Metamorphosis

The album “Metamorphosis” showcases the expressive possibilities of the berimbau. The berimbau is a musical bow from northeastern Brazil (“mouth harp of the belly”), rooted in the circular cosmology of the Bantu Bakongo people. For them, the circle symbolizes and fosters equality while affirming the cyclical nature of life. Applied to the realm of musical expression, the circle manifests as layers of meditative repetition, with the berimbau’s complex soundscape inviting other musicians to join in the exploration of sound. Kantele, piano, double bass, melodic percussion, the human voice and electronics accompany the berimbau in creating discreet bubbles of reality in which the laws of expression are determined individually. The album is part of Adriano Adewale Itaúna’s artistic doctoral research at the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki.