Dhrupad is an inspirational, devotional genre and at the same time passionate and earthy. It is highly melodious and cosists of structured and meditative moments as well as improvisations of great rhythmic vitality.
Here dhrupad is combined with the following elements to create an organic presentation rich in nuances, unexpected sound-textures and a fascinating dance vocabulary:
* Innovative accompaniment influenced by Early European music
* European, Middle-Eastern and Indian percussion rhythms
* Original choreography based on Indian Bharat-Natyam and
Western contemporary dance.
The carefully selected texts are the focus of all the musical and choreographic efforts. These mystic verses become a unifying element producing a strong emotional impact, full of suggestion and atmosphere:
* temple hymns of medieval India
* hymns of the ancient Romans (in Latin)
* Laudi of medieval Italy
* plain-chants of the Cistercian monastries (in Latin)
* modern Italian verses
*** besides Amelia Cuni´s compositions, this concert may include pieces by Terry Riley, Jonathan Lloyd and other composers, specifically written for this ensemble and fitting the artistic direction of this performance.
In Danza d´Amore we invite the audience to join us in our pursuit of an ideal where the performing arts are conceived as an offering of the Self to the Divine, a sacred moment of contemplation and ecstasy, food for mind and soul.
The performers:
Amelia Cuni : vocals, tanpura
Federico Sanesi : tabla, mridangam, pakhawaj, kettle-drums, etc.
Tatty Theo : baroque cello
Francis Silkstone : baroque violin, surbahar
Nuria Sala Grau : dance
selected performances
- Festival E' Vento e Suono 1996, Teatro Rossini, Pesaro
- Udine Estate 1997, Teatro S.Giorgio, Udine
- Festival: Il Sacro attraverso l´Ordinario, Chiostro di S.Francesco, Torino 1997
- Capannori in Festival, Villa Mansi (Lucca) 1997
- U.K. Tour 1997 with SOUNDS BAZAAR (London, Dorchester, Bath, Winchester, Oxford)
- Festival Cusiano di musica antica 1998, Isola di S.Giulio-Orta
- Teatro delle Erbe, Milano 1998
- Dartington International Festival of Music 1998, Devon/U.K.
- Festival Nature Dei Teatri 1998, Corte di Giarola-Parma
- Etnofestival 1998, S.Marino
- Festival internazionale di musica sacra 1998, Pordenone
- una via teatrale, Hiroshima Mon Amour, Torino 1999
- Aspekte Indischer Musik-Tradition und Innovation, Passionskirche-Berlin 1999
-concert tour in the U.K. 1999 with Terry Riley : Norfolk and Norwich Festival, Festival Rainbow over Bath´ and Oxford Contemporary Music Festival.
-Pellegrinaggio in Oriente, Villa Rizzardi, Dolcè (VR) 2000
-35th Festival Autunno Musicale a Como, 2001
