Andreas Vollenweider
Encyclopedia
Andreas Vollenweider is a Swiss musician
. His music has been categorized as World Music
, Jazz
, New Age
and even Classical; two of his albums were number 1 on the Billboard charts simultaneously in the categories Classical, Jazz, Pop and Crossover for more than 11 weeks. His music could be described as very dynamic and colorful. His primary instrument is an electrically modified harp
of his own design, but he also plays a wide variety of instruments from around the world, including the Chinese guzheng
. His albums feature many musicians performing his compositions with him, ranging from simple solos to suites for orchestra and soloists. His music is mostly instrumental but he has occasionally forayed into vocal music as well.
His past collaborators include Bobby McFerrin
, Carly Simon
, Djivan Gasparyan
, Eliza Gilkyson
, Luciano Pavarotti
, Ladysmith Black Mambazo
, Carlos Núñez
, Ray Anderson
, and Milton Nascimento
.
Politically, Andreas Vollenweider is an outspoken pacifist
and follower of the principles of non-violent conflict management of Mahatma Gandhi
. On his website he features quotes from Gandhi (among others), and in an effort to spread awareness of the American war in Iraq, he has also posted a ticker reflecting the current number of casualties in the conflict, both American and Iraqi.
as the son of Hans Vollenweider, a composer and organist. Acquainted with many instruments and an autodidact
, Andreas Vollenweider discovered the harp in 1975. This instrument – notably his self-modified electro-acoustic harp, would define the signature sound on all of his music albums. During this time Vollenweider also started composing for film, theater and TV.
Eine Art Suite in XIII Teilen, was his first album, released in Switzerland in 1979. Pieces of this album were performed at a concert at the Montreux Jazz Festival
in 1981. This first concert preceded the release of Vollenweider's second album, Behind the Garden - Behind the Wall - Under the Tree
, which was released worldwide in autumn of the same year.
His next album, Caverna Magica
, was released in 1982. The single Pace Verde ("Green Peace") was cut from Caverna Magica and released in 1983 as a tribute to environmental and peace movements. In the same year, he received an Edison Award in Amsterdam
, Netherlands
, for the Caverna Magica album.
was released in 1984 and was listed in three US charts. A US tour soon followed in 1985, including performances at the Kennedy Center (Washington, DC), New York
's Carnegie Hall
and Radio City Music Hall
, and the Universal Amphitheatre (Los Angeles
). Down To The Moon
(1986), his fourth full-length album, received a Grammy Award
. Vollenweider toured again in Europe, Japan, Canada and the US, and Australia.
His fifth album, Dancing With The Lion (1989), marked a change in the way Vollenweider produced his music. His previous albums featured a more or less fixed set of musicians, while Dancing With The Lion incorporated numerous guest appearances of musicians from all musical styles. For this album Vollenweider himself directed and produced two music videos, for which he was also heavily involved in writing the storylines, the choreography, and the design of sets and costumes. The album was followed by Book of Roses, released in 1991, which has a more symphonic sound than can be heard on the previous albums.
He received a World Music Award in Monaco in 1992 and performed at a benefit show for the child victims of the Chernobyl disaster
on Moscow's Red Square
.
and Eliza Gilkyson
. Although the next album with a heavy focus on vocals would not appear until almost 11 years after the release of Eolian Minstrel, lyrics would remain an important part of Vollenweider's music.
The period of 1994 to 1997 was marked with a series of concerts, notably with Pavarotti and Friends in Modena, Italy, and at remarkable locations, including a concert at 2500 meters in Bruneck
in the Southern Alps
with Zucchero
and in a volcanic cave at the Festival Musica Visual on Lanzarote
.
1998 saw the release of Kryptos
, a largely symphonic album featuring guest musicians from all over the world. During the summer of the same year, he worked on his next symphonic project. Wolkenstein, which he calls a "symphonic mind movie", was first performed to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the canton
of Zürich in 1998.
