The
band EGSCHIGLEN ("Beautiful melody")
was founded in 1991 by master students of the
conservatory of Ulaanbaatar. Still today 4
founding members are the heart of the group.
From the very beginning, the musicians are
focusing on contemporary music of Mongolia and
searching systematically for the sound
dimensions of this repertory with their
traditional instruments and the central asian
vocal technics.
The
music of a country is formed by its landscape
and the way of life of its people. Mongolia,
in the heart of Asia, is a vast country,
roughly five times the size of Germany.
Endless graslands in the south envelope into
the barren beauty of the Gobi desert. From the
snow-covered Altai and Changaj mountains clear
rivers run through forests and flatlands. A
large part of the more than 2 million
Mongolians still live as nomads to this very
day, in harmony and rhythm with nature, and
together with their "five jewels":
horses, camels, cattle, sheep and goats. The
music of the Mongolians breathes the freedom
and power of the simple way of life close to
the nature.
My
friends of the group EGSCHIGLEN are musical
ambassadors of their country. With their
virtuoso, their musically transmit the harmony
of their culture. The name EGSCHIGLEN stands
for harmony or beautiful melody. Tume (Tumenbayar
Migdorj) and Tumro (Tumursaihan Yanlav) sing
and play the horse-head violin, morin khuur, a
string instrument with two strings made of
horse hair, played like a cello. Ugan (Uuganbaatar
Tsend-Ochir) bows and plucks the mogolian bass,
ih huur. The solo vocalist Amra (Amartuwshin
Baasandorj) sings in khomii style and
accompanies himself on the swan throat lute
tobshuur. Khomii is a special throat singing
in which the overtones are modulated while
singing the base melody. Sara (Sarangel
Tserevsamba) is an expert at the dulcimer,
joochin and the female voice of the band.
Boogi (Wandansenge Batbold) is her virtuoso
equal on asian percussion and 2nd solo singer.
The artistic movement of the dancer Ariunaa,
who accompanies the group at their concerts,
is unfortunately lost in the sound recordings,
but you could enjoy it live performances!
The
music of EGSCHIGLEN impresses by virtue of its
variety and gracefulness. They interpret both
traditional songs and the work of contemporary
Mongolian composers with their fine-tuned
arrangements. Their pieces often have chamber-music
quality and transparency - and then again the
orginal enchanting power of folk traditions.
You can almost hear the sound of the hoofs by
the smal and tough Mongolian horses - Genghis
Khan founded the world's greatest empire of
all times on their backs. And then again the
music takes us to the clear silence of the
Gobi desert, where only the wind sings in the
dunes.
On
one hand Mongolian sounds seems strange and
mysterious to Western ears. Especially the
khoomii chants leave you speachless. Can you
believe that one voice can produce such low
and high sounds at the same time? (Yes, it is
possible!) On the other hand the music sounds
familiar, by expressing basic human feelings:
love, sorrow and thankfulness. The musicians
of EGSCHIGLEN take us to the fascinating
culture of their far-away home, at the same
time showing us that beyond all cultural
differences there is a common element of human
existance."
Dr. Ludwig Frambach
VIDEO
Egschiglen (Mongolia) at Tam Tam Festival 2006
The
musicians
Migdorj
Tumenbajar 1st morin khuur, vocals
Yanlav
Tumursaihan 2nd morin khuur, vocals
Amartuwshin
Baasandorj solo overtone vocals (khoomii),
tobshuur
Wandansenge
Batbold asian percussion, 2nd solo vocals
Uuganbaatar
Tsend-Ochir bass
Sarangerel
Tserevsamba joochin, vocals
Ariunaa
Tserendavaa dance
Taivan
Chimeddoo introduction
Dicography
EGSCHIGLEN
Gobi
Heaven
and Earth, 1997
CD
HE 4
License
to:
Robi
Droli, 1998 - CD FY 8005
EGSCHIGLEN
Traditionelle mongolische Lieder
Heaven
and Earth, 1996
CD
HE 1
Marc
Hirte Second Nature
Hammer
Musik, 1996
Songs:
Lobpreisung an die Dunjin Garav
Bridge
to the heart
Oliver
Shanti & Friends Tai Chi Too - Himalaya,
Magic and Spirit
Sattva
Music, 1996
Songs:
My Timeless Cosmic Friend
Luohan
Amitabha's Hands
Spring
in Lhasa
Autumn
in Beijing
Oliver Shanti & Friends Well Balanced
Sattva
Music, 1995
V.A.
La Notte di San Lorenzo
ARCI
Milano, 1997
Songs:
Manduul Khan
Aufgehende
Sonne
V.A.
Celtic Cercles
Avalon/
Gruppo Futura, 1998
Song:
Chingis Haani Magtaal
V.A.
Chanting Globe
PolyGram,
1998 - Nr. 565396-2
Song:
Chingis Haani Magtaal
V.A.
Choirs of the World
ARC
Music, 1999
Song:
Ode an den Berg Dunjing Garav
V.A.
Sacred Music
ARC
Music, 1999
Song:
Chingis Haani Magtaal
EGSCHIGLEN
Egschiglen - Musik aus der Mongolei
ARC
Music, 2001
EGSCHIGLEN
Zazal
Heaven
and Earth, 2001- Nr. CD HE 10
Biography
1991
- 1994 Festivals in Corea, Russia, Switzerland,
Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, Hongary,
Italy, Roumania and Germany
1995
Tour with concerts in the following festivals:
Buskers
Festival Neuchatel (Switzerland), IOV Festival
Carrara (Italy),
Leeuwarden,
Nijmegen, Emmen (NL)
1996
Tour with concert in the following festivals:
Landesgartenschau
Böblingen, Sommerfestivals in Limburg,
Detmold, Bonn,
Festival
im Küchengarten Gera (BRD), Buskers Festival
Neuchatel
(Switzerland),
Buskers Festival Ferrara, IOV Festival Carrara
(Italy)
radio
recording for Radio Bremen
1997
Tour with concert in the following festivals:
Kulturdrom
Mistelbach (Austria), Festival Mediterraneo
Genova, La Notte di
San
Lorenzo Milano, Time Zones Festival Bari,
modern opera "Ghengis Khan" as co-production
with Compagnia Pneumatica (Italy), Verdens
Kultur Festivalen Arhus (Denmark), radio
recording by WDR, Radio Bremen, Bayrischer
Rundfunk
1998
Tour with concert in the following festivals:
