Andreas Vollenweider
Andreas Vollenweider ( born October 4, 1953 in Zurich ) is a Swiss musician, composer, producer and arranger. With its modified pedal harp and an innovative instrumentation, he has created a separate and distinctive style of music.
Music
His music has been provided with a variety of categories such as World Music, Jazz, New Age or Classical; two of his albums were simultaneously for eleven weeks number 1 on the Billboard Charts in the categories Classical, Jazz, Pop and Crossover. His music is described as colorful, dynamic and influenced by a variety of exotic timbres. In addition to the harp, he also plays piano, organ, guitar, a variety of instruments as well as many exotic instruments. Occasionally, he also uses his voice or that of guest vocalists.
Some of his musical encounters were, among others, Bobby McFerrin, Carly Simon, Djivan Gasparyan, Luciano Pavarotti, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Carlos Núñez, Ray Anderson, Zucchero, Hans Zimmer, Angelo Branduardi, Milton Nascimento, Eliza Gilkyson and the Söhne Mannheims.
Vollenweider undertook been numerous tours and open-air concerts in Europe, the USA, Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Life
Andreas Vollenweider grew up in a creatively diverse and inspiring environment; his father was an organist Hans Vollenweider. During the holidays, the father went with his family always the churches and their organs on a place. Self-taught, he was multi-instrumentalist, in search of "his" instrument.
In 1975, he discovered the harp and developed his own style and modified the instrument with the help of a friend according to his needs: it was the electro-acoustic harp. Vollenweider first composed for film, theater and television productions. In the following years he worked with René Bardet and Orlando Valentini in the ensemble poetry and music. It emerged settings of poems by Heinrich Heine and François Villon.
In 1979 he published in Switzerland, his first album, " One Art Suite in XIII parts ". It is considered the cradle of the Vollenweider sounds. 1981 gave Andreas Vollenweider & Friends perform their first concert at the Montreux Jazz Festival. " - Behind the Wall - Behind the Gardens Under the Tree " The following fall, the album was released.
His involvement in the environmental and peace movements, he underlined in 1983 with his single " Pace Verde " and the same music video. In Amsterdam he received the Edison Award. In 1984 he succeeded with his fourth album, " White Winds " made it into the U.S. charts and, in three different categories at once: pop, classical and jazz. His first U.S. tour was a great success. This was followed by concerts and Others, 1985 in New York's Carnegie Hall and Radio City Music Hall, the Kennedy Center in Washington and in the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles. His subsequent album, " Down to the Moon " was awarded the Grammy Award. This was followed by tours in Canada, the U.S., 13 European countries, Japan and Australia.
1988/89 was the album " Dancing with the Lion ." For the first time Vollenweider opened his project for a number of guest musicians from different musical backgrounds. He directs and produced two extraordinary, award- winning music videos, for which he also drew the storyline, the choreography and the set and costume design. In 1990 the double album " Trilogy ", an anthology of the first three albums, " Behind the Gardens ", " Caverna Magica ", " White Winds " as well as previously unreleased material. 1991 was followed by the album " Book of Roses ", which contained new, symphonic elements for the first time.
On the Red Square in Moscow in 1992, he gave a charity open air concert for the Children of Chernobyl. In Monaco, he was awarded the World Music Award.
Vollenweider produced in 1993/94 with " Eolian Minstrel " for the first time an album of songs. Contributors are the two American singers Carly Simon and Eliza Gilkyson. This was followed by worldwide tours. 1994-1996 sang Vollenweider et al in Modena ( Italy) duets with Luciano Pavarotti as well as with the rock singer Bryan Adams. Vollenweider has a penchant for performances in unusual places. He has performed in a number of castles, including in Poland; with the Italian rock musician Zucchero he appeared in Bruneck / Brunico (South Tyrol ) at an outdoor concert, concerts took place in a volcanic cave at the " Festival Musica Visual » Lanzarote instead. In 1997 he participated in the recording of " Kryptos ", music for large symphony orchestra and guest virtuoso with. Excerpts of " Kryptos " were performed with the RAI Orchestra at the San Remo Festival in Italy. In 1998, the symphonic live project " Wolkenstein " was performed.
1999 Vollenweider devoted himself with the album " Cosmopoly » back to free improvisation. He invited his friends to the gathering of world music one: American vocal acrobat Bobby McFerrin, the Brazilian poet and singer Milton Nascimento, the South African ethno-jazz pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, the Armenian duduk legend Dschiwan Gasparjan and bagpipe and whistle virtuoso Carlos Nuñez from the Spanish, Galician songwriter Carly Simon and the American blues trumpet master Ray Anderson.
In 2000, Vollenweider was traveling with the " Cosmopoly " project through Europe in almost daily changes in composition. This was followed by Vollenweider also live the open concept of the album. In New York, the group played two concerts for the release of the album. This time it was a unique cast of Carly Simon, Carlos Nuñez, Mindy Jostyn, Dschiwan Gasparjan, Xiao Jing Wang and Walter Keiser. Concerts in Brazil followed with Milton Nascimento and the composer and pianist Wagner Tiso. The song " Cor do Amor ", the Vollenweider wrote with Milton Nascimento, was nominated for the first Latin Grammy.
