Koper, Stičišče kultur Libertas
tor, 24. november | 20:00
Voices reaching out to one another – heard, imagined, dreamed. Voices telling ancient tales of love, both divine and earthly. Voices rising in song, intertwining and soaring above one another, bringing to life the power of archaic melodies deeply rooted in the collective memory of folk singers.
The Italian wave in Slovenia shows no sign of slowing down. Following performances by Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, Maria Mazzotta, Hiram Salsano, La Niña and Nuhara, Libertas and Druga Godba join forces to present Ra di spina, a group from Italy’s Campania region and one of the standout discoveries at last year’s WOMEX (Worldwide Music Expo).
Ra di spina is a project led by Laura Cuomo, built around voices – raw, interwoven and multiplied through looping; deeply rooted, alive and resonant. Voices first imagined, then conceived, and finally brought into being.
The idea took shape during the Covid pandemic, when Laura Cuomo – ethnomusicologist and singer – began exploring ways to rework melodies from the folk traditions of southern Italy, traditionally performed as solo pieces, into rich polyphonic arrangements. What began as enforced isolation during a global health crisis became an unexpected creative opportunity, giving rise to a six-track EP produced by Ernesto Nobili.
Blending intricate vocal polyphony with guitars, electronics and synthesizers, Ra di spina creates a sound that seems to exist outside time, where the archaic, the traditional and the contemporary are in constant dialogue and collision. The voices of southern Italian singers, both past and present – preserved in field recordings or encountered in live performance – become the sonic roots from which this music grows. They keep tradition alive while providing fertile ground for something entirely new: a music of the future.
Line-up: Laura Cuomo – vocals; Alexsandra Ida Mauro – vocals; Ernesto Nobili – guitar; Francesco Paolo Manna – percussion.
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