Myanmar, widely known as Burma, has been a country in isolation from the outside world for half a century.

Its culture – especially its music – is almost unknown in Europe. Myanmar Meets Europe will be an exciting opportunity for a new audience to get to know Myanmar music and culture as performed by musicians from Myanmar and Europe.

Trailer 2011

Trailer 2013

for press-photos please click here

CULTURE OPENS DOORS

In accord with its partners, such as the Goethe Institute, the state of NRW, the Departement for Foreign Affairs and the NRW KULTURsekretariat, this first international cultural collaboration has opened closed doors through music and encouraged cultural understanding and exchanges with Myanmar since 2011. The first common concert of a traditional and typical burmese hsaing waing orchestra together with European musicians took place at TRAUMZEIT-Festival 2011. Festival director Tim Isfort made several trips to Burma in 2010 and 2011 to lay the groundwork for this project. Working with students, traditional musicians and learning more about bamar music, he began to write down some tunes. The burmese songs do not exist as sheet music, because they are passed on only from teacher to his student. In January 2011, the concert-premiere with Burmese students, traditional musicians and two German musicians proceeded very successful in Yangon (Rangoon). This was the initiation of „Myanmar Meets Europe“ – the first intercultural exchange with Southeast-Asian country of Myanmar.

TWO DIFFERENT CULTURES MEET

The traditional burmese hsaing waing ensemble is built around the pat waing drum-melody-instrument. pat is the burmese word for ‘drum’ and waing, meaning ‘circle’, describes a fascinating and unique instrument, combining 21 drums in a richly decorated, gold-coloured frame, on which the main melodies are played. The rest of the ensemble consists of the instruments maung zaing  (a chromatic row of gongs with a range of three octaves), the oboe-like hne, the bass-percussions chauk lone pat and other small percussions, bass-gongs and cymbals. During the last years the burmese musicians came in touch with several european players: trumpet, sax, guitar, cello, piano, double-bass and drums. The project consists of regular members on both sides nevertheless it is open for guest musicians from different countries (Italy, France, Germany, USA).

A REMARKABLE ACHIEVMENT IN LOGISTIC AND ORGANISATION

700 kg of original burmese musical instruments arrived in Europe, 9.000 km from Myanmar. But it has been a long way to arrange passports, visa, insurances as well as translators and skillful consultants to bring this incomparable project on stage. In the meantime several european musicians travelled to Myanmar giving further workshops and common concerts. Also the burmese players came to Europe to intensify the musical progress (moers festival 2012, International Music Meeting Nijmegen 2012, GloboBEATS 2013 Copenhagen). The burmese musicians will return to Europe in August/September 2013 to attend rehearsals and some selected concerts with the Europeans (check here for tour dates).

SPECIALS

To get really in touch with this still exotic culture, it will be possible to arrange additional workshops, during which the musicians will demonstrate as well as explain the playing style of their instrument. Moreover, it is a good addition to a concert of „Myanmar Meets Europe“ to show some short documentaries from Burma.

LINE-UP MYANMAR MEETS EUROPE — AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013

HEIN TINT (MYR): pat waing (diatonic circle of drums)

JAN KLARE (GER): sax, flute, bass clarinet

HTUN OO (MYR): hne (burmese oboe), flute

FRANCESCO DIODATI (IT): guitar

HLA MYINT (MYR): maung zaing (chromatic row of gongs)

TIM ISFORT (GER): bass

KYIE MYINT (MYR): chauk lone pat (bass percussion drums), bass gongs

MICHAEL VATCHER (USA): drums, percussion, glass harp

NAN WIN (MYR): si and wa (percussion), vocals

GUESTS 2013

JIM CAMPBELL (USA): electronics

SEBASTIAN REIMANN (GER): violin, viola

Involved performers of the intercultural exchange since 2010

KYAW TINT (MYR): bass gongs, si and wa (percussion)

ANNE PACEO (FR): drums

MARKUS TÜRK (GER): trumpet

KYAW SOE (MYR): maung zaing (chromatic row of gongs)

DAPHNE WOLF (GER): flute and saung kauk (diatonic harp)

PYAE PHYO (MYR): ling gwin (burmese cymbal)

MARTIN SCHOLZ (GER): piano

SERGE CORTEYN (GER): guitar

KO YE (MYR): pat waing (diatonic circle of drums) †