2001, he has performed in Bali ( Indonesia) in the international conference « song of convergence " with Balinese musicians. There he began writing the symphonic novel " Tales of Kira Kutan ," which premiered on June 3 at the Warsaw Film Music Festival. It work with: the orchestra " Sinfonia Varsovia " ( Yehudi Menuhin ) under the direction of co- orchestrator and conductor André Bellmont. In September, took place at the Athens Olympic Stadium, another world premiere as part of the international Socrates year instead theaterpiece " Socrates - dawn of civilization ," with American actor Rod Steiger as Socrates. Vollenweider's large -scale and dramatic soundtrack is a combination of " sound design ", choirs and percussion. He received a " carte blanche " when AVO Festival in Basel, Switzerland. His guests were Abdullah Ibrahim and David Lindley.
In 2002, Andreas Vollenweider a new band together: the mini- orchestra with Walter Keiser and two new musicians: Daniel Küffer, saxophone and Andy Pupato, percussion. Andreas Vollenweider & Friends played at various festivals and theaters in Europe, for example, on the Leverkusen Jazz Days. At the Swiss National Exhibition Expo 02 they played music on stage design by the architect Jean Nouvel on the shores of Lake Murten. In July, Andreas Vollenweider the Sinfonia Varsovia invited to the festival " Live at Sunset " a to Zurich and received for his symphonic works, " Selva " and " Tales of Kira Kutan " standing ovations. This was followed by an appearance at London's Big Chill festival.
Vollenweider was a guest soloist at the birthday concert of jazz composer George Gruntz in train ( Switzerland ). He also worked at the American film " Tears of the Sun " with the German film composer Hans Zimmer. In 2003 he continued his collaboration with Hans Zimmer. He has played at concerts in Johannesburg and Cape Town in the North Sea Jazz Cape Town as a guest musician of the South African Pops Mohamed.
2004 CD production " Vox " was released by Universal Music in Europe. Andreas Vollenweider & Friends played two concerts in October in Bloemfontein in South Africa. One of them was the " MACUFE Festival " in front of 40,000 visitors instead. In the fall, the band went through Slovenia, Serbia, Italy, Germany and Poland on tour. Preliminary Final of the tour were two concerts in Zurich, one of which was recorded by Swiss television and broadcast several times.
2005 was a keynote speaker Andreas Vollenweider on the second World Spirit Forum (WSF ) in Switzerland, which sees itself as a counterpoint to the annual World Economic Forum ( WEF). In August Andreas Vollenweider framed interfaith event with the Dalai Lama on the cathedral square in Zurich musical. In the U.S. and Canada, the new publication of the whole by the artist revised back catalog with video / DVD and the album " Vox " appeared. The "Best of " " Magic Harp " climbs in the first week after release # 4 on the Billboard charts in the New Age category.
2006 toured Andreas Vollenweider & Friends in Germany, Spain and Switzerland. In April they played in the United States. A four-hour DVD with concert clips of the last 25 years, appeared in the spring in the U.S. and in the fall in Europe under the title " The Magical Journeys of Andreas Vollenweider ». In November 2006 came the Christmas album " Midnight Clear ," was involved in the Carly Simon out.
2007 Vollenweider received third Grammy nomination for the soundtrack to Vollenweider's DVD " The Magical Journeys ". There were concerts in Europe and the United States. (1982-2007) - In September, the double CD will be released " 25 years ago Andreas Vollenweider & Friends ."
2008 Vollenweider was in the studio for his latest work, which was published under the name " Air " in early 2009. In August Vollenweider played with Xavier Naidoo in Vollenweider's studio in Switzerland pieces for the new album a.
In November 2009, Vollenweider stepped next to other artists in the big gala concert in the Armenian Yerevan on the 80th anniversary of the duduk musician Dschiwan Gasparjan. He toured Europe with the program " AIR music," accompanied by the " fresh air orchestra ."
2009, the album "Air" was published. From spring to autumn Vollenweider gave concerts throughout Europe with the " fresh air Orchestra». In August, he appeared at the Joy of Jazz Festival in Johannesburg, South Africa,.
, 2010, Vollenweider especially concerts in Europe. A special concert project was "The Watercourse Way " in Shanghai Center in Shanghai, China, at the EXPO 2010. In August plays the AVAF - big band, the " Dancing with the Lion Orchestra ", the " dream concert " in a circus tent in the Swiss Laughing at Zurich. Friends of Vollenweider's music traveled from all over the world for a kind of " family reunion " at. In October found a new trip to South Africa instead of concerts on MACUFE Festival in Bloemfontein and in the sold out arena of Carnival City, Johannesburg, and a concert for the inmates of the Prison Polls More from Cape Town, one of the largest maximum-security prisons in the world.