EGSCHIGLEN (Contemporary and traditional music from Mongolia)

EGSCHIGLEN
(Contemporary and traditional music from Mongolia)

The band EGSCHIGLEN ("Beautiful melody") was founded in 1991 by master students of the conservatory of Ulaanbaatar. Still today 4 founding members are the heart of the group. From the very beginning, the musicians are focusing on contemporary music of Mongolia and searching systematically for the sound dimensions of this repertory with their traditional instruments and the central asian vocal technics.

The music of a country is formed by its landscape and the way of life of its people. Mongolia, in the heart of Asia, is a vast country, roughly five times the size of Germany. Endless graslands in the south envelope into the barren beauty of the Gobi desert. From the snow-covered Altai and Changaj mountains clear rivers run through forests and flatlands. A large part of the more than 2 million Mongolians still live as nomads to this very day, in harmony and rhythm with nature, and together with their "five jewels": horses, camels, cattle, sheep and goats. The music of the Mongolians breathes the freedom and power of the simple way of life close to the nature.

My friends of the group EGSCHIGLEN are musical ambassadors of their country. With their virtuoso, their musically transmit the harmony of their culture. The name EGSCHIGLEN stands for harmony or beautiful melody. Tume (Tumenbayar Migdorj) and Tumro (Tumursaihan Yanlav) sing and play the horse-head violin, morin khuur, a string instrument with two strings made of horse hair, played like a cello. Ugan (Uuganbaatar Tsend-Ochir) bows and plucks the mogolian bass, ih huur. The solo vocalist Amra (Amartuwshin Baasandorj) sings in khomii style and accompanies himself on the swan throat lute tobshuur. Khomii is a special throat singing in which the overtones are modulated while singing the base melody. Sara (Sarangel Tserevsamba) is an expert at the dulcimer, joochin and the female voice of the band. Boogi (Wandansenge Batbold) is her virtuoso equal on asian percussion and 2nd solo singer. The artistic movement of the dancer Ariunaa, who accompanies the group at their concerts, is unfortunately lost in the sound recordings, but you could enjoy it live performances!

The music of EGSCHIGLEN impresses by virtue of its variety and gracefulness. They interpret both traditional songs and the work of contemporary Mongolian composers with their fine-tuned arrangements. Their pieces often have chamber-music quality and transparency - and then again the orginal enchanting power of folk traditions. You can almost hear the sound of the hoofs by the smal and tough Mongolian horses - Genghis Khan founded the world's greatest empire of all times on their backs. And then again the music takes us to the clear silence of the Gobi desert, where only the wind sings in the dunes.

On one hand Mongolian sounds seems strange and mysterious to Western ears. Especially the khoomii chants leave you speachless. Can you believe that one voice can produce such low and high sounds at the same time? (Yes, it is possible!) On the other hand the music sounds familiar, by expressing basic human feelings: love, sorrow and thankfulness. The musicians of EGSCHIGLEN take us to the fascinating culture of their far-away home, at the same time showing us that beyond all cultural differences there is a common element of human existance."

Dr. Ludwig Frambach

VIDEO Egschiglen (Mongolia) at Tam Tam Festival 2006

The musicians

Migdorj Tumenbajar 1st morin khuur, vocals
Yanlav Tumursaihan 2nd morin khuur, vocals
Amartuwshin Baasandorj solo overtone vocals (khoomii), tobshuur
Wandansenge Batbold asian percussion, 2nd solo vocals
Uuganbaatar Tsend-Ochir bass
Sarangerel Tserevsamba joochin, vocals
Ariunaa Tserendavaa dance
Taivan Chimeddoo introduction

Dicography

EGSCHIGLEN Gobi
Heaven and Earth, 1997
CD HE 4
License to:
Robi Droli, 1998 - CD FY 8005

EGSCHIGLEN Traditionelle mongolische Lieder
Heaven and Earth, 1996
CD HE 1

Marc Hirte Second Nature
Hammer Musik, 1996
Songs: Lobpreisung an die Dunjin Garav
Bridge to the heart

Oliver Shanti & Friends Tai Chi Too - Himalaya, Magic and Spirit
Sattva Music, 1996
Songs: My Timeless Cosmic Friend
Luohan Amitabha's Hands
Spring in Lhasa
Autumn in Beijing
Oliver Shanti & Friends Well Balanced

Sattva Music, 1995

V.A. La Notte di San Lorenzo
ARCI Milano, 1997
Songs: Manduul Khan
Aufgehende Sonne

V.A. Celtic Cercles
Avalon/ Gruppo Futura, 1998
Song: Chingis Haani Magtaal

V.A. Chanting Globe
PolyGram, 1998 - Nr. 565396-2
Song: Chingis Haani Magtaal

V.A. Choirs of the World
ARC Music, 1999
Song: Ode an den Berg Dunjing Garav

V.A. Sacred Music
ARC Music, 1999
Song: Chingis Haani Magtaal
EGSCHIGLEN Egschiglen - Musik aus der Mongolei
ARC Music, 2001
EGSCHIGLEN Zazal

Heaven and Earth, 2001- Nr. CD HE 10

Biography


1991 - 1994 Festivals in Corea, Russia, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, Hongary, Italy, Roumania and Germany
1995 Tour with concerts in the following festivals:
Muschelsalat Hagen, Köln-Sommer Festival, Theater Kiel, Theater
Ingolstadt, Theater Bernburg, Siegburger Sommerfestival (BRD),
Buskers Festival Neuchatel (Switzerland), IOV Festival Carrara (Italy),
Leeuwarden, Nijmegen, Emmen (NL)

1996 Tour with concert in the following festivals:
Landesgartenschau Böblingen, Sommerfestivals in Limburg, Detmold, Bonn,
Festival im Küchengarten Gera (BRD), Buskers Festival Neuchatel
(Switzerland), Buskers Festival Ferrara, IOV Festival Carrara (Italy)
radio recording for Radio Bremen

1997 Tour with concert in the following festivals:
Kulturdrom Mistelbach (Austria), Festival Mediterraneo Genova, La Notte di
San Lorenzo Milano, Time Zones Festival Bari, modern opera "Ghengis Khan" as co-production with Compagnia Pneumatica (Italy), Verdens Kultur Festivalen Arhus (Denmark), radio recording by WDR, Radio Bremen, Bayrischer Rundfunk

1998 Tour with concert in the following festivals:
Duisburger Akzente, Weltmusikfestival Kassel, Microfestival Dortmund, UN-
ART Festival Recklinghausen, Kemnade International Bochum, Rossini in
Wildbad, tour for Radio RPR through 9 cities in Rheinland-Pfalz (BRD),
Cantigas do Mayo Lissabon (P), Forde Festival (N) and tour in Italy with
more than 25 performances

1999 Tour with concerts in the following festivals:
Weltmusik Festival Frankfurt (BRD), Tag der Musik Eupen (B), Festival der
Kulturen auf der Kulturinsel Einsiedel (BRD), Perleberg Festival für Folk,
Lied und Weltmusik (BRD), mongolian week in Bourgtheroulde (F), Mongolia
Festival Torino (I) and many other concerts in Austria, Netherlands,
Germany, Italy and Switzerland

2000 Tour with concerts in the following festivals:
Expo 2000 Hannover, WOMAD Festival, Tag der Gewerkschaften,
Thementag Weltenwandern (BRD), WOMAD Festival Reading (UK), Mystic
Music Festival Istanbul (TR),
Tour in Norway with 14 concerts all over the country and many other concerts in Sweden, Italy, Switzerland and Spain