Tele Drumming is a miniature music theatrical performance for solo percussionist around the beauty of Kinyarwanda, a tonal language – based on some conversations between Aurélie Nyirabikali Lierman in Europe and her brother Bondy Nshimiyimana in Kigali, discussing 6 Rwandan proverbs. All 6 proverbs refer to the subject of speech in a philosophical and ethical way. Tele Drumming reconstructs and re enacts these long distance conversations – via so called ‘conversational textures’ alternating between monologue and dialogue, speech (reading or talking) and music, fixed form and improvisation; providing a sonic exploration of various African and Western (historical) tele communication forms: ranging from talking drum language and phone conversations over telegraphy up till e-mail in the Roman alphabet. The tape part has solely her brother’s voice, Lierman’s voice is cut out and filled in by the live talking drum sounds. The soloist is suggested to imagine that his/her vocal chords have been removed and that the talking drum is the performer’s new prosthetic voice. Tele Drumming is dedicated to Bondy Nshimiyimana
Title: Tele Drumming
Duration: 9′33”
Year: 2016
Performers: Marianna Soroka
Instrumentation: video text, (pre recorderd ) voice, talking drum (monophonic)
Premiered: May 2016, Kees van Baarenzaal, The Hague
Other Tourdates:
Korzo Theater 13.06.2016 – The Hague, NL
Theater Perdu, 10.02.2017 – Amsterdam, NL
Bookpublication: Grounds for Possible Music, ed. Errant Bodies Berlin & Q-02 Brussels