The Nuremberg Bards’ Meeting under the motto “Strong voices” – Munich

They still can’t quite believe it, the team around Rainer Pirzkall, the artistic director of the Nuremberg Bards’ Meeting: that things are actually going to be like before for three days, like before the two-year Corona break. With 90 concerts on eight stages in the middle of the old town, with possibly more than 200,000 visitors pushing their way through the narrow streets, past hundreds of licensed buskers. As peaceful, interested and disciplined as is probably only possible here. Here, where within half a century the largest free open-air world music festival in the world has developed from a small singer-songwriter rendezvous – without forgetting or even denying its roots.

Especially this year, the motto ties in with the beginnings: “Strong Voices” presents the 45th edition of the traditional festival. Artists and bands from all over the world who impress with their vocal art or who address social grievances in their songs. Or as Andreas Radlmaier, head of the organizing project office, puts it: “Now art can raise its voice again after singing was last forbidden. Reason enough to focus on amazing mouth-workers and goldthroats from all over the world at the festival comeback .” All variants of sound production using the vocal cords are used, from beatboxing to throat singing. Alongside Latin Grammy-winning vocal greats like Son del Nene and the a cappella orchestra vocal sampling from Cuba, among others, the Mongolian overtone experts from Huun-Huur-Tu, the fascinating women’s choir Sopa de Pedra from Portugal, the Irish Folk sisters The Henry Girlsthe mariachi musicians Flor de Toloache from New York or the masters of polyphonic Corsican singing from L’Alba. With Paulo Flores, the voice of Angola comes to Nuremberg, with Nina Agot and her band, Kenya’s current soundtrack.

In addition to these extraordinary vocal technicians, there are also musicians “with attitude” on the stage. Peace activist Yael Deckelbaum from Israel, for example, or Irishwoman Wallis Bird, who has always campaigned for equal rights. Algerian Djazia Satour sings about exile and expulsion, Mal Élevé, ex-lead singer of Ire revolt, fights against discrimination in his lyrics, and Nomfusi, with her big Afrosoul voice, denounces the social injustice in the South African townships where she grew up. Fans of German-language songwriter poetry can also be happy: earth furniture present the new album “Guten Morgen, Ragazzi”, which was released this year, and clay stones shards celebrates the band’s 50th anniversary with the Nuremberg singer-songwriter Gymmick Gretchen’s answer sounds swinging female gangsta rap. Hamburg-based Phil Siemers and singer-songwriter Juli Gilde are still to be discovered in Bavaria, while their Munich colleague (with roots in Aruba) Ami Warning has already attracted national attention and is traveling as the current winner of the German Music Author Prize.

Open detailed view

Of course, there is also the best global pop beyond the focus, for example with the Ruhrpott-Balkan jazz rockers Botticelli babythe techno jazzers Slatec or the Tropicalismo descendant Lucas Santtana from Brazil. In addition, dance workshops and artist talks (e.g. with the Munich folk musicians from three quarter blood) in the renovated vicarage of St. Sebald. The local Franconian scene is also well represented, including countertenor and culture award winner Johannes Reichert (in a duo with guitarist Holger Stamm), solo harpist from the Nuremberg State Theater Lilo Kraus with her world music trio, and 16 acts on the stage at Lorenzer Platz, including Hanna Sikasa, Elena Steri, A Tale of Golden Keys or leak The Bardentreffen offspring can let off steam together with mums and dads at the family concerts on the island of Schütt. Loaded are the Gorilla Club from Cologne, the beatboxers of Razzzelgangthe Berlin children’s song duo timpani and planets and “folk music innovator” David Saam with his box gallop from Bamberg.

True to the motto, the audience is expressly invited to sing along: At the “Voting” on Saturday evening on the island of Schütt, everyone should join the live band’s crowd-singing experts Sing dela Sing Singing hits from pop history. No previous knowledge is required for the big “Pack Singing Concert”, the texts are presented in bite-sized format using a beamer. Karaoke of a different kind: “There has never been such a choral concert with up to 5,000 voices in the history of this festival,” says Rainer Pirzkall happily.