>>> edited press reviews for AMELIA CUNI

Reviews of the 10th OTHER MINDS FESTIVAL, S.Francisco
Call it other-dimensional :The 10th edition of the Other Minds Festival is determinedly eclectic and international.
... A clear, and typically multicultural, highlight was a captivating conceptual setting of Indian dhrupad vocalizing by Italian Amelia Cuni, in collusion with electronic manipulation by Werner Durand and elaborate projections by Uli Sigg...Cuni was the sole live performer in the "Ashtayama ˜ Song of Hours," alternately sensual, bold and contemplative. The hourlong work, in its U.S. premiere, combined her intense and measured singing with swirling electronic effects. She became part dancer and performance artist, surrounded by a translucent circular screen on which Sigg's projections conveyed the elements ˜ water, fire, weather˜ and abstractions...
Josef Woodard, The Los Angeles Times, March 9 2004

...The foundation (of the multimedia performance) was Cuni's 10-year study of Indian Dhrupad singing. Durand's layering of Cuni's material, over which she continued to add live realizations, made for stunning effects, augmented by the singer-dancer's own graceful movements and Sigg's alarmingly beautiful visuals. This work had more possible endings than the most recent Lord of the Rings movie, in its eight "Yamas," from "sunrise" to "deep night," and only the returning image of a light sphere (after fiery images of cremation and explosions, which elicited gasps from the audience) signaled visually, if not musically, a ternary closure...
Marc Alburger, www.sfcv.org

….A more felicitous if romantic engagement with “other music” occurred during the festival`s superb Friday night , which represented, along with with performances by Joan Jeanrenaud and the phenomenally gifted German accordeonist Stefan Hussong , the US premiere of Amelia Cuni and Werner Durand`s Ashtayama.. Cuni is one of only a handful of Western women to seriously study Dhrupad, an austere style of classical North Indian music; whatever the technical specs of her vocal control, she sounds like a master to me, but with a vulnerability that undercuts the machismo that is mastery`s trap . For Ashtayama, she and Durand, a minimalist who makes instruments from plexiglass and PVC, created a high-concept multimedia “Song of Hours” that follows the diurnal cycle of raga from sunrise to night. Moving with hieratic precision inside a cylindrical scrim enlived with projections by Uli Sigg, Cuni performed eight songs as Durand responded, in real time, with various loops and drones built from untreated samples of Cuni`s wine-dark voice. At times , these layers of voice and image began to flutter like rose petals in the winds of time, and without budging from his seat, this reviewer simply left the hall …
Erik Davies, The WIRE Issue 243 , May 2004

the Indian press about her DHRUPAD music
...'Her performance is so amazing that I would like to believe that Signora Cuni is a reincarnated pandita from a bygone age', says Kamalakar Sontakke, chief executive of the Nehru Centre...
Times of India, Bombay, 1st Feb 1995

...perfect diction in Hindi and Sanskrit poetry and an amazing command over the contemplative character of Dhrupad music. Her music is also admirable for her voice delivery and the use of Gamak techniques...
Navbharat Times (Hindi Daily, Bombay) Feb 12th, 1995

...remarkable for her chaste diction and her delicate handling of the poetry in the complex rhythmic patterns which dominate Dhrupad singing. Her command over the Gamak techniques is astounding. She won wholehearted applause for some very complex Tihayis...
Maharashtra Times (Marathi Daily, Bombay) Feb 19th, 1995

...It is time to acknowledge the hard work and appreciate the sheer enjoyment the artist feels for her art which she shares with an audience which is Indian and all agape at her mastery...
'Amelia Cuni-dhrupad vocalist, take a bow'
The Afternnon Despatch and Courier, Feb 2nd, 1995

...Amelia is perhaps the first (foreign) vocalist to have ventured on the performing platform in this city...In point of both manner and matter, she gave unimpeachable evidence of long and arduous shagirdi (studentship) with some of our acknowledged dhrupadiyas...
...excellend use of meends and tihayis and a variety of rhythmic bols...
...the raga visualization was streamlined and accurate...
Mohan Nadkarni, The Times of India, Bombay March 17th, 1994

U.K. tour with Terry Riley and Sounds Bazaar
...Amelia Cuni´s own 'Danza d´Amore' (is) a beguiling marriage of medieval Italian poetry with mystic Indian traditions, given in tandem with the premiere of her 'Venga alla Danza'. This is 'crossover' at its most fruitful, in which irregular dance rhythms come tumbling out against the nasal yet dusky singing of the Italian-born Cuni, whose voice makes a good case for reincarnation. John Allison, The Times, 15/10/99

