – Zobi la Mouche
– Daniele Sepe– Tarantella Del Gargano
– La Perla de Cádiz – De la morera (bulerías)

Thank you, Robert Gregor ?

Announcing the new collaboration of Mapamundi Música with Medigrecian / Alkis Zopoglou

Announcing the new collaboration between:

Hello! It is a pleasure to announce you the collaboration that has just started between Mapamundi Música and Medigrecian. 

Which is the objective?

It is to design and make available a versatile offer of high artistry of Greek music, incorporating in addition to the concerts, also activities that allow the public to participate actively in this cultural legacy.

What is Medigrecian?

It is the brand name created by Alkis Zopoglou to encompass his various artistic projects, which range from the Rodopi Ensemble, focusing on traditional Greek Thracian styles, to the Kontrabando Ensemble and its contemporary approach to Balkan music, to the collaboration with oudist Marina Lintou Mochament.

Who is Alkis Zopoglou?

I first met Alkis Zopoglou through his Mediterranean music festival in Switzerland. This is one of his facets, that of festival director.

It was only later that I got to know his artistic side and it was precisely his Rodopi Ensemble that enchanted me: popular Greek music, with a traditional flavour, performed with that differential subtlety of someone who has grown up with this music in his environment as much as with his mother tongue.

Apart from Rodopi Ensemble, Alkis leads several artistic projects which we will report on in this and future communications.

In 2019 Alkis was also appointed as artistic director of the Cosmopolis Festival in Kavala, his hometown.

You can find Alkis’ extended bio below.

Learn more about the first proposals we are offering with this collaboration:

Watch a video of each project here below under my signature. More proposals will be announced soon.

RODOPI ENSEMBLE

Click to watch the video:

 

MARINA LIONTOU MOCHAMENT & ALKIS ZOPOGLOU

Click to watch the video:

 

KONTRABANDO ENSEMBLE

Click to watch the video:

 

ALKIS’ ZOPOGLOU EXTENDED BIO

Alkis Zopoglou actively begins his pursuit of music from a very early age. For eight years he systematically takes lessons in Istanbul. There, he studies and meets the styles of performance of various important kanun players of Istanbul, such as Ahmet Meter, Halil Karaduman, Goksel Kartal and Goksel Baktagir. He is a licensee in Byzantine music.

Till today, he has developed an intense artistic activity. He takes part in several cultural events and in discography, with a significant number of prominent composers and bands of Greece (Chronis Aidonidis, Nikos Saragoudas, Stamatis Kraounakis, Haig Yazdjian, Nikos Filippidis, Theo Kapilidis, En Chordais and others). He is also co-operating with many foreign musicians like Theodossi Spassov, Sellahadin Maraqa, Ara Digjian, Kudsi Erguner, Suleiman Erguner, Imane Homsy, Charbel Rouhana, Samir Siblini, Fahrettin Yarkin, Necip Gulses, Hossein Omouni, Kiya and Ziya Tabassian, Ghada Shbeir, Rima Khcheich and others.

He has travelled for concerts in many foreign countries (Germany, France, USA, Canada, Australia, Tasmania, Netherlands, Egypt, Italy, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Mexico, China, Seoul, UAE, Israel, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Kuwait, Hong Kong, Oman, Romania, Finland, Sweden, United Kingdom, Ukraine and others). He has represented Greece as a musician and has taught qanun in international qanun meetings in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon Cyprus and Romania.

He is a founding member of the musical ensemble Kontrabando, artistic director of mediterranean music festival in Zurich-Switzerland (mmfestival.ch) and Cosmopolis festival in Kavala-Greece (cosmopolisfestival.gr).

Participation in the Conference on Digital Transformation and Resilience in Culture, talking about ConcierTajo

Next Thursday May 20th I will participate in the Conference on Digital Transformation and Resilience in Culture organised by Agetec, the association of cultural managers of Madrid, in the round table about “Experiences of adaptation to the new cultural environment”. I will talk about the experience of ConcierTajo, the artistic event that Mapamundi Música designed specifically for the online environment, for the ILO Office for Spain, with the musical band Vigüela. You can attend in person (with health measures, of course, and there are still a few places left) or in real time online. Check the complete program and register for free at: https://agetec.org/jornada-de-transformacion-digital-y-resiliencia-de-la-cultura-2021/

–

Spanish:

El próximo jueves día 20 de mayo participaré en la Jornada de Transformación Digital y Resiliencia en la Cultura organizada por la Asociación de Gestores y Técnicos Culturales de la Comunidad de Madrid Agetec, en la mesa redonda acerca de “Experiencias de adaptación al nuevo entorno cultural”. Hablaré de la experiencia de ConcierTajo, el evento artístico que diseñamos específicamente para el ámbito online, desde Mapamundi Música para la Oficina de la OIT para España, con el grupo musical Vigüela. Se puede seguir de manera presencial (con las medidas de seguridad sanitarias, por supuesto, y aún quedan algunas plazas) o en tiempo real online. Consulta todo el programa e inscríbete en: https://agetec.org/jornada-de-transformacion-digital-y-resiliencia-de-la-cultura-2021/ 

Araceli Tzigane, member of the jury for the second time of the Radio_Head Awards from the Slovak radio

Araceli Tzigane is pleased to be, for the second year, jury of the Radio_Head Awards, that allows her to discover the most exciting musical production of Slovakia.

Learn more about these Awards, here:

Araceli Tzigane, international judge of the Belgian World Music Network Showcase

Araceli Tzigane is honored to be the international judge of the edition of the Belgian World Music Network Showcase of 2021. The jury is composed by:

  • Rokia Bamba is a DJ and radio producer for Radio Campus.
  • Marc Decock is the global sounds programmer at the AB.
  • Tony Heynen is a journalist, label manager at NYP Records and DJ under the name Global Riddims.
  • Irène Rossi is in charge of programming and communication for the Couleur Café festival.
  • Araceli Tzigane is our international judge. She runs Mapamundi Música, a management and booking agency. She also co-hosts the radio programme Mundofonias.
  • Bertrand Veys is the programmer of the Jam’in Jette festival.

This external jury will choose the 4 bands and 2 DJ’s that will participate in the 2021 showcase evening. The decision and the program will be announced very soon.

Discover the jury of the Belgian World Music Night 2021

Araceli Tzigane in Ah! World Music

Alexis Herrería invited a few weeks ago Araceli Tzigane to his radio show in Ah! World Music to talk about her activities and to talk about the artists colaborators of Mapamundi Música. The conversation was so lively that it took finally two editions. Enjoy them:

First edition, with Hudaki Village Band, Monsieur Doumani, Vigüela and Janusz Prusinowski Kompania:

Second edition, with Entavía, Gulaza, Rodopi Ensemble, Svetlana Spajić Group and Xabi Aburruzaga: