When Krishna Stopped in Capri
According Wikipedia, the Bansuri is a transverse alto flute of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal, made of a single length of bamboo with six or seven open finger holes. An ancient musical instrument associated with cowherds and the pastoral tradition, intimately linked to the love story of Krishna and Radha, and is depicted in Buddhist paintings from around 100 AD.
It is intimately associated with Krishna’s Rasa Lila; the tunes on his flute are poetically associated with driving the women of Braj mad. The North Indian Bansuri, typically about 14 inches long, was traditionally used as a soprano instrument primarily for accompaniment in lighter compositions including film music.
Born in Annacapri, Almartino, Pasquale, (still not sure about his true name exactly) is a charming and mysterious man. Self taught, having as masters the sound of the wind, the noise of sea, and the silence of historic places that talk far too much without the need of words, he often spent long days by himself, secretly exploring those sounds in deserted sites of the island of Capri.
The feeling I got when I was introduced by photographer Umberto D’ Aniello is as though he needed to hear a voice of what later would become his own—through thousands of different instruments he imported from historical Japan, India, China and Indonesia.
Khrishna, Sun-Tzu, or Genghis-Khan, warriors and archetypes of time would meet with Roman king Tiberius in busy encounters, Almartino’s soul being the attentive spectator.
One of the results of these several walks is the spectacular CD called “Nei Cieli della Storia” (In the Skies of History”) where with other musicians and dance performers he records live in places like Fortino di Pino, Villa Lysis, Monte Solaro, Damecuta and Tragara.
He confided in me later (over at San Pellegrino aranciata at the Piazzetta) that in the track entitled “Ossesioni Ocidentali” the loop of synthesizers symbolize obsessions, the typical monotony of occidental cultures, while the Bansuri sings, explores, indicates. It’s a simple and deep atmosphere- he continues- and maybe mystical…”
I asked Almartino, what kind of music he listens to and which musicians inspire his work. He answered: “to tell you the truth Joelle, and I am really going to be honest, I don’t listen to music often… actually very seldom, and when I am asked if I know some musician or another, I find myself embarrassed as unfortunately I have never heard of them nor their music.”
He uses different names: Almartino when he plays his music, Pasquale when he signs his e-mails and when he wears his white costume, plays Cuban music, white Panama hat and black shirt he personifies as Pascal Martinez with a Saxophone.
Pascal Martinez is a saxophone collector. Among the sophisticated keyboards and high-tech computers, his ethnic musical instruments set-up is composed of thousands of flutes from all over the world. He also patiently manufacturers flutes that he calls “Moon Flutes” out of very old bamboo that he manually dries under the Caprean sun and carves them to attain the exactitude of the sound he requires.
For last year’s Prada contest for the silent short film, “Trembled Blossom,” Almartino was one of the participants with his piano composition which I personally find sublime…
He is young, long haired, calm and particularly shy and above all he has an incredible sweet smile. When I asked him if he thought there was touch of the divine in his music, he paused, did not answer—I took that as a “I don’t know, or I really don’t think so.”
But what Almartino doesn’t know as he is talking to me in the busy Capri Piazetta , that Krishna and Adhra, through a very special old Bansuri from India, they are just whispering at his back the tunes of his new concert taking place next August 17 in a beautiful place in Anacapri called “Belvedere Migliera “. If you have nothing else to do, fly in and get your stone spot under the sky overlooking the sea.
Dear Almartino may your beloved island among other, be once more the source of your great inspiration .
Namaste.
Joelle’s Tips:
Check his newest video with Photographer composer Umberto D’ Aniello
The Musician: Almartino contact: almartino@almartino.it
The music CDs: ” Il Viaggio” -1999 -” Capri, Memoria di un isola ” 2002 Capri Multimedia
Check Almartino videos on line:
Wode Paint Boudicca & Wode Scent Boudicca
