White Man Sleeps

AMG Review of White Man Sleeps

Frank Eisenhuth
All Music Guide

This album features the original version of "White Man Sleeps," written in 1982, and "Mbira" from 1980. If you think landmark European 17th/18th century baroque instruments and African musical structures are irreconcilable opposites and you are open enough to change your mind, this is the album for you. These pieces of Kevin Volans belong indeed to the most exciting developments in contemporary music. "White Man Sleeps" features harpsichords and a viola da gamba in African tuning and conventional (non-African) percussion, and "Mbira" is played on percussion and harpsichord. The latter also possesses a haunting bassline and should be played loud to be fully enjoyed. The comparison of the original version of "White Man Sleeps" contained on this album with the one by the Kronos Quartet (on their albums White Man Sleeps and Pieces of Africa) yields that due to the unconventional combination of musical instruments and their tunings, the original version gets a much stranger and even obscure character.