The WorldNetwork collection is produced in close cooperation between Germany's largest broadcasting company WDR (West German Radio & Television) and NETWORK. Since its inception, the WDR has committed itself to inviting great artists from all over the world to record at its Cologne studios. When this wasn't possible or feasible, recordings were made directly on location.
The best sound technicians have spared no effort to record these unique musical moments live: without overdubbing, multi-tracking or other cosmetic effects.
Christian Scholze and Jean Trouillet have selected, together with Jan Reichow, the most outstanding concert, festival and studio recordings from decades of archive material to create this unique collection. Over the past years, Network, in collaboration with the WDR, has made local recordings, among others, in Senegal, Australia, Cuba, Brazil and Uzbekistan.
Many CDs in this collection have received national and international record awards. The jury of the International Phonographic Award explained their decision: "Recordings from four continents, interpreted in high quality by singers and instrumentalists who, although receptive to new sources of inspiration, are nevertheless deeply rooted in the tradition of their culture and have not adapted to current trends: these recordings in the WorldNetwork collection illustrate the diversity of a predominantly non-commercial world-music of extraordinary quality."
Tajima Tadashi - Master of Shakuhachi ı 49 JAPAN
It is hard to believe the sounds that can be produced by a bamboo pipe with five finger holes and no mouthpiece. In the hands of a master such as Tajima Tadashi, the breath is modulated to describe the sounds of nature and the "singing bamboo" blossoms once again.
Details Sohrab Fakir, Mohamed Fakir, Ghous Bux Brohi, Moula Bux Sand, Alla Bachayo Khoso ı 48 Pakistan/Sindh
Sindh, the southern province of Pakistan, is considered to be the true home of the wandering mystics and ascetics known as dervishes. This CD presents the very finest Sufi musicians, performing improvisations on the stringed surando that verge on pure jazz, while the double flute alghoza evokes endless camel rides through the heat of the Sindh desert.
Details Djivan Gasparyan ı 47 Armenia
Armenia's famous musician is a living legend, regarded as the leading duduk virtuoso. There is probably no other woodwind instrument with a softer sound, and the folk music of Armenia seems to harbour a positively inexhaustible store of ballads, performed here by Djivan Gasparyan and his fellow musicians with tangible emotion.
Details Petro-Loukas Chalkia & Kompania ı 46 Greece/Epirus
Epirus, on the border to Albania, is isolated by mountains. Here, a musical tradition based on ancient musical scales has survived. Petro-Loukas Chalkias and his violinist brother Achilleas, are scions of a legendary dynasty of musicians. They join Christos Zotos, one of the finest lute player, for a musical dialogue of great sensitivity.
Details Sonia M’Barek Takht ı 45 Tunesia
The young singer is one of the most interesting new talents to emerge in the world of classical Arab singing. She presents the Maalouf, a classical Tunisian musical style rooted in mediaeval Andalusia. Hailed by the French press as a "modern diva", she is accompanied by a group of six musicians on strings, nay, qanoun, oud and percussion.
Details Carmen Flórez, Susana Baca, Alturas, Cuarteto Musical, Pauza de Jaime Guardia, Máximo Damián, Raúl García Zárate, Félix Casaverde, Los Romanticos de Sicay, A mi patria ı 44 Peru
Peru's great geographic and ethnic diversity and its chequered history are all reflected in the enormous variety of its musical traditions. The country's most famous musicians provide a broad introduction to this rich tapestry, with a wealth of different stringed instruments, flutes, percussion and superb vocalists.
Details Ti-Coca, Toto Bissainthe ı 43 Haiti
In Haiti, the most "African" country in the Caribbean, the drums are the guardians of voodoo, while the rhythms and songs of the local troubadours keep the Black heritage alive. Ti-Coca and his musicians take us to the roots of the Merengue with their irresistible charm. This CD also includes live recordings of the legendary Toto Bissainthe.
