2. Subject:
An interdisciplinary study including musical performance, musicology and visual art/documentary film.
3. Body: Harawi is a genre within the Peruvian folk music rooted in pre-Colombian times. The subject of the traditional Harawi-songs is universal as they deal with the connection between love and death. This unique genre has inspired contemporary composers, such as the French composer Olivier Messiaen and Argentinean Alberto Ginastera. O. Messiaen composed the song cycle Harawi - Chants d´amour et de mort in 1945, and in this work the musical material is to a considerable extent based on Peruvian folk songs. Alberto Ginastera utilized Harawi themes in his compositions, e.g. Piano sonata nr. 2 (1981) and Punena nr. 2 for cello solo (1976). These, in addition to other compositions form Latin American composers, will, in our project, be recorded and examined.
In addition, we will investigate the origins of the Harawi tradition through Peruvian culture with its myths and rituals. We have chosen and interdisciplinary form for the project to illuminate and investigate the subject in the broadest possible way.
The project will result in:
-A film documantarty/DVD depicting the Peruvian culture relevant to the understanding of Messiaen´s song cycle Harawi.
- A compendium of comparative compositions by A. Ginastera and O. Messiaen.
-A CD recording of relevant works
We are interested in partners who want to contribute with their interest and expertise and who want to develop this project.
We already have cooperation with the University in Oslo and Padova, Italy.
Contact: Gisela Herb - ,projectleader,Norway - mail: gisela.herb@uis.no