Arctic Subcircle

04 October 2008, 19:30, Kars Castle, Turkey

The ARCTIC SUBCIRCLE production is based on an idea of mixing music traditions from 3 continents in a creative process, inspired by the forgotten paths. It is an abstract musical idea, yet not a fantasy. If you draw a circle on a world map running through the Caucasus, West Africa and Arctic Norway, you will get an Arctic Subcircle. The circle will cover the Polar circle and touch the equator. The radius will include the cultural connec- tions between West Africa, the Moorish Spain and beyond. In the southeast, the Subcircle crosses the ancient cultures and caravan routes in the Caucasus. Then the circle turns northeast towards the Arctic coast.

No archeologist will ever be able to dig up the sounds of encounters of different cultures along the Subcircle; music is not preserved in the soil like pieces of pottery. Fragments of melodies and rhythms are passed over from one generation to the next like pieces of a forgotten jigsaw puzzle. There is much to suggest that Norwegian traditional folk music has roots in the Caucasus, and that impulses from Africa had influenced European music several hundred years before there was anything known as jazz.

A series of concerts cannot solve global problems like soaring food prices, climate changes or tense geopolitics. But it can manifest border-crossing creativity as one of the most important approaches to solving common challenges in the future. Enjoy 18 of the best world music performers from Scandinavia, Africa and Caucasus!

ARCTIC SUBCIRCLE is one of the series of “border-crossing exercises” produced by Pikene på Broen and the Festival of North Norway. Since its premiere in Kirkenes in January 2008, ARCTIC SUBCIRCLE has literally played from Kirkenes to Istanbul and back to North Norway. Now ARCTIC SUBCIRCLE comes to the ancient city of Kars on the border between Turkey and Armenia. Every concert was unique, as the project was developing from place to place, and now we have invited guest-musicians from Armenia, Georgia and Kars.

Soloists:
MORY KANTÉ, vocals and cora,
ARTO TUNCBOYACIYAN, vocals and percussion,
RAGNHILD FUREBOTTEN, violin.

The Arctic Subcircle Orchestra:
AHOUEFA RUFFINO, vocals,
FINN SLETTEN, drums,
ADAMA CONDE, balaphone,
KOSSA DIOMANDE, djembe,
KNUT KRISTIANSEN, key-board,
ANDREAS FLIFLET, bass,
FRODE NYMO, GEIR LYSNE and JAN KÅRE HYSTAD, saxophones/reeds,
MARIUS HALTLI and ANDERS ERIKSSON, trumpet/flugelhorn,
HELGE SUNDE, trombone and tuba.

Musical director: GEIR LYSNE
Composer: KNUT KRISTIANSEN

Guest musicians:
SUREN ASATRYAN, duduk,
GEORGI KHUNASHVILI, chonguri and panduri,
FIRAT EMRE KARAKOC, kaval and baglama.

The project is part of Barents Art Triennale PAN-BARENTZ.
The project is a cooperation between Pikene på Broen (Kirkenes), Kars Municipality, Festival of North Norway (Harstad), Anadolu Kültür (Istanbul) and Stichting Caucasus Foundation (Tbilisi).

The project is supported by EU Culture program, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kars Municipality and StatoilHydro.