MARIA PALATINE
Transcription
MARIA PALATINE
CONCERT MARIA PALATINE © 2012 Photo Cover : Eleonore Dumont ~ Design : www.oliviersmeesters.com ~ Writing : Maria Palatine www.mariapalatine.com Presents www.mariapalatine.com 1. She A coproduction of : HARP CENTER BRUSSELS: Maria Palatine ADASONG PRODUCTIONS: André d’Anjou ASBL DU BANC PUBLIC: Bernard Tirtiaux Line up: Maria Palatine: Harp, voice Anne Sophie Maier: Backing vocals Stefan Pougin : Percussions Manu Hermia : Saxophone, bansuri, flute Klaus Zimmermann: Live-electronic ~ Contact ADASONG PRODUCTIONS Management André d’Anjou: 62, Avenue Jean Palfyn 1020 Bruxelles ~ Belgique Tel/ Fax : 0032 (0) 2-742 92 22 adasong@skynet.be MARIA PALATINE 3. www.mariapalatine.com 1. She A concert on twelve musical portraits of women by Maria Palatine in which the press says : Maria Palatine, the angel with the harp. Beautiful and wild, possessing a divine talent. Together with her ensemble, she presents a potpourri of jazz, classic and chansons. Jazzy, poetic songs with Maria Palatines voice that get under your skin. Concert harp, song, saxophone and percussion combine into a pure sound sensation which simultaneously surprises and fascinates. Mike Thulke, European culture projects ~ Maria Palatine lets the lyrics resound on the strings of her harp, this senusal and majestic instrument. This gifted harpist strikes up a pure and powerful singing that seems to catch the light like a living cristal. Le Soir, Bruxelles ~ Maria Palatine and her ensemble excited the auditory with expressive compositions. Mannheimer Morgen ~ A gripping presentation, exciting and attractive. Sounds of extraordinary brilliance. Frankfurter Rundschau MARIA PALATINE 4. www.mariapalatine.com 1. She This concert program came into being through women in the public sphere, like Aung San Suu Kyi or Parvin Fahimi, through women that surround me, like my mother or my daughters, or by personalities I invented like in the song “Coming from the Black Mountains”. The feeling and drive all these wonderful women I appreciate throughout this CD have in common is their love for life, which led them on to the political, social and artistic arena in exceptional ways. The selection of women is purely subjective as well as my view on their lives. Thus, every song is a prism of what I feel, is essential and remarkable. ~ Nowadays the harp, which is one of the most feminine and sensual instruments, frees herself of the nostalgic clichés, like sorting out an old dress that became too tight. The harp is a means of expression to a generation of women who want to choose emancipation without giving up their femininity, which is multifaceted, colorful and autonomous. MARIA PALATINE © 2012 Photo : Volker Wasserthal 5. www.mariapalatine.com 1. She The songs of the concert 1.Living in St. Gilles (Lyrics and composition: Maria Palatine) I am living in St. Gilles, which is a very cosmopolitan and vibrant neighborhood in Brussels. This song describes my feeling for the quality of life there as a female musician in a neighborhood that combines occident and orient “I am a woman living in St.Gilles; if I make it there I make it everywhere….” 2.The other side (Lyrics and composition: Maria Palatine) I composed this song for a friend who is combating cancer, who prefers to stay anonymous MARIA PALATINE 6. www.mariapalatine.com 1. She 3.For Aung San su kyi (Lyrics and composition: Maria Palatine) Aung San Suu Kyi is a Burmese politician who was born in 1945 in Rangoon, Burma. She is the symbol for the non-violent opposition to the military dictatorship in her country. During the time she was held in house arrest by the military dictatorship she gained tremendous international support against the military junta (among others from nine Nobel Prize winners). She came free on the 13th November 2010! “She who keeps alive the power of belief until the dawning of freedom…” 4.None of beauty’s daughters (Lyrics: Lord Byron; composition: Maria Palatine) For my daughter Luise-Marie, who is studying Psychology in Germany, and who loves and practices all the things that render life beautiful: dance, music, poetry and theatre MARIA PALATINE 7. www.mariapalatine.com 1. She 5.Her eyes are as blue (Lyrics and composition: Maria Palatine) For my oldest daughter Anne-Sophie who is