The 1999 Cosmopoly is a return to a more "world music
" oriented sound and included guest appearances of Carly Simon, pianist Abdullah Ibrahim
, singer and poet Milton Nascimento
, Bobby McFerrin
, duduk
player Djivan Gasparyan
and trombonist Ray Anderson
. A Cosmopoly tour followed, featuring many of the aforementioned musicians appearing as special guests during the tour.
— Dawn of Civilization with Rod Steiger
as Socrates.
From 2002 to the present Vollenweider has been busy with performing his music at various festivals and releasing multiple compilation albums and DVDs. His second major foray into vocal work came with VOX in 2005, featuring Vollenweider himself on most of the vocals. Midnight Clear was released in 2006, followed by his most recent full-length album, A I R, released in 2009.
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. His music has been categorized as World Music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
, Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
and even Classical; two of his albums were number 1 on the Billboard charts simultaneously in the categories Classical, Jazz, Pop and Crossover for more than 11 weeks. His music could be described as very dynamic and colorful. His primary instrument is an electrically modified harp
Electric harp
Like electric guitars, electric harps are based on their acoustic originals. There are both solid-body and hollow body electro-acoustic models available...
of his own design, but he also plays a wide variety of instruments from around the world, including the Chinese guzheng
Guzheng
The guzheng or "gu zheng", also called zheng is a Chinese plucked zither. It has 18-23 or more strings and movable bridges....
. His albums feature many musicians performing his compositions with him, ranging from simple solos to suites for orchestra and soloists. His music is mostly instrumental but he has occasionally forayed into vocal music as well.
His past collaborators include Bobby McFerrin
Bobby McFerrin
Robert "Bobby" McFerrin, Jr. is an American vocalist and conductor. He is best known for his 1988 hit song "Don't Worry, Be Happy". He is a ten-time Grammy Award winner.-Life:...
, Carly Simon
Carly Simon
Carly Elisabeth Simon is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records, and has since been the recipient of two Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for her work...
, Djivan Gasparyan
Djivan Gasparyan
Djivan Gasparyan is an Armenian musician and composer. He plays the duduk, a double reed woodwind instrument related to the orchestral oboe. Gasparyan is known as the Master of the duduk.-Biography:...
, Eliza Gilkyson
Eliza Gilkyson
Eliza Gilkyson is an Austin, Texas-based folk musician. She is the daughter of songwriter and folk musician Terry Gilkyson and Jane Gilkyson. She is the sister of guitarist Tony Gilkyson, who played with the Los Angeles-based bands Lone Justice and X...
, Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti
right|thumb|Luciano Pavarotti performing at the opening of the Constantine Palace in [[Strelna]], 31 May 2003. The concert was part of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of [[St...
, Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a male choral group from South Africa that sings in the vocal styles of isicathamiya and mbube. They rose to worldwide prominence as a result of singing with Paul Simon on his album, Graceland and have won multiple awards, including three Grammy Awards...
, Carlos Núñez
Carlos Núñez
Carlos Núñez is a Galician musician who plays the gaita, the traditional Galician bagpipe.-Life and career:Nuñez was born in 1971 in Vigo, Galicia, Spain. He began playing the bagpipes when he was eight years old. In his early teens, he was invited to play with the Festival Orchestra of the...
, Ray Anderson
Ray Anderson (musician)
Ray Anderson is an independent jazz trombone and trumpet player. Anderson is a boisterous trombonist who is masterful at multiphonics. Trained by the Chicago Symphony trombonists, he is regarded as pushing the limits of the instrument. He is a contemporary and colleague of trombonist/composer...
, and Milton Nascimento
Milton Nascimento
-Biography:Nascimento's mother was the maid Maria Nascimento. As a baby, Milton Nascimento was adopted by his mother's former employers: the couple Josino Brito Campos, a banker employee, mathematics teacher and electronic technician; and Lília Silva Campos, a music teacher and choir singer...
.