...Even more striking - indeed, for me, the most remarkable work in the programme - was Amelia Cuni's performance of her own 'Danza d'Amore'...Since its spiritual content is so very close to Indian mysticism, Cuni has here truly created a musical bridge between East and West.
The second half of the evening was dedicated to Terry Riley's latest work, 'Morning River' (commissioned by the Norfolk and Norwich Festival). This composition is entirely devised for Silkstone's group `Sounds Bazaar´, with Silkstone effortlessly switching from violin to sitar, but the emotional weight is entirely carried by Amelia Cuni's voice (singing Hindi and English words). Particularly in the work's section, 'What the river said', Terry Riley showed remarkable mastery both of his raga material and the fascinating instrumental combination. Hugh Vickers, The Independent, 29/10/99

DANZA D'AMORE cd reviews:
...A remarkable and distinctive synthesis of Indian and Italian mystical and musical traditions ...Her pitch is laser-precise, her enunciation exquisite, and her delight in the rich Italian vowel sonorities is palpable. DANZA D´AMORE is a treasure-trove of surprise fulfillment, reflecting the imaginative conception of a marvelously accomplished musician.
Charles Rankie, RhythmMusic, U.S.A. November 1998

Imagine, if you will, a woman with a hauntingly beautiful voice, singing Italian lyrics in a classical Indian style. The voice belongs to the amazing Amelia Cuni who was raised in Italy then travelled to India to learn the dhrupad method of giving voice to a song. This is one of the most soulful, inspirational types of singing....The arrangements of flutes, tablas, violin, bass, sitar and percussion support her voice with a marriage of Indian and Early European instrumentals. Elegant, delicious and satisfying, with or without translation.
News on Recent Releases by Dan Liss (from Internet)

about the performance of DANZA D'AMORE
...chiudere gli occhi e lasciarsi portare dalle limpide vocalizzazioni della Cuni e dalle ritmiche cadenzate e leggere del suo cantoinfonde un fortissimo senso di armonia.Altrettanto affascinante la performance di Nuria Sala Grau...figura misteriosa e ascetica, la danzatrice accompagna il canto 'disegnandone' il racconto.

...closing the eyes and letting oneself being carried away by Cuni's smooth vocalizations and nimble rhythms, comunicates a wonderful sense of harmony. Also Nuria Sala Grau's performance was as fascinating. With her mysterious and ascetic figure, the dancer accompanies the singing making the text visible.
Federica Sassara, Il Gazzettino del Friuli, 8/7/1997

...radical, unexpected and yet very elegant...
Waltraud Schwabe, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 7/12/1999

about her dhrupad CD recording
...E' musica indiana, etnica come anche Bach è etnico, un concentrato di bellezza che non fa concessioni e non prende scorciatoie.Una lingua elevata, ancora lontana, ma resa più vicina da quella voce che risuona dolce e familiare, ambasciatrice di civiltà.

...It is Indian music, ethnic music as Bach is ethnic, concentrated beauty which does not make any concession nor takes shortcuts. An uplifting language, still far away but brought closer by that sweet sounding, familiar voice, an embassy of civilization.
Giordano Montecchi, l'Unità, 30/8/1999

...Amelia Cuni is one of the very few Westerners to have mastered the complexities of Indian vocal music...It is all more remarkable that she sings dhrupad , a style which is usually the exclusive province of men....Cuni is an excellent performer who explores the subtle nuances of each raga in extended alap sections and metered compositions. Her acute rythmic control and fine sense of intonation lead to many inspired, beautiful and surprising musical moments...
Gerry Farrell, Songlines, winter 2001

The German national press about the multimedia performance
ASHTAYAMA-Song of Hours:
Morgenland, Abendstern:
Amelia Cuni, Meisterin des indischen Dhrupad-Gesangs

...Nie jedoch wird diese Reise vom Morgen- zum Abendland kitschig...das geschlossene Stoffquadrat ist für sie im weitesten Sinne auch ein Tempel. Dort wird ihr Gesang zu Meditation, zu intimer Kommunikation mit sich selbst...

...During the unfolding of the eight song suite, Amelia Cuni moves through her choreography from the hands and fingers postures of Indian classical dance to body movements of modern dance. Yet, this travel from Orient to Occident never becomes kitsch... Enclosed by the cloth square, she can transform her singing into meditation, intimate communication with herself...
Waltraud Schwab,Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 7/12/1999

Über den Tönen steigt die Sonne auf:
Die Performance "Ashtayama" beschwört alte hinduistische Traditionen
...Die Produktion...gehört sicherlich zu den beachtlichsten Theatererlebnissen, die in Medientheater (ZKM) bislang zu besichtigen waren....Viele Mixer für einen Abend, der gerade durch seine Schlichtheit und den präzisen Einsatz der Mittel bestach...Stimmungsvolle Rituale eines Theaters, das ungeachtet seines Anspruchs, etwa "ins Jenseits der Gegensätze" zu führen, faszinieren kann...

