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Resia, a small valley enclosed by high mountains, with a population of 1300, represents one of Europe's musical treasure houses. The Resia Valley lies in the north-east of Italy, where three different cultures meet - Romanic, Germanic and Slavic. The ancestors of the people of Resia, who are of Slavic origin, moved to the valley in the 7th century A.D. It is precisely because of its enclosed and isolated position that its music has been preserved in such a form that its origins can be traced all the way back to the Celts. The same musical patterns can also be found in Brittany in France, in Scotland and in Ireland.
Our purpose is to present the music of the Resia Valley to a wider public which, in these days of globalisation, carries traces in its memory of ancient music and dances.
Gregor Sternisha: "When, one Shrovetide Saturday a few years ago, I visited the Resia Valley for the first time, it made an incredible impression on me. The half-derelict churches destroyed by the earthquake in the eighties, in which only altars remained, many ruined and tottering houses, built in the Mediterranean style, made me think of what Venice would look like if the sea were to disappear. And then there were the corrugated iron shanties that had been erected as a temporary measure and reminded me of documentaries of American Indian reservations. It was as if I'd come to a different planet, but this was only two hour's drive from Salzburg. As it was Shrovetide, we went to a few celebrations and dances, where Resian music was played. The unusual form that music takes, its ancient and pristine quality had an unbelievable and quite a magical effect on me."
Resian instrumental music is intended for dancing.
Structure: In Resian music, the theme first appears on the step I or the tonic and then this theme is repeated or simply copied and 'pasted' into step IV, that is the subdominant. In the piece entitled Ta Banawa, Gregor Sternisha introduced step V or the dominant. Why? Rock'n'roll has steps I, IV and V, so why should Resian music not have level V, too? By adding this level we have somehow created Resian Rock'n'roll or, more precisely, RR (Resian Roll).
The disc A.C.S.T. Resia Valley introduces the music of Resia in a typically "Caponian" way as devised by the group's founder and exclusive composer Gregor Sternisha. It represents a synthesis of Resian music, rock and roll, and Vivaldi.
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