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Garden of Silence 

It all started with a dream. In 2009 the exceptional harpist, composer and singer Asita Hamidi woke up with the irresistible sound of an indescribable ensemble in her ears. Together with Björn Meyer they set out to bring this sonic vision to life.

It soon became obvious that the sound was more about bringing the unique voices of specific musicians together than the actual instrumentation.

For several years, Asita and Björn traveled regularly to Iran, Egypt, and Sweden, meeting with master musicians to create a unique sound and a special kind of music that blended influences from such diverse cultural backgrounds. A truly distinctive sonic experience, brought to life by extraordinary voices and instruments like the bass mandola, violin, cello, percussion, Armenian duduk, and Swedish nyckelharpa.

This continuous exchange also resulted in deep personal friendships, which are as much a part of the repertoire as is the composed material. Music as a universal language, an unforgettable listening experience - intense and dynamic.

Garden of Silence was to become Asita’s last project. Just before the planned premiere she left this world in 2012. Since then, Björn has continued to evolve the music, adding new influences to the repertoire. In December 2022 — ten years after the original date — the complete work was finally premiered at three concerts in Switzerland. A new beginning, allowing this remarkable music to be heard in its unique instrumentation.

The premiere received extraordinary acclaim, leading to a follow-up tour in Switzerland in February 2024, during which the repertoire was also recorded. The album is set for release in December 2024.

Performed by

Björn Meyer (S,CH) Artistic director, Bass, Bass-Mandola

Emilia Amper (S) Nyckelharpa

Karin Streule (CH) Vocal

Veronika Stalder (CH) Vocal

Reza Asgarzadeh (IRI) Duduk

Kaspar Rast (CH) Drums,Percussion

Carlo Niederhauser (CH) Cello

Klaus Gesing (DE) Bassclarinet, Sopranosaxophone

Mohamed Samy (EGY) Violin

 

 

Addendum:

On January 25, 2024, our singer Bruno Amstad unexpectedly passed away. For over 25 years he was an integral part of our musical universe, with his voice, his sparkling creativity and his generous heart. He leaves behind a huge gap, both as a musician, as a human being and as a central part of Garden of Silence.

Despite our deep sadness, we decided to carry on with Garden of Silence as a tribute and out of gratitude for our precious time together. Especially in these times, we want this music to be a source of hope for the world.

Bruno is irreplaceable. It was immediately clear to us that we had to find new sonic facets to translate the music. We are truly grateful that Karin Streule and Klaus Gesing could join us on this new path! Both are outstanding artists who, each in their own way, have a deep connection to Garden of Silence.