Maadai-kara

Listen again to Maadai Kara documentary

2009-02-02T14:51:00.002Z

You can listen again to the Maadai Kara documentary here: http://shootingpeople.org/watch/56637/Maadai_Kara?film_id=56637

Maadai Kara - BBC Radio 4 - Jan. 4th 4.30pm

2008-12-22T15:50:00.003Z

Hello,

A documentary about the Maadai Kara will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Jan. 4th 4.30pm. This has been produced by Ruth Hedges at Whistledown. It includes interviews with ethno-musicologists Carole Pegg, Keith Howard and Zoya Surazhov (interviewed by Chagat Almashev), throat singer and musician Michael Ormiston, and is presented by Benjamin Zephaniah.

Enjoy!

Madai Kara postcard article in Songlines

2007-09-27T19:43:00.000Z

I have a short piece in this months Songlines magazine. You can also hear the first few moments of the Madai Kara on the Songlines podcast, available from the Songlines website, http://www.songlines.co.uk/ or iTunes.

Fixing the details

2007-06-17T09:32:00.000Z

Well we were finally in Gorno-Altaisk and had met Evgania in the flesh - quite moving as I had only talked to her by email or phone for the previous five years. We were shown our home for the nights we were in Gorno-Altaisk and then the process of negotiation about practicailities started. We had been picked up at the airport by Sasha and Amadou (the driver).

Although I was finding it very hard to concentrate because of sleep-deprivation, it was time to negotiate (with Evgania translating), accomodation, transport and the cost of the performance itself.

Sasha had been asked to make arrangments as he lived in Ongudai, the town nearest to the village at the foot of the Karakol valley where Arshan lived, and also knew Arshan.

I'm not very good at negotiating - it's something I prefer to leave to my wife Cristina, but she had not come on this trip because she was in the last stage of pregnanacy. Although we came to agreements that were just about in my budget - I did not feel that we resolved everything well.

I then failed to get any cash out of the cash-point again - this was a real problem as I had to get out my daily limit for each day we were in town to cover everything. I had told my bank that I was going to be in Russia so they did not stop payments.I phoned home, quickly exhausting my mobile limit. Cris would enquire. I then went to the town phone-booth station, bought credit, and then listened in singular frustration as my bank went through it's automatic banking sequence. Eventually I discovered that while I thought my daily cash limit was £400 it was in fact £250. Problem solved!

We also had to get our visa's registered. This turned into one of those visit five offices and then return to the one you started with soviet style processes - it would have been completely impossible without Evgania. Even she started to become irked at one point, but then she has been living in Germany for much of the previous three years and has got used to more efficient systems.

Visas really are a bane of my life. I could tolerate the £100 tax on visiting a country if it was just that. Why it has to be so bloody difficult I don't know. The russians obviously don't want tourists (maybe they are wise in that respect) or perhaps they are just taking their revenge on me as a Brit because my country makes it so damn difficult for Russians to visit the UK.

The photo is Evgania in Moscow airport.

Catching up - London to Gorno-Altaisk

2007-06-11T17:40:00.000Z

Being struck down with a virus has given me space to start to catch up the Madai Kara story. I'm going to start by recounting our trip. Mark and I left my flat by mini-cab before dawn to give us time to get through customs and security at Heathrow. Soon after the sun rose, we took off to meet it. I always find hurrying around the earth disconcerting, I'd have preferred to have the time to travel by train - about a five day trip that I took once in 1997 as part of a much longer trip to Japan, but that's another story. After the usual hanging around in Moscow we took off to Barnaul in Siberia. The flight from Moscow to Barnaul is longer than that from London to Moscow. I had already hit the first problem.

Rather than carry cash, I intended to use cash-points. This has worked for me before, but for some reason I could not get any money from the machines in the airport. Not to worry, I'd use machines in Siberia.

We arrived in Barnaul just as the night sky was lightening. As we came through into the airport lobby I was half-expecting to see Evgania but was more than happy to see two men with a sign saying 'Richard'. Handshakes all around, back through a small door to retrieve our kit, back again through the small door showing our luggage receipts to ensure we only left with what was ours, and we loaded up the car which was to become our transport for the next fortnight.

