a symbol of an attachment to the earth
A Filetta explores the Corsican polyphonies of the Island of Beauty and associates them with other genres, disciplines and traditions, from film music to jazz and dance. Klarafestival spoke with its founder, Jean-Claude Acquaviva.
You joined A Filetta in 1978. What was the group's vocation at that time? Was it a part of a wider movement?
The late 1970s was a period of turmoil just about everywhere in Europe. In Corsica it was a time of great unrest with political, social and cultural demands coming from a population that felt like it had been abandoned. At this time, groups such as ours were formed to help safeguard oral heritage, expressed in song, poetry and literature. The language and its decline were our main concern, but at the same time we were very open to the global struggles for a more just and fraternal world. We remain true to these commitments and more than ever are on the side of the most vulnerable, the most needy.
What does A Filetta mean?
A Filetta means fern. Apart from the fact that it is an abundant plant in our chestnut forests, it is the symbol of an attachment to the earth. It refers to the soil and to memory. It calls on everybody to remember their origins without excluding others whatsoever.
A Filetta's principal repertoire is the traditional polyphony, but you mix this with other non-classical genres or even other artistic disciplines such as choreography. Is this important for you?
Our raison d’être indeed resides in a very powerful vocal tradition to which we are very committed and in which our origins lie. That said, we have always argued that tradition is like a sieve into which successive generations must add new content. As a result, identity is in a continuous state of becoming. By being open to other disciplines, to other artists, to other worlds, we take a step towards others and become more hybrid.
During Klarafestival 2022 you will be performing with bandoneonist Daniele di Buonaventura and trumpeter Paolo Fresu. How did you meet?
We were introduced to one another in 2006. The Aghja, a small venue in Ajaccio that hosts jazz concerts, was celebrating its 20th anniversary and wanted to organise a meeting between polyphonic singers and jazzmen. It was love at first sight, and since then we have always worked together. We have given a lot of concerts all over Europe and recorded two albums: Mistico Mediterraneo released on ECM in 2011, and Danse Mémoire, Danse (winner of the Charles Cros Academy grand prize) coproduced with TUK, Paolo's label, in 2017.
What avenues are you exploring in Danse Mémoire, Danse?
What primarily unites us is a couple of commitments. We believe that music brings a message, in addition to providing entertainment. Our last album, Danse Mémoire, Danse, is the virtual combination of two thinkers: Aimé Césaire, a great Martinican poet, and Jean Nicoli, emblematic figure of the Corsican resistance during the Second World War. These two men were forceful opponents of capitalism and its corollary, a colonialism that crushes men and civilizations. In musical terms everything is permitted as long as we find the pleasure of expressing something together, no matter what the language is!
