Listen to the live introduction for Tribes, recorded on Foyer Deck 1 at the Muziekgebouw aan het IJ.

In this insightful pre-concert talk, music historian Michel Khalifa hosts conversations with cellist, singer, and composer Abel Selaocoe and renowned composer Michel van der Aa.

First, Abel Selaocoe discusses his unique artistic identity, which is deeply rooted in his South African heritage. He explains his philosophy of the concert as a "gathering" , where the audience and performer share a space and collective singing becomes a powerful tool to be free together. Selaocoe shares how he shape-shifts the cello , using it as a secondary voice alongside throat singing and mimicking other African instruments, flutes, and even percussive mistakes to find new grooves.

He delves into the meaning behind his work Pula, which means rain in his home languages of Sesotho and Setswana —a symbol of blessing, good fortune, and a path set by ancestors. He also speaks on the emotional power of the anti-apartheid protest song "Senzeni na" , and what it means to perform it as a child of freedom standing on the shoulders of giants.

In the second half, composer Michel van der Aa joins to discuss "Entanglements," his collaborative composition with Abel. Van der Aa describes Abel as a phenomenon who grabs you by the collar with his performance. He details their cross-pollination process , which began with improvisations in his Amsterdam studio and grew through "chain composition" over Zoom.

Van der Aa explains how the piece forms a bridge between two essential South African poets: Ingrid Jonker, the 1960s anti-apartheid poet celebrated by Nelson Mandela , and the living poet Lesego Rampolokeng. The work combines electronics , Abel's incredible "mouth percussion" , and overtone singing to create a living organism that van der Aa calls a real meeting of two intuitive artists.

This is a fascinating look at how music builds bridges between Africa and Europe, past and present, and composition and improvisation.

Joost

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