Politically, Andreas Vollenweider is an outspoken pacifist
Pacifism
Pacifism is the opposition to war and violence. The term "pacifism" was coined by the French peace campaignerÉmile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress inGlasgow in 1901.- Definition :...
and follower of the principles of non-violent conflict management of Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
. On his website he features quotes from Gandhi (among others), and in an effort to spread awareness of the American war in Iraq, he has also posted a ticker reflecting the current number of casualties in the conflict, both American and Iraqi.
Early Life and Career
Vollenweider was born on October 4, 1953 in ZürichZürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
as the son of Hans Vollenweider, a composer and organist. Acquainted with many instruments and an autodidact
Autodidacticism
Autodidacticism is self-education or self-directed learning. In a sense, autodidacticism is "learning on your own" or "by yourself", and an autodidact is a person who teaches him or herself something. The term has its roots in the Ancient Greek words αὐτός and διδακτικός...
, Andreas Vollenweider discovered the harp in 1975. This instrument – notably his self-modified electro-acoustic harp, would define the signature sound on all of his music albums. During this time Vollenweider also started composing for film, theater and TV.
Eine Art Suite in XIII Teilen, was his first album, released in Switzerland in 1979. Pieces of this album were performed at a concert at the Montreux Jazz Festival
Montreux Jazz Festival
The Montreux Jazz Festival is the best-known music festival in Switzerland and one of the most prestigious in Europe; it is held annually in early July in Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva...
in 1981. This first concert preceded the release of Vollenweider's second album, Behind the Garden - Behind the Wall - Under the Tree
Behind the Garden - Behind the Wall - Under the Tree (album)
Behind the Gardens is a studio album by New Age artist Andreas Vollenweider, released in 1981. It is almost entirely instrumental, and centers around Vollenweider on harp....
, which was released worldwide in autumn of the same year.
His next album, Caverna Magica
Caverna Magica
- Personnel :* Andreas Vollenweider - Vocals, Harp, Keyboards, Guzheng, Flute* Erdal Kızılçay - Keyboards, Oud* Walter Keiser - Drums* Andi Pupato - Percussion* Roger Bonnot- Sound effects* Corin Curschellas - Voices* Darryl Pitt - Photography...
, was released in 1982. The single Pace Verde ("Green Peace") was cut from Caverna Magica and released in 1983 as a tribute to environmental and peace movements. In the same year, he received an Edison Award in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, for the Caverna Magica album.
Mid-1980s and Early 90s
The album White WindsWhite Winds
White Winds is Andreas Vollenweider's fourth studio album, released in 1984.-Track listing:#"The White Winds/The White Boat " - 1:49#"Hall of the Stairs/Hall of the Mosaics " - 5:06...
was released in 1984 and was listed in three US charts. A US tour soon followed in 1985, including performances at the Kennedy Center (Washington, DC), New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
's Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
and Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...
, and the Universal Amphitheatre (Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
). Down To The Moon
Down to the Moon (album)
Down to the Moon is Andreas Vollenweider's fourth studio album, released in 1986. It was re-released in 2005 and again in 2006.-Track listing:#"Down To The Moon" - 2:26#"Moon Dance" - 4:11#"Steam Forest" - 4:56#"Water Moon" - 2:15...
(1986), his fourth full-length album, received a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
. Vollenweider toured again in Europe, Japan, Canada and the US, and Australia.
His fifth album, Dancing With The Lion (1989), marked a change in the way Vollenweider produced his music. His previous albums featured a more or less fixed set of musicians, while Dancing With The Lion incorporated numerous guest appearances of musicians from all musical styles. For this album Vollenweider himself directed and produced two music videos, for which he was also heavily involved in writing the storylines, the choreography, and the design of sets and costumes. The album was followed by Book of Roses, released in 1991, which has a more symphonic sound than can be heard on the previous albums.
He received a World Music Award in Monaco in 1992 and performed at a benefit show for the child victims of the Chernobyl disaster
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...
on Moscow's Red Square
Red Square
Red Square is a city square in Moscow, Russia. The square separates the Kremlin, the former royal citadel and currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from a historic merchant quarter known as Kitai-gorod...
.
