1 Pas de deux 7’49 Geige/Gitarre - Violin/Guitar 2 Als-in baraa 9’18 Fernblick/Looking out Voc., Gitarre/Guitar 3 Dajabur 7’04 Voc., Gitarre/Guitar 4 La chasse 6’35 Die Jagd/Hunting Vocalise, Gitarre/Guitar 5 Böruulei 6’46 Wiegenlied/Lullaby Voc., Gitarre/Guitar 6 Naiman Sharg 19’51 Die achte Rosse des Dschingis Khan The eight horses of Dshingis Khan Voc., Geige, Gitarre Voc., Violin, Guitar After a spontaneous concert we both shared the enthusiasm for improvising together: without arranging anything, we offered our completely different musical traditions and experiences a chance to mingle. The Mongolian overtone singing blends with the slide of the guitar, the spherical sound of the horse head violin mixes with the filigree micro-tonality of the guitar. The diversity of the Mongolian singing styles combines with the classical bel canto. Wulfin Lieske What exactly is overtone or throat singing? It is a special sound made in unison with the tongue, teeth, larynx and palate. The technique of throat singing may be easy to write about - but it is almost impossible to actually try to perform. To perform the higher tune, the singer should bend (or fold) the tongue, and tap skilled sounds with the tongue point and whisper through the front teeth. At the same time the converged melody is made by making lips conical. As the basic tune resonates, a melodic buzzing sound also reverberates. A master of this kind of singing, traditionally accompanied by a Horse Head Violin, is Fu-Zhu Meng, born in Inner Mongolia, China, in 1972. He studies at the Musikhochschule Cologne/Wuppertal and masters the traditional singing technique of his native country as well as the European singing technique. He was the prize-winner of the national singing competition for European singing in China, and he was soloist of the choir of Radio Inner Mongolia. After several tours in China, Fu-Zhu Meng made his European debut in 2003 in Cologne/Germany. In 2004, he was co-founder of the Trio Nomin Tala, giving concerts all over Europe. They were part of the „Soundcolour“-Event (Cologne) during the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. In addition, Fu-Zhu Meng is an expert player of the horse head violin. The Horse Head Violin (morin khuur, meaning fiddle with a horse's head) is a Mongolian bowed stringed instrument. It produces a sound which is poetically described as expansive and unrestrained, like a wild horse neighing or like a breeze in the grasslands. It is the most important musical instrument of the Mongolian people, and is considered a symbol of the Mongolian nation. The instrument is held nearly upright with the sound box in the musician's lap or between the musician's legs. The strings are made from hairs from horses' tails, strung parallel, and run over a wooden bridge on the body up a long neck to the two tuning pegs in the scroll, which is always carved into the form of a horse's head. The larger of the two strings (the "male" string) has roughly 130 hairs from a stallion's tail, while the "female" string has roughly 100 hairs from a mare's tail. Traditionally, the strings were tuned a fifth apart, though in modern music they are more often tuned a fourth apart. Traditionally, the frame would have been covered with camel, goat, or sheep skin, in which case a small opening would be left in back, but in modern times, an all-wood sound box is more common, in a style similar to European stringed instruments, including the carved f-holes. Wulfin Lieske (guitar) “Wulfin Lieske approaches his listeners with a boundless capacity for making music come to life. His phrasing is always beautiful; he has convincingly logical agogic and dynamics, and an exceptionally immediate tone. He is able to give this music everything it needs as regards emotion, lightness of touch and virtuosity. Warmly delineated melodies of breathtaking lyrical beauty combine with sometimes dizzying arpeggios and runs. A strong instinct for timing and rhythmic articulation allows the music’s pulse to be clearly evident at all times.