Details Kandia Kouyaté, Mah Damba, Sali Sidibé, Oumou Sangaré, The Divas from Mali ı 42 Mali
These four outstanding veterans of epic song from the country's two largest ethnic groups take us far back into Mali's ballad tradition, presenting not only the Wassoulou sound with its funky rhythms, but also Manding music, to the accompaniment of the kora and the balaphon.
Details Dumitru Farcas, Taraf Mociu, Florea Pascu, Taraf de Haiduks, Fanfare Ciocarlia et al. Wild Sounds from Transylvania, Wallachia & Moldavia ı 41 Romania
The WDR recording team travelled to Romania decades ago so as to record in pristine form a heterogeneous and exceptional musical culture. Also included are legendary live recordings of the world famous Gypsy orchestra Taraf de Haiduks and the Fanfare Ciocarlia, whose playing abounds with pure joy.
Details Lilia Vera, Serenata Guyanesa, Fredy Reyna, Trío Llanero, Pajarillo verde ı 40 Venezuela
The complex tones, the numerous rhythmic variations, and the virtuosity it demands of the singers of its folk poetry, make Venezuelan folk music one of Latin America's most attractive. Songs and dance and instrumental pieces performed by the country's most famous interpreters.
Details Louis Chen & Friends, Ya Dong - The Sound of Silk and Bamboo ı 39 China
The ethereal harmonies, refined glissandi, and contemplative melodies of Chinese music are presented on the zheng zither, the pipa lute, the erh-hu violin, the sheng mouth organ and the ti-tse flute, in solos and duets. The soloists are among China's most acclaimed instrumentalists.
Details Munadjat Yulchieva & Ensemble Shavkat Mirzaev - The Haunting Voice ı 38 Uzbekistan
The dark timbre and unique expressive power of the voice of Munadjat Yulchieva, Uzbekistan's most renowned traditional singer, is utterly fascinating. The legendary rubab player Shavkat Mirzaev has complemented his ensemble with additional outstanding soloists so as to be able to present all the important musical instruments and styles of his country.
Details Alim Qasimov Ensemble - The Legendary Art of Mugham ı 37 Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan's most popular mugham trio, formed around Alim Qasimov, the "magical voice" (Le Monde) of Azerbaijan. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung speaks of "a vocal miracle: each individual tone expresses fundamental emotions, the graceful beauty and atmospheric density of the music spans hours, even centuries, creating moments that are eternal."
Details Ankala: Mark Atkins, Janawirri Yiparrka & Michael Atherton - Rhythms from the Outer Core ı 36 Australia
Mark Atkins and Janawirri Yiparrka are two virtuoso Aboriginal didjeridu players. Together with multi-talented instrumentalist Michael Atherton and guests, they create sounds that organically combine the didjeridu with the many other instruments in a narrative about the heat and breadth of the country and its age-old culture.
Details Traditional Musicians - A Suite of Tropical Music and Sounds ı 35 Bali
The rare fruits of a recording trip by the WDR to this beautiful and culturally rich island: the midnight concerts of the cicadas and frogs in the paddy fields, the mesmerising tones of procession, flute and jaw's- harp music, the suggestive voice ensemble of the shadow play "Wayang Kulit", and the famous kecak.
Details Kohinoor Langa Group ı 34 Rajasthan
The members of the Kohinoor Langa Group belong to a caste of musicians who have made an important contribution to musical developments in Asia over the centuries. The group's focus of attention are vocal solos of astonishing virtuosity, irresistible rhythms on drums, castanets and jaw's-harps, and lyrical passages played on the 28-stringed sarangi.
Details Sharam Nazeri & Ensemble Alizadeh ı 33 Iran/Kurdistan
The virtuoso singer Sharam Nazeri charms the listener with the extraordinary beauty and vibrant warmth of his voice, while the eight-strong ensemble creates an electrifying atmosphere with equally dazzling instrumental passages.
