WOMAD

Egschiglen

From Mongolia

The seven members of Egschiglen met while they were students at the state conservatory in Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia.....and it shows! A far cry from the ruffneck 'roots' approach to Central Asian music that we're used to from Huun Huur Tu and Shude , Egschiglen produce a sound of mournful perfection and clarity with all the subtle shades and tones of a European classical chamber orchestra. The group formed on graduation in 1991 and they've been maintaining a punishing tour schedule on the international circuit ever since, honing their skills and building up an enviable cohesion between the various instruments; dulcimer, horse-hair violin (morin khuur), Jews harp, percussion and swan throat lute. The legendary throat singing, emblem of the music of the Asian steppe, where two notes emerge from one mouth simultaneously, is still present and correct but performed with a virtuosity and refinement that beggars belief. The musicians are accompanied by a lithe and elegant dancer. Egschiglen in Mongolian means "beautiful melody". It does exactly what it says on the tin!!June 2000