Our hosts did not seem to certain of their way as we drove through a silent Barnaul. The city used to be closed to foreigners - I'm not sure why. It is a centre of oil processing and a regional centre. Our way was picked carefully across roads rutted with tram rails and potholes. New blocks of flats, some with garishly decorated facades, demonstrated that the Russian economy, at least here, was on the up.

As we reached the edge of the city and a better road, we began to speed up, crossing the river Ob. Even this far south, the Ob is five times the width of the river Thames in London, and as we crossed the bridge, I saw small figures crouching over holes in the ice as they spent a frozen night fishing. As we finished crossing the river I saw five men breaching the top of the river bank, feet and legs encased in massive felt boots, fur-hats pulled down to the shoulders, their breath clear in the frozen air around them. I could not see if they had caught anything.

As we started to speed across the taiga, the sun rose. Orange light turning the wind-swept, furrowed snow golden. It's rays turned the frozen droplets of water on the feathery limbs of a copse of birch into an exquisite grove of natural chandaliers. I turned to Mark to point out this beauty, but he was asleep and I soon followed.

When I woke we were on the outskirts of Gorno-Altaisk, passing large images of respected local people, including the 'author ' of Madai Kara - Alexei Kalkin.

We're back - more to follow shortly

2007-04-13T15:44:00.000Z

Chagat (bless him) took us to a night-club for our last night in Gorno-Altiask before leaving at 12.30am for Barnaul airport. We arrived well before the usual teenage clientele. The waitress suggested we ate in a corner of the smoking room as we wanted to talk. This room was all red plastic - it felt a bit like a transport cafe strapped on the side of a glitsy dance floor.

About an hour later the place was swarming with students who managed to ignore us. Suitably fed and watered, and in Marks case - exercised, we slept through much of the journey home today. My phone says its 22.46 in Siberia - so it took about 20 hours door to door.

Much more about our recordings to follow shortly, and yes we have recorded the Madai-Kara.

Departure lounge

2007-03-30T12:37:00.000Z

Well I am almost packed. Mark brought around his camera, tripod and insulated smalls last night. After trying various combinations our load stayed resolutely at 46kg - 6kg over the limit. If we ditch the Kineflo lighting unit borrowed from my workplace (thanks Saci!), we are spot on. Last night we ditched, but this morning I phoned Aeroflot to check on the charge. It costs 12 pounds/kilo - so 66 pound charge in all for lighting. It's worth it, the lights have beeen re-packed.

The taxi picks us up tomorrow at 4.00am.

Thank you BBC World Service

2007-03-22T22:07:00.000Z

I collected a treasure-trove of microphones, DAT recorder and associated paraphanalia this evening from Kevin at the BBC - thanks!

Maday Qara - an extract from the introduction to the translation by Ugo Marazzi

2007-03-17T20:04:00.000Z

Ugo Marazzi MADAY QARA: AN ALTAY EPIC POEM. Translation from the Altay, Introduction and Notes. (Naples: Istituto Universitario Orientale Dipartimento di Studi Asiatici, 1986). The following is extracted from Ugo Marazzi's introduction.

In the rich epic literature of oral tradition of the Turkic South-Siberian area, the Altay epic holds a considerable position in all respects. The Altay epic tradition is outstanding for its archaic and shamanic character, which is shared on the Mongolian side with the Buriat epic. Mongolian influence, which was nonetheless exerted on the Altay epic at the time of the domination of South Siberia by the Oyrats, has not altered the essence of its character.

Exemplary of such an archaic character of the Altay epic tradition is the poem MADAY QARA, the longest and the most interesting of those known so far from the whole Turkic South- Siberian area. In it the heroic plot, having several common features with the different Turkic and Mongolian epics...

....In Turkic South-Siberian epic literature the prevailing figure is that of the solitary hero who is destined as a rule to avenge his father who has been offended or taken prisoner or killed. After facing numerous trials, which clearly reflect the initiation experience, and after fighting his enemies from this world and the underworld, in the end thanks to his magical skills the hero has the upper hand and affirms the superiority of the cultural order over the disruptive powers of the underworld. The magical skills of the hero are concretely expressed in the help ensured to him by his horse/winged double, by his companions/helping spirits. Substantially the hero's deeds are none other than the transposition on an epic level of the shaman's exploits. The story of the hero Koguday Margan (son of Maday Qara) develops precisely according to such an epic model, though enriched with archaic motifs, elements and original myths....