Details Various Artists ı 32 Scotland
A journey through the diversity of living Scottish traditions featuring the finest musicians in each field: songs from the Hebrides, fiddle music from the Shetlands, the country's best accordion player, harp music, songwriters and bands, who respectfully point traditional music in new directions.
Details Various Artists ı 31 Corsica/Sardinia
A unique choral tradition has developed on these islands over the centuries. This collection brings the marvel of a remarkable musical heritage of vocal mastery and of stirring choral arrangements tangibly closer in delightful contrasts and polyphonic sound patterns.
Details Various Artists ı 30 Cuba
Six selected top groups — totalling almost sixty musicians — span the pinnacles of Afro-Cuban music: Yoruba rhythms and songs, charanga, acoustic salsa music, musica campesina, and many other styles whose triumphant global conquest originated from here. Original Network recordings made in Havana.
Details Yandé Codou Sène & Youssou N'Dour ı 29 Senegal
A world premiere: the first traditional album recorded by Youssou N'Dour together with his idol, singer Yandé Codou Sène — a document of overwhelming beauty. They are accompanied by, among others, Dakar's best drummers, the local riti violin, and a polyphonic female choir.
Details Traditional Musicians - A Journey to an Unknown Musical World ı 28 Afghanistan
Afghanistan's musical styles are as diverse and fascinating as the many different ethnic groups who inhabit this country of contrasts at the crossroads of major civilisations. From the vast archives of the WDR German broadcasting company, we have selected the most heart-rending ballads, trance-like violin and percussion cycles and the most bluesy call-and-response songs.
Details Hamza Shakkûr & Ensemble al-Kindî - Takasim & Sufi Chants from Damaskus ı 27 Syria
The recordings of the Ensemble al-Kindî provide a rare opportunity of discovering authentic classical Arabian music. Sheikh Hamza Shakkûr, leader of the Whirling Dervishes of Damascus, is a singer who draws deep upon the living tradition of the Sufi. Le Monde has hailed him as "the greatest interpreter of Syrian Sufi singing.".
Details Loyko - Road of the Gypsies ı 26 Russia
This is Russian Gypsy music performed with consummate mastery. Virtuoso dances, gentle romances, melancholy minor keys and a cappella song — Loyko add their own special touch with some unique arrangements, sharp-witted irony and skilful tempi.
Details Carmen Linares - Desde el alma - Cante Flamenco en vivo ı 25 Spain
Carmen Linares is known in Spain as the "Queen of Song" and has won many competitions, including the prestigious Arte Flamenco. Her overwhelmingly expressive voice vibrates with passion as she plumbs the dark depths and scales the brilliant heights of Cante Flamenco.
Details Appenzeller Space Schöttl, Alphornduo Aemmital, Husmusig Jeremias vo Bärn, Familie Engel, Schneebergbuam, Citoller Tanzgeiger, Die Interpreten, Mosibuebae, Inntaler Sänger - Music from the Old World ı 24 The Alps
No archive in the world has a collection of authentic Alpine folk music to vie with that of the German broadcasting company WDR. This album, with neither keyboards nor kitsch, introduces listeners to the region's wide range of styles, instruments and traditions.
Details Tata Dindin - Salam - New Kora Music ı 23 The Gambia
The strings of the kora produce sounds so plaintively songlike that they really get under your skin. Tata Dindin's breathtaking virtuosity, his gentle and emotively expressive voice and his original compositions based on ancient traditions have made him one of the country's most popular musicians and a youth idol.
Details Los Folkloristas, Tlen Huicani, Amparo Ochoa & Ensemble Los Camperos de Valles, Raíz Viva ı 22 Mexico
With a wide range of guitar-like and other string instruments, percussion, flutes, violins and harps, and with exquisitely arranged vocals, the musicians on this album, as guardians of the rich heritage of Indian and Black musical traditions, chart an unprecedentedly comprehensive survey of Mexico's vibrant music scene.