currently doing her Masters in International Politics and Human Rights in London. When time allows her, she accompanies me for my concerts with her beautiful mezzo voice. She was the youngest choir member of the state opera in Karlsruhe, Germany 6.My mother’s garden (Lyrics and composition: Maria Palatine) For my mother, who fulfills the traditional role of a woman with dignity and tenderness in our large family living in Palatine MARIA PALATINE 8. www.mariapalatine.com 1. She 7.Ave Maria 8.And God made me a woman (Lyrics and composition: Maria Palatine) This song is part of my film music for the documentary on the Virgin Mary of Banneux. In that song a character of the Virgin Mary is created that is not letting herself be tamed by the dogmas of the church, who is driven by the forces of the elements water, wind and earth (Lyrics: Gioconda Belli, composition: Maria Palatine) Gioconda Belli was an activist of the Sardinian movement against the dictator Somoza. Persona non grata, she was forced to exile to Mexico. At the moment she is living between Managua and Los Angeles. Her literary creations are a blend of eroticism and political engagement. Her remarkable work is known world-wide however, her work has been subject to various criticisms in her native country: the catholic Nicaragua 9.First lady of the Vatican (Lyrics and composition: Maria Palatine) What would change in this world if the pope were to marry? Would the influence of a woman’s opinion not open up the catholic universe towards a greater flexibility and humanity about questions such as contraception and the celibacy of priests? This song is an attempt to give a humorous answer to these essential questions 10.I am a woman (Lyrics: Jouama Haddad, music: Maria Palatine) This piece is filled by the fierce independent mind of Jouama Haddad, a Jordanian writer who founded the first erotic magazine in the Arab world. Invited to Belgium in 2011, she gave a conference at the Brussels’ book fair MARIA PALATINE 9. www.mariapalatine.com 1. She 11.Parvin Fahimi’s Lamento (Lyrics and composition: Maria Palatine) Parvin Fahimi is Iranian and the mother of Sohrob Araabi’s, a student that was assassinated during the protests following the elections in June 2009. He was, like so many other students, part of the Iranian Green Movement that questions the legitimacy of the presidency of Mahmud Ahmadinejad. Parvin Fahimi, who publicly expresses her indignation and revolt against a regime that tortures and assassinates peaceful protestors, became the voice for mothers whose sons have sacrificed their lives for more democracy. In this song you hear a man’s voice that stands for Parvin Fahami’s son, speaking to his mother in Persian 12.Miss Tibet (Lyrics and composition: Maria Palatine) Miss Tibet is the prize winner of an annual beauty competition, which takes place in Dharamsala, India. Today the laureate of Miss Tibet is also taking part in the Miss Earth beauty contest. The beauty competition Miss Tibet is one of most acclaimed events taking place in Tibet. During the last contest the Chinese government interfered and put pressure on the organizers for the prize winner to be renamed as Miss Tibet-China. In my song I depict Miss Tibet as a spokes-person for a generation of Tibetans who are conscious of their Buddhist roots and confront the persecutions prevailing in their countries with a pacific spirit. I also portray her as the defender of those who crave for a more modern and open world. What responsibility for the beautiful Miss Tibet! MARIA PALATINE 10. www.mariapalatine.com II. Press As a dynamic and adventurous musician performance artist, Maria Palatine pushes her concert harp to its limits, delivering charged classical, jazz and avant-garde performances. Gregg Stevens, Phoenix, New York ~ The ethereal harp of Maria Palain’ She dances with the harp and she sings divine. Nouvelle Gazette, Belgium ~ Dancing with harp Pforzheimer Zeitung MARIA PALATINE 11. www.mariapalatine.com II. Press Maria Palatine, the angel with the harp. Beautiful and wild, possessing a divine talent. Together with her ensemble, she presents a potpourri of jazz, classic and chansons. Jazzy, poetic songs with Maria Palatines voice that get under your skin. Concert harp, song, saxophone and percussion combine into a