Robert Samut Hall is this week hosting a performance of the Medinea Session, featuring an ensemble of talented and versatile young musicians from across the Mediterranean. The performance will be led by Belgian saxophonist and composer Fabrizio Cassol, a musician with a wealth of experience in improvisation, collaboration and musical diversity. Cassol speaks about the Medinea  Sessions and his varying artistic experiences.

Fabrizio Cassol’s musical journey has taken him from the Royal Conservatory of Liège to southwest central Africa, where along with fellow musicians Stéphane Galland and Michel Hatzigeorgiou, he spent time with the Aka pygmies learning about their culture and musical traditions, later forming the well-known Aka Moon trio.

Fabrizio, can you start by explaining more about the Medinea Sessions and the musical approach they employ?

The focus is collective composition. The objective is to invite young musicians from around the Mediterranean to meet and compose together. My role is essentially to help them compose, as different areas of the Mediterranean approach music in varying ways. They use a different vocabulary. I am quite used to most of these traditions and to the process of bringing people together from different parts of the world, though the focus remains their personal responses, not mine. I guide them as much as I can, but the main objective is finding a collective expression.

A key component is the process of learning and composing music by ear, without the assistance of written music. The musicians must then perform the pieces from memory in the concert. Many of the musicians may also not be used to playing in large ensembles, instead having more experience performing solo and in smaller constellations of musicians.

The Medinea sessions are connected to the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, a primarily lyrical festival in fact. We initially started with one session in Aix and two years ago expanded to four sessions, including locations such as Nuoro, Hammamet and now Malta.

Will the Valletta Medinea Session draw inspiration mainly from Maltese music?

Part of this session will focus on Maltese music, though not all. We have Yvette Buhagiar attending who will bring the element of għana singing to the work, and it will be interesting to see how the other musicians compose when exposed to this tradition. Maltese music is not very well known even though it is clearly linked to other traditions. Musicians sometimes lack knowledge of other musical traditions and expanding one’s knowledge is a process of constant discovery.

Will you be performing in the concert?

No, this is because in this scenario it is important to adopt an external perspective. The process of composition can become very passionate and emotional and therefore it is important to have someone leading who is more objective.

Some of the participants of the Medinea Sessions play instruments that might be unfamiliar to some audiences. Can you provide some information about these instruments?

For us, the most important thing is not the instrumentation but the musicians and their personalities. But yes, some musicians bring specific instruments from their native countries, for example, the bouzouki from Greece and the oud from Tunisia.

...some musicians bring specific instruments from their native countries, for example, the bouzouki from Greece- Fabrizio Cassol

Interestingly, areas in the north of the Mediterranean tend to use equal temperament instruments like the piano and guitar, while the south often uses instruments such as the oud and other instruments where temperament is not equal. The instruments, of course, provide a cultural context for the music but, ultimately, the session focuses on ‒ and is a product of ‒ the musicians involved.

Can you tell me a little about your experiences spending time with the Aka pygmies and your personal response to their approach to music?

My experiences with the Aka pygmies were highly significant. At one point in my life, I visited them with two colleagues three consecutive times and those trips completely changed my life. At that time we were only listening to western music, specifically jazz. Back then, we only had a few vinyls of Asian and African music and, therefore, it was important to us to travel and actually live with the musicians in their society, in order to understand their music and culture to a deeper level.

Aka pygmies live in a very different way to the rest of Africa and have a specific approach to polyphony, a central element to their music. Their social structure is also a little different; it can be considered as comparative to a family structure or a form of microstructure. Their music is inspired by nature and their relationship to their ancestors and may be led by men, women or children, depending on the context.

Because of my time spent with the Aka pygmies, I decided to start approaching and understanding other cultures from all over the world. After that trip I started travelling.

What was your approach to the Aka music? Did you incorporate traditional melodies from their culture into your compositions for example?

No and, in fact, this is a very important point for me; I only use traditional melodies and rhythms if I have the authorisation to do so from the people themselves. In the case of the Aka pygmies I didn’t focus on the melodies of their music. Instead I drew inspiration from their life and the polyphonic elements of their music. I would never use a melody without authorisation, however, if I am given permission, then I use it.

Do you have any final thoughts about the Medinea Sessions that you’d like to share with our readers?

Whatever your background, language, religion or philosophical approach, we come together to play and create. I think this is the most important thing.

For this performance closing the Valletta session, brothers Dean and Glen Montanaro will represent Malta, joining musicians from France, Portugal, Tunisia, Algeria and Greece.

The Valletta Medinea Session promises to be an engaging and informative concert celebrating a diverse range of Mediterranean music, and those interested would be well advised not to miss this rare performance.

Fabrizio Cassol will lead members of the Medinea network in a performance at the Robert Samut Hall on  February 27 at 7.30pm. To find out more visit www.medinea-community.com/activities/valletta-session/ and for tickets www.showshappening.com/ARC-Research-Consultancy/Medinea-session-Valletta.

This session is co-produced by the Mediterranean Youth Orchestra, hosted by ARC Research & Consultancy with the support of Arts Council Malta and in collaboration with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and the School of Performing Arts, University of Malta.