Meeting Anuna ( part 3 )

Ott 05, 2010 Terza Pagina

Concludiamo la serie di articoli dedicati a questo fenomeno musicale rappresentato dagli Anuna e, proprio in virtù di questa forza culturale che essi trasmettono, la Redazione di Flipmagazine ha deciso di inserire il pezzo finale a loro dedicato nella rubrica Terza Pagina. Buona lettura. ( NdL)

Nevertheless it would be a negligence, to let the readers get a wrong sense of what we’ve said so far: that would be to categorize Anuna within the vague catalogue of celtic music, or even just within the one of more specifically called Irish music. Michael is categorical upon this issue: “I’m not concerned about re-creating the essence of Ireland: in fact I would say I’m completely selfish in the way I compose…I want, like Debussy, my pleasure, I want to do what I wish.”. This gives us the confirmation of what could have already been deduced with a slight knowledge of the group’s work and reputation: we are talking about an artistic entity whose goal is to make as universal as possible its musical offer, overcoming all cultural barriers and creating a musical project accessible to human beings from any latitude (and a strong help to this comes from the fact that the songs being performed are not just in one, but in several languages from all the sides of the planet, from Middle English to Latin, up to Finnish). Cultural identity not as a wall, but on the contrary as a bridge to connect the most diverse experiences and cultures; with regard to this Michael is once again doubtless and states that something like Anuna might have been born in a different reality, outside Ireland, since the point that matters is the presence of a culture with a strong ethnic basis – and from this point of view Anuna, nevertheless fulfilling the above-mentioned qualification, are once again peculiar, being there no real choral tradition within Ireland’s musical culture.

Anuna, a group which clearly appears more and more outstanding within the world of arts. Not only music, but as we previously said a real and concrete attitude of the members, which is taken care of and enhanced within each and every one of them throughout the time spent being part of the group. The purpose is not just the creation of a remarkable and evocative appearance, but to promote a concrete path of personal growth for each member, in order to create a vital alchemy within the group itself. We are expressly witnessed this fact by Nicola Lewis, a gentle-mannered twenty-three year old girl, a member of Anuna since the age of seventeen and one of the youngest members of the group: “The group has had a massive impact on me..always striving to be better, being self aware, working as a unit, being graceful in what you say and how you move..it all helps me as a person.”. Also very important as well, as Nicola points out, are the relationships between the members, which often evolve and continue after the end of the rehearsing time. It all goes to underline how Anuna are more than just a simple, even though extremely interesting, group – they are rather a reality, a world around which many activities and even more people orbit. This becomes even more clear if we look at what probably is the most exceptional activity of the group, i.e. the constant effort in creating public Workshops which, occasionally and in different parts of the world, are opened to anyone who wishes, through a certain number of lessons, to learn the fundamental elements of the work of a choir and the necessary self-settings, both internal and external, which every individual has to carry out in order to perform this activity. As well as for Anuna’s inner functioning, Michael McGlynn is sure that musical education is also very important for the outer world, the potential audience to which Anuna’s musical work is addressed, as the work of any other artist. Michael is convinced that in our times music needs to be reborn and redefined, he actually states that “music education is the lifeblood of any group that wishes to survive this period.”. And this fact, as we just said, is important not only for the artist but also for those who are going to enjoy the actual work of the artist. With regard to this, Michael expresses an intuition which is quite illuminating “people are no longer interested in looking at art, in looking at music and admiring how wonderful it is: what people want is to understand the essence of it.”. Therefore the Workshops, where participants get to meet members of the group which offer themselves to fulfill anyone’s curiosities and doubts: in these occasions Michael’s presence is constant, and often he is supported by his wife, singer Lucy Champion (who also works with Anuna). Such an admirable work has also the shape of Michael’s interventions in academic institutions,  such as Florida Atlantic University. It’s worth noticing that, in Michael’s words and purposes, this educational work is possibly even more important and rewarding for the artist who gives of his knowledge: “I think there’s nothing more exciting to me than when somebody at a workshop asks me something which asks me to define something which I take for granted, and i never had to define before.”.

The future of music lies within all this, Michael has no doubt about it – neither do we.

Enrico De Zottis