Mid- to Late-90s
The album Eolian Minstrel, released in 1994 marked another change in musical direction for Vollenweider. Previous albums had been largely instrumental, sometimes including wordless solo and chorus lyrics. On Eolian Minstrel most of the songs feature lyrics written by Vollenweider and sung by Carly SimonCarly Simon
Carly Elisabeth Simon is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records, and has since been the recipient of two Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for her work...
and Eliza Gilkyson
Eliza Gilkyson
Eliza Gilkyson is an Austin, Texas-based folk musician. She is the daughter of songwriter and folk musician Terry Gilkyson and Jane Gilkyson. She is the sister of guitarist Tony Gilkyson, who played with the Los Angeles-based bands Lone Justice and X...
. Although the next album with a heavy focus on vocals would not appear until almost 11 years after the release of Eolian Minstrel, lyrics would remain an important part of Vollenweider's music.
The period of 1994 to 1997 was marked with a series of concerts, notably with Pavarotti and Friends in Modena, Italy, and at remarkable locations, including a concert at 2500 meters in Bruneck
Bruneck
Bruneck is the largest town in the Puster Valley in the Italian province of South Tyrol. Bruneck lies at the confluence of the Ahr with the Rienz Bruneck is the largest town in the Puster Valley in the Italian province of South Tyrol. Bruneck lies at the confluence of the Ahr with the Rienz...
in the Southern Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
with Zucchero
Zucchero
Adelmo Fornaciari, Commander , more commonly known by his stage name Zucchero Fornaciari or simply Zucchero /ˈtsukkero/, is an Italian rock singer. His music is largely inspired by gospel, blues and rock music, and alternates between ballads and more rhythmic boogie-like pieces.Zucchero is the...
and in a volcanic cave at the Festival Musica Visual on Lanzarote
Lanzarote
Lanzarote , a Spanish island, is the easternmost of the autonomous Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 125 km off the coast of Africa and 1,000 km from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering 845.9 km2, it stands as the fourth largest of the islands...
.
1998 saw the release of Kryptos
Kryptos
Kryptos is an encrypted sculpture by American artist Jim Sanborn located on the grounds of the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Virginia. Since its dedication on November 3, 1990, there has been much speculation about the meaning of the encrypted messages it bears...
, a largely symphonic album featuring guest musicians from all over the world. During the summer of the same year, he worked on his next symphonic project. Wolkenstein, which he calls a "symphonic mind movie", was first performed to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Zürich in 1998.
The 1999 Cosmopoly is a return to a more "world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
" oriented sound and included guest appearances of Carly Simon, pianist Abdullah Ibrahim
Abdullah Ibrahim
Abdullah Ibrahim , born Adolph Johannes Brand, 9 October 1934 in Cape Town, South Africa, and formerly known as Dollar Brand, is a South African pianist and composer...
, singer and poet Milton Nascimento
Milton Nascimento
-Biography:Nascimento's mother was the maid Maria Nascimento. As a baby, Milton Nascimento was adopted by his mother's former employers: the couple Josino Brito Campos, a banker employee, mathematics teacher and electronic technician; and Lília Silva Campos, a music teacher and choir singer...
, Bobby McFerrin
Bobby McFerrin
Robert "Bobby" McFerrin, Jr. is an American vocalist and conductor. He is best known for his 1988 hit song "Don't Worry, Be Happy". He is a ten-time Grammy Award winner.-Life:...
, duduk
Duduk
The duduk , traditionally known since antiquity as a Ծիրանափող is a traditional woodwind instrument indigenous to Armenia. Variations of it are popular in the Middle East and Central Asia...
player Djivan Gasparyan
Djivan Gasparyan
Djivan Gasparyan is an Armenian musician and composer. He plays the duduk, a double reed woodwind instrument related to the orchestral oboe. Gasparyan is known as the Master of the duduk.-Biography:...
and trombonist Ray Anderson
Ray Anderson (musician)
Ray Anderson is an independent jazz trombone and trumpet player. Anderson is a boisterous trombonist who is masterful at multiphonics. Trained by the Chicago Symphony trombonists, he is regarded as pushing the limits of the instrument. He is a contemporary and colleague of trombonist/composer...
