CONCERTO FOR KORA & ORCHESTRA
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Concerto for Kora and Orchestra
Composed by Mamadou Cissokho and William Goodchild
1. Honour
2. Journey Home
3. Always With Me
4. Kana Koumbo
​Recording
Mamadou Cissokho - Kora Soloist
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Sophie Wilsdon - Clarinet Soloist
David Oliver - World Percussion
Amadou Diagne - African Percussion
Sura Susso - African Percussion
​Jean Hasse - Music Assistant
Ian Humphreys - Recording Engineer
Ed Watkins - Orchestral Programming
Jonathan Scott - Music Mixer
CONCERTO FOR KORA & ORCHESTRA PREMIERE
ABOUT THE COMPOSERS
Mamadou Cissokho
Master Kora Player - Composer
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Modou Ndiaye aka Mamadou Ndiaye Cissokho is a virtuoso kora player, vocalist, drummer and percussionist with a superb repertoire of rhythms fusing together traditional and modern beats. He plays a variety of West African instruments ranging from djembe, sabar, calabash and talking drum to his leading instrument –the 22 stringed kora (West African Harp). Modou is a member of the famous Cissokho family of Griot musicians and oral historians from the Cassamance region of Southern Senegal.
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William Goodchild
Composer - Conductor
​William is an award-winning composer and conductor of music for film, tv and concert performance. He has scored over 100 films for the major broadcasters. On stage and in the recording studio, William has collaborated with a wide variety of international soloists and composers. He has conducted the BBC Concert Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and BBC National Orchestra of Wales. As composer, his most recent film score is for Chimp Empire (Netflix), winner of the Wildscreen Panda Music Award 2024.
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ABOUT THE PROJECT
Kora Concerto Film 2016
Film-maker Remco Merbis produced a six-minute film documenting the collaboration between Mamadou Cissokho and William Goodchild. The film follows the process from when the two musicians first met, sharing some of their initial ideas, through to the fully-realised work and its concert premiere at St George’s Bristol.
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HELEN WILDE
High Sheriff of Bristol
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Commissioned by Helen Wilde & premiered at the High Sheriff of Bristol's Concert 2016
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"June 18th 2016 saw the culmination of an extraordinary creative collaboration. As the High Sheriff of the City of Bristol for that year, I had the rare opportunity to put together a concert in St Georges, Brandon Hill, one of the most outstanding concert venues in Britain with its acclaimed acoustic.
Knowing that this would be a unique occasion attended by a large and critical but appreciative musical audience, I needed to plan something very special. It was important to reflect Bristol, with its huge variety of musical heritage and culture. The concert was built round the Bristol Symphony Orchestra and its conductor and Musical Director, Will Goodchild and my husband, Peter, and I spent a lot of time considering ideas for the programme.
I was sure that the centrepiece of the evening was to be a newly commissioned concerto but beyond this, we were open to ideas. Will introduced us to the concept of fusing of a western classical orchestra with a soloist from an African heritage. When we met Mamadou Cissokho, we knew things were going to happen! Mamadou's passion for his own culture and his extraordinary virtuosity with the kora was immediately apparent. The challenge was to bring the classical formality and structure of a symphony orchestra together with a relaxed and instinctive African soloist.
Over several months we were privileged to watch and hear the creative process in action. Mamadou brought West African melodies and themes into a discussion with Will who listened intently and began to shape his thoughts about how the orchestra could be balanced with the unique kora sound. A master kora player such as Mamadou plays instinctively and with improvisation. It was, however, important for the 70 or more symphony players to have a structure with which to work.
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This is where the magic started to happen. Mamadou also listened and learned, adapting his fluid style to work with the orchestra, whilst the classical symphony players learned to relax into new and less familiar rhythms and sounds.
The evening itself was a triumph, the concert being played to a full house of incredible diversity. The regular classical concert goers were all there but also there was an eclectic mix of others from across the city who were expecting to hear something new.
The piece created an atmosphere that, I think I'm right in saying, has not been heard in that concert hall before. The concert played for about twenty minutes but was followed by an incredibly long standing ovation with whistles and applause going on for several minutes. People still talk to me about the evening."
ORCHESTRAL MUSIC HIRE
Concerto for Kora and Orchestra (2016 / 2024)
Mamadou Cissokho and William Goodchild
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Inspiration for this work is drawn from West African traditional styles, in particular, the Senegalese kora tradition, in conjunction with Romantic and 20th Century European approaches to orchestral writing. Mamadou Cissokho and William Goodchild met over several weeks to share ideas, to improvise and write together. During this time, a work in four movements evolved for a soloist and orchestra comprising Kora, five Woodwind, six Brass, African Drums, Percussion, Harp and Strings.
Concerto for Kora and Orchestra was commissioned by Helen Wilde, High Sheriff of Bristol 2016/17. It lasts approx. 18 minutes.
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The work received its premiere at the High Sheriff's Concert at St George's Bristol on Saturday 18th June 2016.
The performance was given by soloist Mamadou Cissokho (Kora) with Bristol Symphony Orchestra, conducted by William Goodchild. Second and third performances of the piece form part of Symphony of the World being performed at Trinity Centre, Bristol on Monday 18th November 2024 and at St George's Bristol on Monday 25th November 2024. Kora soloist: Mamadou Cissokho with Bristol Ensemble, conducted by William Goodchild.
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Acknowledgements
The composers would like to thank Helen Wilde for commissioning the work,
and her husband Peter Wilde for his support; Roger Huckle and
Bristol Ensemble for programming the work as part of
Symphony of the World; and Jean Hasse, for her musical assistance
and help with preparation of the performance materials.
If you would like to hire the full score and parts, please contact us here:
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