Details Tuvinian Singers & Musicians - Chöömej - Throat-Singing from the Center of Asia ı 21 Tuva
Overtone singing is one of the most astonishing vocal forms in the world. With digital recordings directly from Tuva, in addition to excellent studio recordings, this CD presents a fascinating spectrum of the Tuvinian art of Chöömej, in which the magical sounds of horsehead fiddles and the jaw's harp carry you away, heart and soul, into the remote vastness of the Tuvinian steppes.
Details Nazakat & Salamat Ali Khan - Raga Darbari Kanarra - Legendary Khyal Maestros ı 20 Pakistan
The brothers Nazakat and Salamat Ali Khan are legends in the world of North Indian classical music. A rare document of Indian vocal art at its zenith. "As a child in my parents' home, I got to know the masterly art of khyal singing. They've been my idols ever since" (Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan).
Details Giora Feidman & Ensemble - Yiddish Soul - Klezmer ı 19 Israel
This undisputed master of Yiddish soul music has the almost magic ability to endow his clarinet with the expressive power of the human voice; he makes it sing, giggle, moan and whisper. "By far the best live performance of my entire musical career" (Giora Feidman). "He has given the clarinet a new voice" (Benny Goodman).
Details Rossy, Tselonia, Mahaleo, Matrimbala, Justin Vali & Lolo Sy Ny Tariny - Music of Madagascar ı 18 Madagascar
Made over the course of twelve years, these recordings, featuring six hand-picked ensembles, present a dazzling tapestry of sparkling musicality: filigree folk music of an island continent with beautiful voices, harps, guitars and accordions.
Details Paulinho Da Viola & Ensemble - Samba e Choro Negro ı 17 Brazil
Certainly no other sambista in Brazil is as revered as Paulinho da Viola. He has the uncanny, indeed, unique ability to fuse the rhythm of the samba with Iyrics of amazing sensitivity. In Rio, these recordings quickly became the media hit of Brazil. Legendary samba musicians like the pianist Cristóvão Bastos and the cuíca player Mestre Marçal fill out Paulinho's ensemble.
Details Altan, De Dannan, Frank Gavin, Liam O’Flynn & Dessie Wilkinson - Treasures of Irish Music ı 16 Ireland
Traditional dance tunes, fiery jigs and reels, slow airs and unaccompanied sean-nos songs are the stuff of this thrilling live recording featuring Ireland's best musicians. Among them are the fiddle virtuoso Frankie Gavin, the most famous singer of the Emerald Isle, Eleonor Shanley and Altan — "the most popular Irish folk combo today" (Stereo).
Details Bratsch - Gypsy Music from the Heart of Europe ı 15 France
With masterly skill Bratsch has revived the musical art of the European Gypsies. With stirring emotion, poignant melodies and subtle arrangements, they create a new acoustical music in which the "the nostalgia of Eastern Europe, the vibrancy of the Mediterranean, the dexterity of the Gypsies and Yiddish irony all converge. Music without borders!" (Le Monde).
Details Michael Doucet & Beausoleil - Parlez Nous A Boire - Cajun ı 14 USA
The violinist Michael Doucet is undoubtedly one of the most respected performers and interpreters of contemporary cajun music in the USA. Bringing together a mixture of calypso, blues, rock'n'roll, funk, and zydeco, a black variant of cajun, Beausoleil explodes all previously known boundaries of cajun music.
Details Yaki Kandru - Music from the Tropical Rainforest & Other Magic Places ı 13 Colombia
This dense jungle of atmospheric sounds transports us back to a time when mankind lived in harmony with nature. With a power-giving collection of traditional instruments this music issues directly from the poetic tap-root of ancient American Indian cultures.
Details Seoul Ensemble Of Traditional Music ı 12 Korea
The delicate sounds of zithers and bamboo flutes clash with dynamic blasts from bamboo oboes, hourglass drums and gongs to form dense jazz-like improvisations which are, in fact, closely related to traditional shaman ceremonies. "Magnificent intonation" (FAZ).
