The miracle of Chirgilchin happened recently at the “World Festival of Sacred Music” in Los Angeles. The Tuva-native throat-singing group performed Sept. 26 at the Getty Center a unique experience that brought the audience on a journey through the sounds of Siberian nature.
The group composed of four artists all born in the small Russian republic of Tuva sat down for a brief interview before the show.
“The idea behind our music is very simple said Igor Koshkendey, soloist and composer. We believe that all humans are equal so they can understand our feelings about nature.” Although their songs speak of a far away land most of the audience will never see in a lifetime Chirgilchin believe that anyone once they have experienced the power of their music will connect to the vast steppes and forests of Tuva.
“Through meditation we jump home and come back every day continues Igor. Their peculiar style of music, characterized by mysterious yet familiar sounds, inspires the listener to travel in a dream world, immersed in the unknown landscape of Tuva.
The Siberian region is characterized by tall mountains, countless lakes and infinite evergreen forests and can get cold like Canada and hot like California.” Igor Mongoun-Ool and Aldar the lead singers had sparkles in their eyes while describing the small springs salt lakes herds of wild buffaloes caribous and yaks and unbounded plains they call home.
Throat singing is Tuva’s centenary tradition an unquestionable part of this Russian republic’s culture. Singers share the solemn task to pass down the music of their ancestors reproducing unforgotten melodies that reach far back in Tuva’s origins. They create meditative tunes that speak directly to the heart throwing the listener into a world of uncontaminated nature where birds rivers and winds have their own voices.
Chirgilchin artists following the tradition allow their vocal chords to be played as instruments amplifying selected sounds by changing the shape of their mouth and throat. During the process a singer’s throat can shrink down to 008 inches mastering different sound frequencies. Doing so they can create a multiphonic resonance that portrays the rhythm of nature.
The process is quite difficult to explain to non-Tuva natives and Igor amusingly recalled recent laboratory experiments when scientists followed a mini-camera down the pharynx of a throat singer to find out how the theory of voice modulating is applied. In Igor’s words “people in Tuva don’t think about it they feel it. Throat singing comes from the voices of the ancestors and we simply learn it by imitating different sounds sounds we’ve been familiar with since we were children.”
Hearing a throat singing concert is an astonishing experience that leads to a primitive dimension where the self is drowned to become reunited with the fundamental nature around it.
Chirgilchin say their music has not a religious connotation but when they play they enter a state of meditation that’s bestowed on every person in the audience. People gasped and giggled in amazement when they first herd the group playing Igor Koshkendey singing his unique Oidupaa style Aldar Tamdyn playing the traditional byzaanchy a cello-like instrument Mongoun-Ool Ondar exhibiting in six different throat singing styles and Aidysmaa Koshkendey Igor’s wife displaying her skills in long song and percussion.
Chirgilchin means “miracle mirage.” That is exactly what the audience experienced when the lights turned off in the Harold M. Williams auditorium suddenly filled with ancient sounds of Eastern Europe. The forests of Tuva instinctively became the natural background of the show and the public was dragged into the litany resounding deeply in every note.
When they explained they were about to imitate the croak of frogs that became alive in Chirgilchin’s voices. When they wanted to reproduce the trot of horses it sounded like a hundred free stallions stepped gently on stage. When they were supposed to let the wind blow the millennia-long voice of the North Wind was there whistling from the cavities of their throats.
Every show is a unique experience for the performers too who have played for spectators from 6-year-old school kids to 90-year-old retirement communities. Their favourite exhibition though is playing acoustic music for a small audience where sound can be better controlled and the energy of the audience contributes to the outcome of the performance. The artists can feel the vibe transmitted by the public and can consequently react increasing the level of their show until a perfect communion with the audience is reached.
Another way to stay in touch with admirers is Chirgilchin’s throat-singing summer camp started two years ago in Tuva and now expanding in the United States with a seven-day intensive program in Northern California.
All Chirgilchin members have won local and international throat singing competitions and know each other from childhood a common fact in a small country where young musician are expected to exercise their skills as early as possible.
The group formed in 1996 for their first international tour in Italy. They travelled Europe Canada the US and New Zealand both for music festivals and individual performances. They will fly to Italy for the Bologna World Music Festival in November.
Chirgilchin played in Los Angeles for the World Festival of Sacred Music an event conceived by the Dalai Lama in 1999. In an attempt to celebrate the new millennium pacifically His Holiness made a worldwide call to organize a festival for pursuing peace and universal responsibility through music a call that has been answered by hundreds of artists.
The word “sacred” comes from the Dalai Lama but the festival is famous for giving freedom of expression to spiritual music that may or may not come from formal religious practice. The intention is to nurture the soul not to proselytize.
The 2008 edition was held from Sept. 13 to Sept. 28 in Los Angeles with participation of nearly 1000 artists from all over the world. The next festival will be held in 2011.
For more information about Chirgilchin visit: www.chirgilchin.com and their label Web site www.purenaturemusic.com/chirgilchin.htm.
To learn more about the World Festival of Sacred Music: www.festivalofsacredmusic.org.