Lumbardhi’s display of its programmatic content in BLLOGU will be accompanied by ‘Listening Journal’, a component of its public music program ‘Variations on Listening’ which took place at Kino Bahçe during summer of 2020.
‘Variations on Listening’ took off from the incentive to actualize the process of active listening that Lumbardhi’s music curators Agona Shporta, Tevfik Rada and Fjolla Hoxha initiated, as a critique to the negligence of this form of art and a call to pay attention to a deeper listening in public settings.
“How much music is too much music, so much so that we don’t notice its presence any longer? Music is always acute in supermarkets, cafes, bars, stores, etc. to the point that we become immune to this listening habit. We rarely pay attention to what is playing and treat it as entertainment instead of art” – was the reasoning that kick started this project.
The inspiration to rethink active ways of listening generated a three part program that focused on different forms of experiencing sound at Kino Bahçe, within the restrictions that the pandemic imposed.
‘Sës-mës’ was the component that aimed to give Lumbardhi’s visitors quiet hours, a space to reflect and relax without imposing a mood through music. ‘Tones in Motion’ recordings of concerts from various times and geographies and the ‘Listening Journal’ promoted active listening and created space to notice various musical artists, concepts, voice harmonies, different rhythms and other musical elements.
BLLOGU will be home to seven playlists that were especially tailored by various musicians. From the West African sounds of Khora, Azerbaijan’s Mughan style with instruments such as Tutek, Zurna, Balaban, Kamancha, to Indian Raga’s fusion with jazz and Bollywood’s film songs, Croatia’s singer-songwriter techniques, Venezuela’s exciting vocals and rhythms on tambora and Cuatro, Ryukyu Islands’ Okinawa music accompanied by the three-stringed Sanshin, as well as pieces from the classical world often misinterpreted as serious music.
With the hope that the upcoming spring will enable more in person encounters with musicians from the globe, we wish you an enjoyable listening of our musical journals!