Afrodisiac - Love, ritual and the supernatural

Afrodisiac is a personal journey and exploration of ritual, love and magic through the cultures of Africa and the African diaspora.

Created by composer Charlie Barber, Afrodisiac brings together an ensemble of seven classical musicians performing alongside two highly respected artists of traditional African instruments: Seckou Keita, an inspired and charismatic performer of the kora (the West African harp-lute) and Chartwell Dutiro, a maestro of the mbira, (the Zimbabwean ‘thumb piano’).

From African moon love spells and Haitian voodoo to Brazilian dances and Ghanaian tribal cult music, Afrodisiac celebrates a mysterious brew of love and the supernatural combined with film of the magical ‘Imaginative Realism’ paintings of Cuban artist Raul Speek.

Please note that some of the artworks are of an erotic nature.

Seckou Keita (kora)
Chartwell Dutiro (mbira)
David Jean-Baptiste (bass clarinet)
Sacha Johnson, Jonathan Helm (percussion)
Semra Kurutaç (piano)
Niamh Ferris (viola)
Ashley John Long (double bass)
Rhiannon Llewellyn (singer)

Composer Charlie Barber has a deserved reputation for creating and producing innovative performance and touring projects. He has worked in a wide variety of musical genres: orchestral and chamber works, film, video, music-theatre and dance.

His music draws on a wide range of influences and models bringing these together in a highly personal synthesis. Although the music of the American minimalists in the late 70s formed a starting point for his own music, equally important was the use and deconstruction of the music of the past and the influence of World music.

An important and crucial element has been his work across a number of different artforms, including dance, film, installation and performance art. This has resulted in a rich series of collaborations with artists in other disciplines.

His recent recordings and touring projects include: Ludwig, a musical tribute to Beethoven; music for Jean Cocteau’s Blood of a Poet, a surrealist classic of early cinema; Boulevard of Broken Dreams for string quartet; and Salomé, for percussion quartet and voices written to accompany the 1923 film starring Alla Nazimova.

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