Nasanjargal Ganbold & Johanni Curtet (MN/FR) – Etnosoi!

For lovers of the Tuva throat singing tradition, this time’s Etnosoi! programme includes a celebrated guest from Mongolia.

The artist has changed. Instead of Batsükh Dorj, Nasanjargal Ganbold performs with Johanni Curtet.

The Mongolian soundscape enters into dialogue with nature through instruments such as the morin khuur (horsehead fiddle) and the tovshuur lute, as well as through singing techniques like praise songs and throat singing.

Nasanjargal Ganbold (alias Nasaa), a master in his field, hails from the Altai region, the cradle of Mongolian throat singing. Nasaa is skilled in various khöömei and throat singing techniques. As a versatile instrumentalist, he contributes to the renewal of traditional music by creating arrangements for the morin khuur fiddle, bishguur oboe, and tovshuur lute. After a long solo and collaborative career, which has included productions and CD releases with the groups Börte, Hosoo-Transmongolia, and Sedaa, his latest musical project since 2023 involves founding the Tengerton quartet and performing as a duo with Mongolian folk singer Sara Teamusician.

Johanni Curtet is a Western expert in throat singing, whose extensive ethnomusicological background raises awareness of the diverse Mongolian tradition in academic and film circles. Accompanied by Curtet, the duo creates musical worlds dedicated to nomadic culture, journeying far beyond the mountains into vast open spaces. To create an appropriate environment for khöömei vocal art, their repertoire includes imitations of natural soundscapes, praise songs to surrounding forces, ancient and contemporary poems, solo instrumental pieces, and throat singing improvisations. The collaboration between different Mongolian musical traditions and an ethnomusicological approach guides the audience on a unique journey into a world of harmonies, where the art of khöömei connects them.

Nasanjargal Ganbold – khöömei, throat singing, morin khuur (horsehead fiddle), tovshuur lute, bishguur oboe, jaw harp
Johanni Curtet – khöömei, throat singing, dombra, guitar, jaw harp

Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes

More information about the concert and the festival: etnosoi.fi