Live concert - Arsan reciting Madai Kara 3/4/5 April - free entry!

2007-03-17T18:14:00.000Z

I thought it rather selfish to go to all the trouble of arranging a recital without an audience so I asked Evgenia what she could do. The result is that we have booked the village social club hall for a couple of days and ordered what ever passes for tea and biscuits in Altai to nourish our audience for what could be a rather long session. It looks like we can lodge with a couple of local families which is just what I had hoped for. When we talked last night Evgenia told me her Mum had said that the weather was pretty unstable - the snow is melting and freezing again making the roads treacherous, so I did not want to be driving up an down the M52 any more than necessary.

Incidentally, if you are in the area let me give you directions to the venue. Take the M52 from Gorno-Altysk towards Mongolia. After about 160 km turn left across the river into Karoka (spelling?) and head for the hall. If you get to Ongudai you've gone about 25 km too far.

Two weeks to go (21 items on my list)

2007-03-16T13:20:00.000Z

My list has just shrunk by one, just talked to the good people at the BBC who are going to lend us recording equipment and - better still - probably use some of our recordings. They will tell me shortly where to ftp our material. I find it quite magical that I can send music across thousands of miles from one internet connected computer in Altai to another here in London.

Visas stamped, flights booked

2007-03-05T22:06:00.000Z

Visas are stamped, flights are booked (leaving 31st March), articles commissioned, but I still need the loan of a couple of cameras and associated bits (see below). If you can persuade anybody to help I'd appreciate it.

I talked to Evgeniya last night, apparently the temperature has dropped down to the usual 25 degrees below after a very mild winter. A friend, Albert, sent me some satelite images of Siberia recently with great areas at temperatures near zero. He believes the melting Siberian permafrost next summer will release methane with the climate warming effect of the total emissions of the US. These positive feedbacks were only 'nightmare scenarios' when I attended the Kyoto climate conference ten years ago, now they seem only to real a prospect. The lady in this picture is not Evgeniya, and it was taken in summer.

Don't panic...

2007-03-02T12:09:00.000Z

It's about this time in preparing for a film trip that the number of 'still to do items' starts to disturb my sleep. Where are the passports with the Russian visa's? How do we avoid customs taxing us for exporting / importing camera equipment? Where am I going to get camera's from? (at least the sound equipment is sorted - thanks Radek!)

I also have the small matter of editing the latest edition of Green World and trying to hold down a teaching job.

Don't panic, write a list, get on the phone again, there is always the credit card.

On the scrounge - we need film kit

2007-02-19T20:14:00.000Z

Mark*, cameraman, tells me he would like the kit listed below. If you can lend us any of this it will be cared for and insured. We need the equipment from the 28th March to April 16th.

The list:
2 x HDV cameras (one as back-up) - eg. Sony HVR-Z1, Sony HVR-V1E, Canon XL-H1, Canon XH-A1
Camera accessories, inc batteries, chargers, clip-on matte-box (with 4"x4" filter trays)
Tripod - eg Sachtler DV4 or DV6

Lighting:
1 x Kinoflo 2x2, spare day & tung tubes, ballast + stand
1 x 1k fresnel Arrilight + stand

Sound:
MKH416 Sennheiser mic
Radio mics (eg. Sennheiser EW-112P G2 Radio Mic system)
Portable mixer (eg SQN4) + cables
Lightweight boom-pole + Rycote windshield & support

* Mark Raeburn runs Redcurrent Films - see link

Seeking sponsorship

2007-02-13T17:29:00.000Z

How does one find sponsors for a project like recording the Madai-kara? Well on the basis that people find it easier to give services and materials than cash I've been searching through my contacts this afternoon and asking for help. I want to ensure media coverage so I've been asking folk like fRoots, Songlines, BBC World Service and so on if they would like an article or package. I've also started to scrounge equipment. If we can avoid renting camera's and the other recording gear we need we will save around £1,000. The greatest expense though are the flights. Anybody know anyone at Aeroflot???

