Matthias Kaiser – violin / Reinhold Friedl – piano
ololuge is the ancient Greek word for Ululation. Derived from the Latin term “ululo”, ululation describes a trilling or lele vocalization, a long, wavering, high-pitched vocal sound resembling a howl. It is produced by emitting a loud vowel sound accompanied with a rapid back and forth movement of the tongue and the uvula. This technique is used all over the world – either alone or as part of a group – mostly in ritual contexts such as weddings or funerals. It has many names, all secretly connected via their onomatopoetic nature: alalaas [Somalia], tsahalulim [Hebrew], ililta [Ethiopia and Eritrea], irrintzi [Basque], aturuxo [Galicia], hulahuli, huluhuli [Odias], kulavai [Tamil], lilizela [Zulu], lililili [Lakota], nkulungwani [Tsonga], udhalili [Luo dialect], ukubulula [Sindebele], ukuyiyizela [Xhosa], ulu-dhwani [Bengalis], uruli [Assamese], vigelegele [Swahili], zagruta [Kashmir], ololuge [ancient Greece], hallelujah.
A singing violin, a crying violin, moaning, howling, whimpering, dripping with beauty. Four laments, joined by an orchestral piano, glissandi on the strings, high pitched whistling sounds illustrating the strict and cold nature of the world, deep, warm bass tones supporting the melancholy: violin and piano sing rumbling laments in the expressive monotone style of ululation, taken over by their instruments, dancing around each other: ololuge.
The violin is known as a touching romantic instrument, piercing straight to the heart. In contemporary and experimental music, it has all but lost this role of lamenting, instead resigning itself to the bleep, plop of pointillistic instrumental textures. Here it is allowed to take its role back, to be expansive and even hysterical! But always leaving translucent space for some light to shine through, to come in. The piano shares these moments of unpredictability resulting in four flourishing and dense pieces. The instruments’ voices are both entangled and in contrast, ephemeral and lasting.
tonkunstmanufaktur TM038 / CD Digipack, EAN: 0695102323630 / LC-Code: 77691