Prom 62: Canzionere Grecanico Salentino - 4.09.19

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

22:15 Wednesday 4 September 2019
Royal Albert Hall




Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino
Justin Adams guitar
Ballaké Sissoko kora
Inspired by the ancient ritual of pizzica tarantata, the frenzied trance-like dance said to purge the bite of the tarantula spider, Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino’s shows are an explosion of life that summons up the wildness behind the classical tarantella.

The Italian band creates a spectacle full of dance, passion, rhythm and mystery – as they say, ‘We still have our own demons to exorcise today’. They renew their traditions by inviting musicians to join them at their home in southern Italy, and two of those guests join them onstage – Robert Plant’s guitarist Justin Adams and legendary kora player Ballaké Sissoko.

[bluestateprommer]

Perhaps understandable that this Prom got lost in the shuffle around Prom 60 in particular (although it might have gotten lost in the shuffle in any other week regardless), but for those in need of a "Folk Prom" fix, Prom 62 fills the bill. It's a toe-tapper, where the point is the energy of the music and the musicians, rather than any "profundity" about it. The spirit of the tarantella certainly rules, with dollops of Ballaké Sissoko's koro added to the Italian mix. The one male vocalist (didn't catch his name) had a rather gravelly tone that reminded me, in a way, of flamenco singing, of all things, albeit in much different music. It was thus jarring to hear one number apparently sung by Justin Adams, since the voice and words were more clearly English/Anglo rather than Italian in character and timbre. Overall, a fun listen where you can mentally kick back and not over-think the proceedings.

(General PS: posters should use the specific threads that EA has set up for these Proms for discussion, and look all through the parent page, all the way through to the bottom of the parent page if needed, to find the relevant thread. This has happened more than once this season, and makes for extra and unnecessary work for the moderators to merge threads.)

[Serial_Apologist]

22:15 Wednesday 4 September 2019
Royal Albert Hall




Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino
Justin Adams guitar
Ballaké Sissoko kora
Inspired by the ancient ritual of pizzica tarantata, the frenzied trance-like dance said to purge the bite of the tarantula spider,

Sting is not featured in the line-up though...