Stephan Micus - 1976 - Archaic Concerts
Virgin records (Caroline UK) C 1517
Tracks :
A Concert for Gender, Shakuhachi, and Zither (18:40)
B Concert for Angklung, Acoustic Guitar, Rabab, and Zither (17:45)
The first Micus album and the only one which is not available on CD (as far I know)
Born in 1953 in Germany, Stephan Micus made his first journey to the
Orient at the age of sixteen. Fascinated by the variety of musical
cultures around the world Micus has travelled in virtually every Asian
and European country as well as in Africa and the Americas. Studying
with local master musicians he learned to play numerous traditional
instruments, many of them unknown in the Western world. However,
Micus‘s intention is not to play these instruments in a traditional
manner, but rather to develop the fresh musical possibilities which he
feels are inherent in them. In many of his compositions, which he
performs himself, he combines instruments that have never before been
played together. The resulting dialogues further reflect his vision of
a transcultural music.
In addition to his exclusively acoustic
instruments Micus also uses his voice, at times – with multitrack
recording techniques – creating whole choral pieces by himself. The
words he sings usually do not carry any known meaning. However, on Athos he set to music ancient Greek prayers to the Virgin Mary, on Desert Poems he performed two original poems in English and on Life he has set to music an ancient Japanese Koan.
Many
of Europe’s leading dance companies have chosen his work for their
productions. He has performed hundreds of solo concerts over the last
30 years throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas.
Studies He
has studied a variety of instruments including guitar, concert-flute,
sitar in Benares (India), flamenco guitar in Granada (Spain),
shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute) and sho (Japanese mouth organ) in
Kyoto (Japan), suling (Balinese flute) in Ubud (Bali), Uillean pipes in
Carna (Ireland), sinding (African harp) in Gambia, dondon (talking
drum) in Accra (Ghana), doussn’ gouni (African harp) in Bamako (Mali),
duduki (Georgian oboe) and choral singing in Tbilisi (Georgia), hné
(Burmese oboe) in Yangon and Mandalay (Myanmar), duduk (Armenian oboe)
in Yerevan (Armenia), bagana (Ethiopian lyre) in Addis Abeba.
In
search of musical culture and context Micus has travelled extensively,
in particular in India, Japan, Indonesia, Korea, Afghanistan, Morocco,
Algeria, Tunisia, Thailand, Egypt, Burma, Sri Lanka, Turkey, USA,
Canada, Israel, China, Gambia, Senegal, Nepal, Ladakh, Sinkiang,
Venezuela, Tanzania, Argentina, Peru, Ghana, Mali, Jordan, Georgia,
Ethiopia, Pakistan, Yemen, Cuba, Lebanon, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia,
Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Cabo Verde, Mauretania, Armenia, Karabagh.
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