“ (Gitarre Konkret/Germany) Born in Linz, Austria, Lieske made his concert debut at 14 in the famous abbey on the Scottish island of Iona. Works by Bach and Villa-Lobos figured in the program together with improvisations and compositions by himself. Lieske went on to study at the state music school in Cologne, playing electronic guitar alongside classical, and amassed his early performing experience in very contrasting fields, which demanded great stylistic versatility on the one hand and on the other hand stimulated in him the curiosity which has influenced his work ever since. Today, as guitarist and composer, he is among the leading international musical personalities in his field. His conception of music-making opens up completely new insights into traditional guitar music. Lieske’s playing is full of sensitivity, with finely-chiseled detail and a vast spectrum of dynamics and coloring, combined with complete mastery of his instrument. The guitar as conveyor of the Mediterranean love of life, regularly combined with a well-chosen Latin-American repertoire perfectly within the instrument’s tradition, appears again and again in his programs. In addition Wulfin Lieske likes to give the „old masters“ their due. He therefore took an intensive interest in the legendary guitar maker Antonio de Torres and made a crucially important contribution to the rediscovery of the old Spanish guitar. The closest possible identification between performer and instrument, music and physical context, is created, going beyond stylistic boundaries and epochs and awakening a unique emotional need for the sound of the guitar and its chameleon-like ability to draw on all styles. This becomes apparent in his many CD recordings. To date he has worked with outstanding artists such as Gidon Kremer, Astor Piazzolla, Juan José Mosalini and the Hilliard Ensemble. In 1994 he founded the quartet „Bronsky Ritual“, with which he has performed contemporary chamber music and thematic program cycles, sometimes enhanced by imaginative lighting. His repertoire covers a span from Bach to free improvisation. In his solo recitals he likes to highlight the contrast between popular music in the border area between classicism and the folk traditions of Latin America and Spain on the one hand and the pioneering works of old and new music on the other. As a composer Wulfin Lieske draws from „the wealth of possibilities“ offered by his instruments. They have made him experiment with the human voice, different instruments, with motion and with the elements; his music alternates constantly between „expressivo“ and “meditativo“. Examples are compositions such as “Cinq tableaux sur Schubert”, “Nymphéas” d’après Claude Monet or “Taqsim” I - III and „Luxor Guitar Concerto“ for amplified guitar, percussion and string orchestra. In 2000 his oratorio “Über den Wassern” was premiered at the Hanover Expo with the Hilliard Ensemble and the performance artist Saâdia. Wulfin Lieske has devoted himself to combine old traditional instruments with the guitar, thus developing quite new tonal pattern - with William Barton, the world’s leading didgeridoo player from Australia (VMS 185), or on this CD with the Mongolian vocalist and morin khuur (horse-head fiddle) player, Fu-Zhu Meng. Translated by Celia Skrine 2 Als-in baraa,   Fernblick, Fernblick... Looking out … 3 Dayaa böör Altan kinggan uuland deer Alhaad garaad ujhuleer höy Aab-yin nutag monggoljin hoschuu Ujegdej baymar sanagdana. Altan kinggan uulan deer-es Alhaad buugaad irhuleer Arban nasutay dayaa böör Uyljel baymaar sanagdana. Dajabur  Wenn ich auf das Altangebirge steige, scheint es, als ob ich meine Heimat Mongoljin Hoshu sehe. Wenn ich wieder vom Altangebirge hinabsteige, scheint es, als ob ich fühlte, dass der zehnjährige Dajabur weint. Dajabur When I climb up the Atlan Mountains I seem to see my native Mongoljin Hoshu. Climbing down again From the Altan Mountains I seem to feel That ten year old Dajabur is weeping. 5 Böruulei Örliin saihan modoor Ölgei schaaj ögsen aab min Örlöö üdschin kööten deen Ujej anghaarsan eji min Eji deen Aab daan Böruulei buu uylaa Mömön bainuu dee Wiegenlied Der Vater hat mir die schönste Wiege gemacht. Die Mutter hat in der Mitternacht mir die schönsten Wiegenlieder leise gesungen. Borulei, nicht weinen, Mama ist da, Buwei, buwei, buwei... Lullaby My father made the most Beautiful cradle for me, My Mother at midnight Was singing the most beautiful Lullabies for me. Borulai, don’t weep, Mam is here, Buwei, buwei, buwei... 6 Nayman scharg Jee, Kök möngen tengrin door Körset delkeyin örtschin deer Nayiman scharg min Davkaed irlee   Gang dürven turai tay Garhan hoyar nudutay Gal butarsan deltay Galdzhuu salkin suultay   Undur undur uulud-yi Önggered önggered garsan yum-aa Örgan örgan muren nuud-yi Ketleed ketleed garsan yum-aa Naiman Sharg (Die acht Rosse des Dschingis Kahn) Unter dem blauen Himmel, auf der grünen Erde rannten die acht Rosse des Dschingis Kahn. Die haben eiserne Hufe, glänzende Augen, feurige Mähnen und stürmische Schweife. Hohe, hohe Berge wurden von ihnen überquert weite, weite Flüsse wurden von ihnen durchschritten. Naiman Sharg (The eight horses of Dshingis Khan) Under the blue sky On green soil The eight horses Of Dshingis Khan Were running. The have iron hoofs Sparkling eyes Fiery manes And stormy tails. High, high mountains They passed, Deep, Deep rivers They crossed.