pure sound sensation which simultaneously surprises and fascinates. Mike Thulke, European culture projects ~ Maria Palatine lets the lyrics resound on the strings of her harp, this senusal and majestic instrument. This gifted harpist strikes up a pure and powerful singing that seems to catch the light like a living cristal. Le Soir, Bruxelles ~ Maria Palatine and her ensemble excited the auditory with expressive compositions. Mannheimer Morgen ~ A gripping presentation, exciting and attractive. Sounds of extraordinary brilliance. Frankfurter Rundschau ~ MARIA PALATINE © 2012 Photo : Eléonore Dumont 12. www.mariapalatine.com II. Press A conquered public, accomplished artists, organizers in seventh heaven,… the third “Researchers’ Night” organized on September 28 in Louvain-la-Neuve was a great success. Beyond the mob success, it should above all be retained the breath which animated this magic night, from the beginning to the end, thanks to the very beautiful spectacle proposed by the harpist Maria Palatine and the poet Bernard Tirtiaux. A spectacle from which one will particularly remember the music composed by the young German composer and interpreted by a unique musical ensemble and by the Chorus “La Badinerie”, under the direction of Daniel Lipnik. A music at the same time simple and very original, drawing its inspiration as well in the classical music as in the jazz and in the world’s music. The composition of Maria Palatine’s ensemble itself (harp, piano, saxophone/flute and two percussionists) gave to the music a single sonority. Add to it an obvious pleasure to play and the vibrating presence of Maria Palatine, and you will have the explanation of the passion of a public which, at the end of the spectacle, rose as one man to offer to the artists a long ovation. Pierre Escoyez - Service Presse et communication U.C.L. Magical Night ~ Whirlwind brushes the instrument of king the “wrong” way - passionate, sensible, vigorous, she leads a new dimension to the harp. Each moment of her progressive playing is a pleasure for one’s ears and, last but not least, for the eyes. Baden-Baden Tagblatt Un CD qui est plein de merveilles : Une voix si féline et romantique, des sensations de voyages... les compositions sont fortes. C’est un album homogène mais avec plein de petites bulles qui étonnent. Comme les manières dont elle utilise les quatuors : rythmés, scandés... Quant à la harpe, elle en joue mieux que n’importe qui. On oublie que c’est de la harpe...J’entends de la guitare ou du piano… Line Adam, composer, Belgium, january 2010 ~ ~ with Evan Parker and Ornette Coleman: Boston, December 2009 With Spindrift, Maria Palatine has made a wonderful new CD. She really draws you into her world. I especially liked the beautifully lyrical song “Deep as the ocean blue” and the original and urgent “Melting point of eternity”. Brenda Dor -Groot,International Jazz Harp Foundation: Rotterdam, December 2009 MARIA PALATINE 13. www.mariapalatine.com III. Biography T he story of my life could also have the title: “My home is where my harp is”. Playing harp, however, does not only cause highest delights, but sometimes quite prosy dragging. Therefore, in former times, when I came back home from a concert at night, my father - while helping me getting out my multi-string monster out of the car - used to sigh: “Couldn’t you have learned playing flute instead?” But the fact that there was a harp in my family was due to my grand-uncle, a painter who, during the National Socialist dictature in Germany, was a deserter and hided in the Alps for several years. Although he never was legal resident during this time he had access to the regional civilisation and learned playing the popular harp. The war being over, he came back to his homeland, the Palatinate in South Western Germany, and passed on his knowledge, as well as his harp, to my mother. It was from her I learned the basics of playing harp as well as singing. My paternal grandmother, who directed a travelling theatre all her life, brought the love for theatre into my family. This may be why already during my studies, and despite of a foreign scholarship and the beginning of my career as a chamber musician, I missed an essential element: The landscape of the Pfalz (in english, Palatinat) is characterized by