Kira Kiralina – Anton Pann Early Music Chamber Ensemble
Computerland Romania supported as the main sponsor the organization of the show "Kira Kiralina" on September 29, 2018 at the Radio Hall, performed by the "Anton Pann" Early Music Chamber Ensemble.
The "Anton Pann" Early Music Chamber Ensemble is one of the most famous chamber groups in the context of Romanian early music. This fact is not accidental, being due to the performances of its members both from an interpretative point of view and in terms of the research undertaken by them, the ensemble being founded by the composer, conductor and Byzantinologist Constantin Raileanu. Thus, the enthusiastic reaction of the public to the proposal launched by the "Anton Pann" Ensemble, that of a concert-performance with the subject of the ballad Kira Kiralina, is evident.
The premise of the event was to present a musical journey of the protagonist, Kira Kiralina, starting from the music of the Braila area and presenting music from the Mediterranean space, to reach the Moroccan area at the narrative end of the ballad. Beyond the Balkan-Mediterranean music presented along the way, the audience also enjoyed moments of improvisation from the musicians.
"What you will hear tonight is a variant, a version, of this story – Kira Kiralina. But in order to have the reason to create this wonderful meeting that we are actually repeating – it happened for the first time in Morocco, last year, when we were invited by the French Cultural Institute and together with the musicians that you will see tonight we created this project, Kira Kiralina, meant to explore the fertile and colorful sounds of the rich and fascinating Mediterranean space, from Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia and Spain, to Morocco.
"That's why what we're telling you tonight is not necessarily the sad story of Kira who was kidnapped, she is actually the reason that allowed us this cultural journey from Romania to Morocco." - declared Constantin Raileanu, founder of the "Anton Pann" Ensemble, at the opening of the concert.
Along with Romanian musicians:
Constantin Raileanu – voice and musical coordinator
Sabin Penea – violin
Alexandru Stoica – oud (short-necked lute)
Andrei Nitescu – cello
Issam Garfi – flute / bansouri / ney
Three famous Moroccan artists completed the exotic story:
Mahmoud Chouki – guitar and louthar
Tawfik Belkhdar – percussion
Roaa – voice
The proposed music is a syncretic one, combining jazz with the archaic sounds specific to the cultural spaces through which the ballad takes us. On the border between reality and legend, the story of the young innkeeper Kira Kiralina from the port of Braila crosses time, fascinating writers, filmmakers and musicians alike, through the drama and oriental fragrance that emanates from each narrated scene.
The actual repertoire of the evening was made up of works taken from the collection "Spitalul amorului" by Anton Pann or pieces collected from Romanian, Turkish, Egyptian or Tunisian folklore, as well as works composed by the members of the ensemble and their guests.
The most acclaimed moments of the evening were the pieces composed by Mahmoud Chouki, who combined North African stylistics with jazz harmonic language. An admirable piece performed by the entire ensemble together with the guests was the famous song "Ciocarlia", a moment of intense vibration that resonated perfectly with the audience in the hall, creating a perfect symbiosis, completed with applause and long ovations.
Among the main attractions of the evening were the digital animations projected on the walls of the Radio Hall, exceptionally conceived and produced by Oana Benko Raileanu, intended to help the audience visualize certain narrative scenes, a fact that represents a novelty in the context of early Romanian music.
This show is part of the series of exceptional events organized by the "Anton Pann" Early Music Chamber Ensemble, such artistic initiatives being necessary and, obviously, admirable.
