Kôrôlén

Anyone who saw one of the symphonic concerts Toumani Diabate gave with three different orchestras in 2008 will have been wishing ever since for a recording of what was a unique collaborative project. Seemingly out of the blue and 13 years on, the music from a spectacular night at the Barbican with the LSO under the baton of Clark Rundell is now finally available to a wider audience on this wonderful disc. With Toumani's kora accompanied by Fanta Mady Kouyaté (guitar), Lassana Diabate (balafon), Kassé Mady Diabate (vocals), Ganda Tounkara (ngoni) and Fode Kouyaté (calabash and tama), the traditional African instruments mesh seamlessly with the orchestral strings and woodwind.

The material all comes from Toumani's repertoire and his kora rightly takes pole position. Yet it's the empathetic ensemble playing and the opportunity to hear the kora in a different setting that makes this recording so special. The six pieces include a brace of elegant tunes from Toumani's 2008 album The Mandé Variations and new arrangements of two more from In The Heart of the Moon, his 2005 album of duets with Ali Farka Touré, including ‘Mamadou Kanda Keita’, which features a soulful vocal by the late Kassé Mady. Subtle, nuanced and sublimely beautiful.