Posts Tagged ‘Andreas Vollenweider’

Believe me, dear reader, that THIS is probably the best offer you’ll get all day. What I can give you is the link to a MAGNIFICENT video of a concert held by Andreas Vollenweider and friends on 3 June 2010 in Shanghai, China, at the Shanghai Centre.

The video is free, about 40 minutes long, has excellent quality and is available for playback on Vollenweider’s homepage here – or by clicking the above picture.

I can only say WOW, what energy, what creativity, that is in this music – and this incredible artist. Thank you, thank you, mr. Vollenweider.

The new Dancing with the Lion-Orchestra will on August 21 celebrate the 30th anniversary of Andreas Vollenweider as an artist!

The beautifully picturesque setting at the border of the Lake of Zurich is the backdrop for this event. The music of the three centuries of the Vollenweider-Sound, between Behind the Gardens, Dancing with the Lion and AIR, is being played by the extended Andreas Vollenweider & Friends Orchestra. It is now thirty years since Vollenweider started, and still he enjoys a large and faithful audience. Note that this will be the only concert in Europe this year.

Read about ticket prices ect. on Vollenweider’s homepage.

On his homepage Andreas Vollenweider has posted a simply amazing video showing the many talents of  his Deep Breath Orcestra. The video is a live recording of the first public performance of the band done in Switzerland in February of this year. Members of the The Deep Breath Orcestra are Andreas Vollenweider Daniel Küffer und Stefanie Peter.

The video is a true feast for Vollenweider fans and a statement of his musical talent on many instruments – not only the harp. You will also be impressed by the other artists as well.

You’ll find the video here.

Andreas Vollenweider and his band, better known as Andreas Vollenweider & Friends (AVAF), have recently been performing in South Africa at the Joy of Jazz-Festival in Johannesburg.

Back in Switzerland AVAF sums up the trip this way:

It was the third visit of Andreas and his Friends at the southern tip of the great African continent. Again we all have been enchanted by this beautiful country and its wonderful people. And again we have heard of so many new and fascinating stories about the miraculous history of the Vollenweider-music in this part of the world. (…)

Andreas Vollenweider & Friends played two shows at the Joy of Jazz-Festival on August 28th and 29th for a euphoric audience. Just a few days before, Andreas visited the Township Mamelodi, East of Pretoria, where he played a small renaissance harp at a meeting place on the street. It didn’t take long and the first people recognized the sound. At first they were a bit skeptical, but then were overjoyed.

Read the whole article here – where you also can see some nice pictures of the band performing in South Africa.

Andreas Vollenweider’s Air has currently been released in parts of Europe (by Edel Entertainment). But still there are only a few words about the US release. According to Vollenweider’s homepage:

The release of the new album Air in the US and Canada may take a few more weeks. We must apologize for this delay and will communicate all the necessary information as soon as ever possible.

So US fans is asked to take a deep breath of air and just relax… The new album is just around the corner.

The story behind Andreas Vollenwider’s upcoming album Air is interesting. Andreas’ plan was not to make music, to take some well-deserved time away from it all. He says:

I actually was going to make room for my passion for storytelling and I was already in the midst of an intense writing process, when suddenly I felt an unbridled desire to play music rising. So I ended up writing during the day and at night I went to my studio, to completely lose myself in the playing, for hours, very much the same way as in the very beginning, no strategy, no concrete purpose, no plan.

Andreas invited some friends for a spontaneous gathering in his studio, and in less than two weeks the new album was recorded.

The idea behind it was to create music tailor-made for people of our times who:

• feel the need to take a deep breath again
• are longing to slow down
• need a break, a moment to themselves
• are looking for a protective distance from the overwhelming flood of impressions, expectations and pressures from all sides …
• need a little time to reflect, to ponder

Mr. Vollenweider says:

Listening to music is a perfect ‘excuse’ to take a little time-out from our lives’ crazy merry-go-round of speed, pressure and expectations. Listening to music is a ‘permitted time-out’, so to speak, for which nobody would criticize us … music – used this way – is like a secret door to the very personal inner space, the home of our emotions, dreams and hopes.

On Vollenweider.com is a trailer about the album, like a music video, and even a 37 minutes long interview with the Swiss harpist.

The album will be like a breath of fresh air, that’s for sure.