forests and ancient castles. the creative combination of singing, playing, dancing, and composing. After my final examination as an orchestra harpist and a half year stay in Venezuela I founded my own ensemble with saxophone and percussions. Our concerts and CD productions took us from Europe to the United States, as well as to Siberia, which was a short but unforgettable journey for us. During our work, which also included multimedia projects, we collaborated with renowned artists like Lokua Kanza, Markus Lüpertz, Bernard Tirtiaux, Galileo, Chiha, and many others. My concerts, as well as my life in private, take me abroad quite often. As a consequence of this way of life, singing in different languages seems quite natural to me. The texture and timbre of any language are elements I regard as an additional level of communication, beyond the real language, and I pursue an adequate integration of these elements into my compositions and songs. It seems amusing to me that the audience in my concerts not infrequently fail to guess my nationality, often taking me for a Russian. This made me adopt the stage-name of Maria Palatine, as a tribute to my homeland, the South Western German region of the Palatinate MARIA PALATINE 14. www.mariapalatine.com III. Biography CAREER : In 1999, composition of film music for “Es lebe die Freiheit - Das Leben des Götz von Berlichingen”, a film directed by Martina Klug that told the story of one of the most interesting characters of medieval Germany. In the same year, the South West German television SWR presented a program about “The harpist and composer Maria Palatine”. In June 2000, the première of “Der blaue Strahl” (Blue Ray) took place at the grand-ducal castle in Karlsruhe; and in November 2001, the compositions “Veiled Woman” and “The sands of Afghanistan” were played for the first time. In May 2003, at the castle of Honhardt, première of “Rilke in Concert” with harp and voice that also featured Wolfram Spyra - bow-chimes and life electronic. This project made come true a dream: translating the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke into sounds and music. In July 2005 music-award for young song-poets of the “Hanns-Seidl-Stiftung” and the «Bayrischer Rundfunk” (German Radio). The open-air-concert, which was given at the occasion of the awarding, was internationally broadcasted by radio and TV. Among others, Giora Feidmann played at this concert. In August 2005 moving to Belgium,Brussles In March 2006, at the International Day of Water, at Bari, Italy, excerpts are played of the opera “ Le chant de Neptune - composition: M. Palatine, Libretto: B. Tirtiaux. Soundtracks • “Götz von Berlichingen” Documentary (Martina Klug, Allemagne) • “Where the surface meets the depths” One of the winner of the underwater film festival Antibes, France • “Kosovo” Documentary (Udo Dreutlinger, Allemagne) • “La Cordillère de Bonne Espérance” Documentary (Bernard Gillain, Imagine Productions, Belgium) In June 2007, the premiere of “Midnight Rose” consisted in a musical extraction of perfume, the experiment to catch the essential of a flower by sounds and rhythms, an extravagant and innovative performance for harp, voice, percussions and lights. In September 2007, I performed the première of “Water celebration”, a concert for big choir, solo instruments and percussions that I composed. Lyrics by Bernard Tirtiaux, with the participation of Ricardo Petrella. In July 2008, I represent the kingdom of Belgium at the Expo, Saragossa, Spain, with her new project “Water Celebration”, a composition for mixed choir and JazzEnsemble. In May 2009 I found the BRUSSELS HARP CENTER, including a harp school, a show room for harps and a beautiful concert hall where regularly are given events and work shops. In November 2009 my new concert program and CD “spindrift” come out and are broadcasted by the Belgian TV and radio. In April 2010 “spindrift tour” in Germany and Brazil. In April 2011 “spindrift tour” in Georgoa, Europe In July 2011 Concert au World Harp Congress, Vancouver, Canada In March 2012 release of the CD “SHE” Discograpy • Life in the Wind • Silver Fountains • The Sound of Glass and Light • Refugee • Reflets • Spindrift • Prélude de cristal • She MARIA PALATINE 15. MARIA PALATINE © 2012 Photo : Volker Wasserthal