"Gereg" - Egschiglen

• artist:
  Egschiglen
• country:
  Mongolia
• region:
  Mongolia
• release year:
  2007
• style(s): Asian Classical
• formats:
  • CD (Compact Disc)
• record submitted by:
  alba Kultur
• label:
  Heaven & Earth
• publisher:
  Heaven & Earth

Gereg, the silver ID plate from the times of Genghis Khan, gave the title to Egschiglen's fifth CD. If the Gereg was the passport of the nomads, their ID, their sign of identification, this album is a musical identification of Mongolia, a poetic passport of Egschiglen. The rectangular gereg from the 13th century, whose Mongolian square writing developed a unified notation for the first time for the many different languages of the Mongolian world empire, works as a symbol for the artistic work of the ensemble.

Universal and groundbreaking is the way, how the musicians of Egschiglen arrange the hand down identity sign of their culture:

"Saran" Sarangerel Tserevsamba is not only an excellent instrumentalist on her ducimer, but as well the percussionist and the female voice of the group. She proves to be a brave and creative musician, inspirering with soli and commissioning the sound dimensions of her instrument and her voice to this chamber music ensemble.
The second solo voice is "Amra" Amartuwshin Basaandorj, charismatic khöömi singer with a remarkable powerfull voice and surprising sound spectrum. He is not shy to open the age-old Mongolian vocal tradition with juvenile play joy and self-confidence to new musical worlds, without giving up the own identity.
The both soloists are accompaigned by Egschiglen's three violins: "Tume" Tumenbayar Migdorj on the 1st morin khuur, "Tumru" Tumursaikhan Yanlav on the 2nd morin khuur and "Ugan" Uuganbataar Tsend-Ochir on the ih khuur, the mongolian double bass.
They bring to sounding the hidden language of the meager, endless amplitudes, the immense empty areas of Mongolian landscapes, virtuos and with high sensitivity. They give the band the distinctive orchestral sound in the tradition of Dschingis Khan's courtly music.

But it is not only the visible topography of the landscape or nature which determine the music. For centuries in Mongolia, despite Lamaism, Buddhism and Soviet influence, an animist world view survived which worships nature as magical. Every stone, every mountain, every body of water, the sky, the clouds, the wind all have a god and have a spirit which must be respected and propitiated, a spirit with which one communicates. Serving as a 'ritual telephone' is the art of the khöömii, the traditional overtone singing, with which the animals, the rivers, the echo of the mountains and the wind are imitated by the singers. All musicians of the band are master.

It is remarkable and innovative how the musicians of Egschiglen adapt the traditional 'signs of identity' of their culture. They have decided against a purely museal or folkloristic reproduction of the traditional music and adapt the 'creative quarry' of Mongolian sounds, rhythms and rituals with the greatest virtuosity from the perspective of the 21st century: their Gereg contains everything from the past like new writing on a palimpsest. The past becomes contemporary, the regional becomes universal - with this passport we reach every corner of the globe.