2007-02-07T22:37:00.000Z

This image from google earth shows most of the Republic of Altai. The yellow lines towards the bottom are the borders with Kazakstan, China and Mongolia (left to right). The mountains are the headwaters for the mighty Ob and Irtysh rivers that eventually flow into the Arctic ocean. It looks like we will be recording a man called Arzhan Kezerekov in a village called Kurota near Ongudai, roughly in the centre of this map. This village is at the base of a valley that leads up to the Golden Mountains. We recorded three old ladies near this village in 2002. Although the Golden Mountains are less high than Mt.Belukha to the south, they act as a spiritual focus for the locals. Incidentally, the Altaian name for Belukha is Uch-Sumer.

Maday Qara

2007-02-02T14:14:00.000Z

Keith Howard from SOAS suggested I contact Carole Pegg, an ethnomusicologist specialising in Mongolian music, for enlightenment. I'm very glad I did. Carole put me on to an English translation of the Maadai-kara written in 1986. Here is a quote from page 17 of Maday Qara as it was spelt by Ugo Marazzi*, the author of the translation.

The recording of Maday Qara on which this edition is based was made by S.S.Surazakov in February-March 1964 at the Institute of Language and Literature in Gorno-Altajsk before many listeners. The performance lasted eight hours.... It took Surazov 20 days to put into writing the text recorded on the magnetophone. During the long and delicate operation Kalkin** himself was constantly present. The final poem was composed of 7738 verses.

As far as I am aware, that was the last time the whole Maadai-kara was recorded. I was able to find a copy of Ugo's book in the British Library and so I'm in the process of reading it and Carole Peggs book, Mongolian Music, Dance and Oral Narrative, University of Washington Press, 2001.Although the Maadai-kara follows an essentially ancient Turkic form, it contains many Mongolian loan-words and motifs. Perhaps this is not surprising as the region that is now the Altai Republic was once part of both Mongolian empires.
* Maday Qara, An Altay Epic Poem, translated by Ugo Marazzi, Instituto Universitario Orientale, Series Minor XXV, Naples 1986.
** Alexsei Grigorevic Kalkin was born in 1925 in a village of the Ajmak of Ulagan. His father was a kai singer. Alexsei suffered disease that damaged his sight. While under treatment in Gorno-Altaisk he met the greatest kai singer of the day, N.U. Ulagsev who exerted a decisive influence on him. Alexsei went on to become a great performer in his
turn and taught the current generation of kai-singers.
Note: kai is the Altaian name for throat or over-tone singing

Talking to experts

2007-01-24T20:48:00.000Z

I was delighted to re-make contact with several 'experts' who helped
us in our first expedition. People like Janet Topp-Fargion, curator at
the British Library National Sound Archive, Radek Boschetty at the BBC
and Keith Howard, ethnomusicologist at SOAS. I phoned these folk out
of the blue and they were immediately ready to provide advice and
further contacts. To make our recording and filming as accessible as
possible to future scholars we will use guidelines provided by the BL.

I've just spent the last hour sketching out an application for a grant
- The Neville Shulman Challenge award - administered by the Royal
Geographic Society. It specifies that I should be over 25, so I meet
at least one criteria. This application begins - Aim: To
be the first to film the Altaian epic, Maadai-kara, in its entirety.
I also list the team: Mark Raeburn - producer, first
cameraman, Cris Parau - sound-recordist and Yevgenia Aildasheva -
translator and fixer. I will be carrying the bags.

I also had to state a proposed budget and was rather alarmed when it
came out rather to close to my second mortgage guestimate of £20,000.

Altai again

2007-01-18T21:52:00.000Z

In the summer of 2002 we recorded music in Altai, at the very southern end of Siberia. Copies of those recordings now sit in the National Sound Archive of the British Museum, at the Gorno-Altaisk Radio station archives and in my desk! While we were there we discovered that the Altaians had several 'epic' song-cycles and we recorded a few minutes of the longest - an epic called Maadai-kara. I had always wondered about this story, it's meaning, and what it would be like to listen to the whole song-cycle. The Maadai-kara as sung by Alexei Kalkin was translated into Russian in the early 1970's and I believe a recording made then can be found in the Moscow archives.

Now we intend to record this epic anew and translate it into English. If all goes to plan, we will fly out at Easter and film and record a recital of Maadai-kara in Altai. There is even a possibility it will be sung by the grandson of Alexei Kalkin.