. A Cosmopoly tour followed, featuring many of the aforementioned musicians appearing as special guests during the tour.
2000 and Beyond
Vollenweider's "symphonic novel" Tales of Kira Kutan premiered at the Warsaw Film Music Festival in 2002. In the same year he composed and performed the music for the play SocratesSocrates
Socrates was a classical Greek Athenian philosopher. Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, he is an enigmatic figure known chiefly through the accounts of later classical writers, especially the writings of his students Plato and Xenophon, and the plays of his contemporary ...
— Dawn of Civilization with Rod Steiger
Rod Steiger
Rodney Stephen "Rod" Steiger was an Academy Award-winning American actor known for his performances in such films as On the Waterfront, The Big Knife, Oklahoma!, The Harder They Fall, Across the Bridge, The Pawnbroker, Doctor Zhivago, In the Heat of the Night, and Waterloo as well as the...
as Socrates.
From 2002 to the present Vollenweider has been busy with performing his music at various festivals and releasing multiple compilation albums and DVDs. His second major foray into vocal work came with VOX in 2005, featuring Vollenweider himself on most of the vocals. Midnight Clear was released in 2006, followed by his most recent full-length album, A I R, released in 2009.
Discography
- Eine Art Suite in XIII Teilen (1979)
- Behind the Garden - Behind the Wall - Under the Tree (album)Behind the Garden - Behind the Wall - Under the Tree (album)Behind the Gardens is a studio album by New Age artist Andreas Vollenweider, released in 1981. It is almost entirely instrumental, and centers around Vollenweider on harp....
(1981) - Caverna MagicaCaverna Magica- Personnel :* Andreas Vollenweider - Vocals, Harp, Keyboards, Guzheng, Flute* Erdal Kızılçay - Keyboards, Oud* Walter Keiser - Drums* Andi Pupato - Percussion* Roger Bonnot- Sound effects* Corin Curschellas - Voices* Darryl Pitt - Photography...
(1983) - Pace Verde (single for GreenpeaceGreenpeaceGreenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
, 1983) - White Winds (Seeker's Journey)White WindsWhite Winds is Andreas Vollenweider's fourth studio album, released in 1984.-Track listing:#"The White Winds/The White Boat " - 1:49#"Hall of the Stairs/Hall of the Mosaics " - 5:06...
(1984) - Down to the MoonDown to the Moon (album)Down to the Moon is Andreas Vollenweider's fourth studio album, released in 1986. It was re-released in 2005 and again in 2006.-Track listing:#"Down To The Moon" - 2:26#"Moon Dance" - 4:11#"Steam Forest" - 4:56#"Water Moon" - 2:15...
(1986) - Dancing with the Lion (1989)
- Traumgarten (collaboration with his father, organist Hans Vollenweider, 1990)
- The Trilogy (compilation of Behind the Gardens, Caverna Magica, White Winds and Pace Verde, with selections from Eine Art Suite, 1990)
- Book of Roses (1991)
- Eolian Minstrel (1993)
- Andreas Vollenweider & Friends - Live 1982-1994 (1994)
- Kryptos (1997)
- NANS N 50 - 50 (1998)
- Cosmopoly (1999)
- Vox (CD + DVD, 2004)
- The Essential Andreas Vollenweider (compilation, 2005)
- The Storyteller (compilation, 2005)
- Magic Harp (compilation, CD + DVD, 2005)
- The Magical Journeys of Andreas Vollenweider (soundtrack for the DVD The Magical Journeys of Andreas Vollenweider, 2006)
- Midnight Clear (2006, featuring Carly SimonCarly SimonCarly Elisabeth Simon is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records, and has since been the recipient of two Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for her work...
) - A I R (2009, featuring Xavier NaidooXavier NaidooXavier Kurt Naidoo is a German singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actor. Born and raised in Mannheim, Naidoo worked in several jobs in the gastronomy and the musical industry before relocating to the United States in the early 1990s, where he released his first full-length English...
)