Thursday, July 17, 2008

VV.AA. ::: Ballos sardos


Let me say first that I think this is the most interesting record from Greater Italy I have ever heard.  Its 25 tracks encompass the music of 24 different Sardinian dances.  I don't know how many distinctly different dance forms Sardinian culture supports - the fact that this CD is Volume 1 leads me to hope that there are more.  But if not, and Volume 2 is just further examples of the same forms, I will look forward to Volumes 2, 3, 4 ... with the same enthusiasm I have for the current offering. 
Not only is there a great variety of dance music to be heard here, but the manner of the performance and the personnel involved are quite diverse. We have bands playing a variety of instruments; accordion, guitar, tambourine, triangle, trunfa (jew's harp), pipiolu (whistle), bena (a folk oboe of the pibcorn type), serraggia (bow harp), not to mention the human voice. Then there are the solo players - principally of the accordion, melodeon, and of course, the launeddas - the justly famous Sardinian triple pipe. And if that were not enough, we also have the human voice as a dance instrument, ranging from a single male soloist to the full cantu á tenores group.
I think that the recent history of Sardinian musical culture has been similar to that of Ireland - in that, as it declined as an everyday part of life in the villages, it was taken up by the younger generation as a practice having its own raison d'être. As the booklet notes state:
In the past twenty years, however, the tendency in many villages to form folk-dance groups has gradually been destroying the custom of dancing in the village square. As a result, the old folks have delegated the joy of collective dancing (a ritual which united the whole group) to a small group of young people who, decked out in folk costume, perform a virtuoso exhibition on a platform to an audience which applauds but which has been dispossessed of its reason to dance...
Rod Stradling • Mustrad

01 Ballu campidanesu - Giovanni 'Paia' Casu - 3.16
02 Passu e drese - Graziano Mascia - 1.39
03 Passu torrau - Tenores di Oliena - 2.13
04 Ballittu - Salvatore 'Totore' Chessa - 3.54
05 Bicchiri - Domenico 'Manicheddu' Medde - 3.12
06 Danza - Francesco Fulghesu - 3.56
07 Durdurinu - Giovanni Porcu - 4.33
08 Sa lestra - Tenores di Oliena - 4.35
09 Ballu brincu - Salvatore 'Totore' Chessa - 4.04
10 Passu torrau Raimondo 'Mondo' Vercellino - 3.05
11 Arroxiada - Gerolamo Barra - 2.00
12 Ballu 'e trese - Maurizio Loi - 3.23
13 Dillu - Tenores di Oniferi - 4.09
14 Cointrotza - Arturo Costantino Barranca - 3.48
15 Ballu 'e s'esse - Francesco Fulghesu - 3.08
16 Ballu thoppu - Francesco Fulghesu - 2.00
17 Ballu currende - Raimondo 'Mondo' Vercellino - 3.06
18 Orrosciada - Giuseppe 'Brungiuleddu' Brundu - 3.09
19 Sa logudoresa - Giuseppe Cóntini - 4.49
20 Passu - Antioco Pinna - 1.35
21 Biccheri - Marcello Marras - 3.39
22 Scotis - Antonio Marongiu - 1.57
23 Ballu gavoesu - Gavino Pira - 2.11
24 Ballu campidanesu - Antonio Marongiu - 1.53
25 Ballu cabillu - Dionigi Burranca - 3.21

1997 • Taranta ETHNICA 15

Ballos sardos part 1
Ballos sardos part 2

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