Metamorphosis

Presenting the expressive extremes of the berimbau, a musical bow from Brazil, this album roots itself in the circular cosmology of the Bantu Bokongo people. For them, the circle symbolises and promotes equality while also affirming the cyclical nature of life. Transported to the realm of musical expression, the circle manifests as layers of meditative repetition, where the berimbau’s intricate soundscape invites other musicians to join in exploring sound. Kantele, piano, double bass, melodic percussion, human voice, and electronics accompany the berimbau in creating discrete pockets of reality, where laws of expression are individually determined. When left alone, in its most sparse modes of expression, the berimbau emits Morse code that resonates on a fundamental level within the listener’s senses. The album is part of Adriano’s artistic doctoral work at the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki.