Choir of the Screaming Men & Bulgarian Voices Angelite
Finnish cult choir meets Balkan folk – Reflektor André Heller
Leaving cliches behind
Reflecting the creativity that has driven him to explore almost every genre as an artist, André Heller has invited very different groups to perform together in joint concerts at the Reflektor festival curated by him. The Finnish choir of screaming men »Mieskuoro Huutajat« and the Bulgarian women’s choir »Angelite« both count among the best-known vocal groups of their respective countries, and they have gained fame far beyond those borders.
A choir that doesn’t sing? In the choir’s concerts, Mieskuoro Huutajat declaims, shouts and screams everything from national anthems to nursery rhymes and legislative texts. At times, the 30 men bellow in unisono, at other times in multiple rhythmically complex groups of voices, usually a cappella and sometimes using props such as megaphones or Alpine-horn-like flues. Petri Sirviö composes works for the choir and conducts it – with a drumstick.
Bulgarian Voices Angelite take a slightly more conventional approach: the women’s choir presents Bulgaria’s unique singing tradition in colourful costumes. In addition to Bulgarian folk songs, the choir also performs contemporary commissioned works that build on that musical legacy. With music balanced between western harmony and eastern microtonal vibrations, the choir leaves all folk cliches far behind.
Performers
Mieskuoro Huutajat
The Bulgarian Voices Angelite
Programme
»Powerful voices«
Part 1: Mieskuoro Huutajat
– Interval –
Part 2: The Bulgarian Voices Angelite
Festival
Reflektor André Heller