Details Pedro Caldeira Cabral - Variações - Guitarra Portuguesa ı 11 Portugal
This celebrated virtuoso of the Portuguese guitar invokes the beauty, poignant charm and contradictory world of feeling of this unmistakably Portuguese instrument with its wistful sound. Traditional fado, renaissance, and baroque elements flow freely through his compositions.
Details Mustafa Kandirali & Ensemble - Caz Roman ı 10 Turkey
What sets apart the mastery of the Turkish clarinetist, Mustafa Kandral, is his playful treatment of seemingly disparate elements of popular and classical music, from belly dance to jazz, which he never fails to drive to the peak of ecstatic perfection. "Turkish folk-jazz of the highest virtuosity — a stroke of genius!" (Keyboards).
Details Johnny Clegg & Sipho Mchunu (Duo Juluka), Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Cologne Zulu Festival ı 09 South Africa
This CD has the distinction of being both an historical and pioneering work. It documents the first time that Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Johnny Clegg with Sipho Mchunu ever performed outside of the African continent: An event that set the ears of the world abuzz — and a discovery, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, that Paul Simon (Graceland) will never forget.
Details Ross Daly & Labyrinth - Mitos ı 08 Eurasia
Ross Daly is a magician leading us on a dream-like journey through a labyrinth of Greek, Oriental and Mediterranean sounds. His group, Labyrinth, which features more than 40 instruments, performs a repertoire that includes the most diverse musical traditions of Greece and the former Ottoman empire.
Details Traditional Mbira Musicians & Kevin Volans Ensemble - Mbira ı 07 Zimbabwe
In the ensemble playing of mbira music, the solo parts of the individual musicians are woven into a communal tapestry of highly complex melodies of unparalleled artistry. "It's hard to believe that one country can offer so much Africa" (FAZ). The CD also features an interesting mbira composition by Kevin Volans, who has composed many pieces for the Kronos Quartet.
Details Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee - Conversation With The River - Blues ı 06 USA
The legendary duo Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee was a veritable museum of folk-blues. Guitar, song and bluesharp join together in a richly varied interplay to form one of the most important sources of rhythm & blues.
Details Sexteto Mayor - Quejas De Bandoneón - Tango ı 05 Argentina
"Sexteto Mayor is, without a doubt, the best tango ensemble in Buenos Aires. The six soloists play like poets, letting their instruments sing" (Le Monde). They play sparkling, up-beat arrangements of classical tango.
Details Psarantonis & Ensemble - Son Of Psiloritis - Lyra ı 04 Crete
Of all the lyra players and musicians of Crete, Psarantonis is clearly the most idiosyncratic. When he lets his instrument whimper, or when it screeches with the craggy beauty of the barren slopes it's impossible to know, from one moment to the next, whether the stroke of his bow will be humanly audible or explode in wildfire.
Details Mohammad Reza Shadjarian & Ensemble Aref - Dastgah Chahargah - Classical Persian Music ı 03 Iran
The majestic instrumental improvisation of the eleven member ensemble forms the backdrop for Shadjarian's musical art form — classical song. With a voice of unbelievable tenderness and expressive power, Iran's most revered classical singer sings the Iyrics of 14th century poets Sa'di and Hafez.
Details Rustavi Choir & Duduki Trio Omar Kelaptrishvili ı 02 Georgia
The Rustavi Choir consists of the best soloists of all Georgia, who have been brought together to preserve the more than thousand year old local tradition of polyphonic singing. In addition, this CD features the slow, stately melodies of the Duduki trio, typically played in wine taverns or during banquets and festivities.
Details Shivkumar Sharma & Zakir Hussain - Raga Puriya Kalyan - Classical Indian Music ı 01 India
Shivkumar Sharma, the great santur virtuoso, weighs every note he plays with infinitesimal care. As if free of gravity's fetters, Sharma hovers over the hundred strings of his instrument to create sounds of dazzling beauty, ranging from meditative calm to complex, percussive whirlwind passages. He is accompanied by India's legendary tabla player, Zakir Hussain.
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