Moyo Wangu
Alan Charlton
Commissioned for Ishirini's tour to Tanzania in April 2009
Première: April 2009
An arrangement of a traditional Tanzanian melody. Essentially a set of variations rounded off with a climactic coda, Moyo Wangu starts simply and gradually builds in textural complexity throughout.
The work was given its premiere on a sweltering day in a Lutheran church in Dar Es Salaam. The reception from the excitable audience was quite unlike anything in Europe: a deafening cacophony of ululating, shouting, cheering and clapping that started even as the piece was reaching its conclusion.