THE SUN RISES OVER THE TONES
The performance 'Ashtayama' at the Mediatheatre - Centre for Arts and Media Technology (ZKM) in Karlsruhe pays a magic homage to India. In this show, singing and images merge into poetic visions.
This production...is definitely one of the most noteworthy performances ever seen at the Medientheater . ...Many types of mixing for one evening, which has made an impression precisely because of its careful, well judged coordination of the various components...Rituals of a theatre full of atmosphere that, apart from its original function, has the power to fascinate and carry us ''beyond the opposites''.
Rolf Fath, Badische Neueste Nachrichten, Karlsruhe, 29/1/2000

about the CD ASHTAYAMA-SONG OF HOURS

...traditional and modern ideals find a balance in fascinating soundscapes: advanced World Music without any bad compromise)
Udo Andris, Badische Zeitung, 15/12/1999

...L´importanza di ASHTAYAMA (...) è nella sua assoluta modernità, nel suo farsi gioco superbo di relazioni tra linguaggio arcaico-ancestrale (quello dei raga) e libera improvvisazione(...)Ben riuscito equilibrio tra tradizione e sperimentazione, tra ricerca e disciplina (...)Alla fine, al di la delle non meno importanti relazioni teoriche, per chi ascolta il risultato è piuttosto quello di un incantevole disegno sonoro...

..the importance of ASHTAYAMA ... lays in its absolute modernity, in its superb interplay between an archaic language (the raga music) and free improvisation...Successful balance between tradition and experimentation, research and discipline...Finally, beyond any important theoretical relationship, for the listener the result is an enchanting sound picture...
Gino Dal Soler, Blow up, December 1999

...what awaited me was nothing short of sheer surprise and pure delight. The combination of Amelia Cuni's powerful voice-completely faithful to its dhrupad training-and Werner Durand's musical diversity, full of twists and turns of a truely unexpected kind, have resulted in one of the most invigorating collaborations in recent memory...
Jameela Siddiqi, Songlines Winter 2000/Spring 2001

Italian singer Amelia Cuni has a voice like a drink of mountain stream water....
Always at the centre lies Cuni's exquisite phrasing, delicate but determined, informed by prolonged and deep study of one of the world's great vocal traditions.
This is not music that borrows a few Indian flavours, but a serious attempt to make something new and expressive from within Indian art music....
If Ashtayama 's effect is dreamlike, it's a dream in which every scene is clearly lit and the shadows have sharp edges.
Clive Bell, The Wire, April 2001

about the CD in collaboration with Alio Die: APSARAS

...Apsaras is breathtakingly beautiful, combining soothing electronic textures,
drones, and organic sound samples from Alio Die (Stefano Musso) with
the amazing North Indian dhrupad singing of Amelia Cuni... Often (she) hits a perfect note and holds it seemingly endlessly, like a moment of perfect beauty in your life you wish you could remember forever - and do.
Dave Aftandilian, review from Ink19.com

...Amelia Cuni's style of Indian dhrupad singing is not derivative, or an amateur attempt at this style, but instead a wonderful contribution that seems to come from the source of the dhrupad art itself...Amelia Cuni's smooth and fluid voice paired with Alio Die's resonant and cavernous ambiences makes for a wonderful sonic trek into the dark of a thunderous and stormy night. This collaboration between is truly gifted and the dense minimal ambiences so compliment the excellent microtonal vocalize... Certainly, this reviewer has no choice but to make this excellent work an AMG Pick!
Matt Borghi, a review from www.mp3.com

JOHN CAGE's SONG BOOKS COMPLETE at the Bielefeld Theatre

...mit der Spezialistin für indischen Dhrupadgesang und Bühnentanz, Amelia Cuni, gab es eine hochkarätige Besetzung beider Kunstsparten in Personalunion...

...with Amelia Cuni, specialist for Dhrupad singing and Indian dance, there was a high calibre performer who represented both art forms in one person...
Stefan Drees, Positionen Nr. 84

Tagesläufe wie Ozeanwellen
Alstadtherbst: Ashtayama mit Amelia Cuni und Werner Durand begeisterte mit Song of Hours das Publikum im Tanzhaus NRW.
....Eine beeindruckende Klang-Performance mit einer faszinierenden Stimme und einem souverän konzipierten multimedialen Rahmen."
Festival Altstadtherbst in Düsseldorf:
Ashtayama by Amelia Cuni and Werner Durand thrilled the audience in the Tanzhaus Düsseldorf with Song of Hours. An impressive sound performance with a fascinating voice in a superlativelyl conceived multimedia setting."
Bernd Schuknecht,Rheinische Post, 27/9/2002

Roland Pfrengle's METALL premiered at NOVEMBER MUSIC in Essen
...(Roland Pfrengle) hat (METALL) für Amelia Cuni geschrieben...Sie brachte die nötige Sensibilität mit, diese feinen Klangfelder zum Schwingen zu bringen...
DG, WAZ 13/11/2002