Musical Belongings VIII: Genghis Lab

At GENGHIS LAB, the musical traditions of 13th- and 14th-century multi-ethnic Mongolia meet European music from the Middle Ages through to the early Renaissance, accompanied by contemporary Mongolian poetry and video art. Are there any reconstructable instances of reciprocal cultural exchange from the era of the Silk Road that continue to have an impact today? How do ancient nomadic traditions and ways of life shaped by the steppe relate to the digital nomadism of the present day? What knowledge is embedded in instruments such as the Altai yatga (Mongolian zither), the limbe (Mongolian flute), the ever buree (Mongolian horn) or the khuur string instruments? And how does the Mongolian art of khöömii (overtone singing) correspond with European vocal techniques such as yodelling?

The project is being developed by the Berlin-based lautten compagney in close collaboration with the ensemble Tenger Ayalguu, an internationally renowned group specialising in Mongolian music. It is accompanied by the poets Gun-Aajav Ayurzana and Luvsandori Ulzituugs, whose literary works combine ancient traditions with pressing contemporary environmental issues: “The national festival is over / the grass had been trampled. / The wind picked up, and / all hearts ached. / The horses, beside themselves, / galloped back towards the horizon / I gazed in the direction / of all those fading horses.” The visual artist and curator Bolormaa Algaa enriches the space with contemporary video art. The musical programme is being developed in collaboration with the French music ethnologist, composer and singer Johanni Curtet, who has been researching the musical history of Mongolia for many years. In the accompanying discussion, the musicians jointly apply a postcolonial perspective—shaped by ancient Mongolian traditions—to the musical practices of the European classical music and museum sectors, comparing, negotiating and broadening the horizons of their respective performance and production methods.

Since 2023, the lautten compagney, one of the most renowned ensembles specialising in historical performance practice, has been exploring the possibilities of music beyond the colonial canon at the Humboldt Forum. In the MUSICAL BELONGINGS series, the ensemble is exploring the potential for a transcultural practice in collaboration with musicians and composers from diverse cultures. How can new sounds and hybrid forms be found that elude the label of ‘world music’? What similarities exist between international indigenous musical cultures and European early music from the pre-industrial era, with its historical performance practice?