This page contains a brief overview on the album ANDHIRA: Andhira...sotto il vento e le vele. Learn more about the artist and explore the track lists and website. If you find any information that needs to be corrected, please let us know.

 
In Sardinia, the island to the south west of Italy, the word Andhira is associated with the idea of a wandering way of life, a sort of cultural nomadism. This can be traced back to a legendary city, said to have existed on Sardinia’s southern coast: pirates sacked its treasures and destroyed it, forcing the survivors to flee and take up a nomadic lifestyle. The name of the vanished city often occurs in songs from the Sardinian oral tradition, and although the original meaning is lost – the word is now hardly more than just a sound – it is still deeply evocative.

So the name Andhira is well suited to the spirit of this group, which refuses to be tied down to any particular musical genre. All five group members sing: there are three female voices, plus a percussionist/vocalist and a pianist/vocalist. What characterises the trio of female voices - Elena Nulchis, Patrizia Rotonda and Cristina Lanzi – is the individual timbre and style of each voice, the result of their personal experiences and musical backgrounds. When they sing together, each voice retains a character of its own, unlike in classically influenced choral singing, where a homogeneous timbre is called for. Andhira’s vocal work, with its interplay of solo and choral singing, generates a continually changing expressive power. Giancarlo Murranca is an alchemist of percussion: he uses his knowledge of different musical styles and cultures, at times combining them, to create extremely eloquent atmospheres. Instruments from distant countries are perfectly at home with the group’s “nomadic spirit”, often producing unusual rhythms and tone-colours. At the piano we have Luca Nulchis, the group’s founder, composer and artistic director. His music and his piano style are the culmination of an eclectic musical apprenticeship that has ranged from classical studies through various forms of art and research, focusing especially on the study and documentation of folk traditions, in particular those of Sardinia
Andhira’s music is always narration: retelling or evoking stories, real or imaginary events and milieus – at times tapping into folk tradition , at others presenting original compositions.

“…under wind and sail ” is the result of a long and adventurous journey in sound: Andhira’s music encounters songs by the famous Italian singer-songwriter, Fabrizio De Andrè. The project aims to bring into the contemporary world Andhira’s creativity and cultural world rooted in folk traditions. Andhira have followed their “nomadic vision”: De Andrè’s songs have been opened up, examined, expanded and newly-written musical passages have been added. In a suite-like structure, the songs alternate with a selection of their own originals, in part inspired by the oral tradition of Sardinia.

Track List:
1. Rimini/ s.Gregory slip jig
2. Pregadorìa
3. Ave Maria
4. Disamistade
5. Oi Bir
6. Amore che vieni, amore che vai / Prima incontro
7. La preghiera di Ulisse
8. Smisurata preghiera
9. La guerra di Piero / Secondo incontro
10. Terzo intermezzo
11. Interludio
12. La guerra di Piero / Terzo incontro
13. La ballata de s'isposa 'e Mannorri
14. Valzer per un amore
15. Il re fa rullare i tamburi
16. Ultimo incontro - various medley

Suggested CDs:

• Opera
• Nair

Other Genres:

• FOLK: Folk Pop
• EASY LISTENING: Mood Music
• TYPE: BACKGROUND MUSIC