Januar 2019

EP "SIBERIAN TRILOGY PROJECT" BY MARIA MATVEEVA & DEEP FOREST

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Opera singer soprano Maria Matveeva, along with the famous french composer and producer Eric Mouquet, who was awarded with the Grammy Award, also known as Deep Forest, released a new three-part EP titled “Siberian Trilogy”, composed in electro world music style.

The project of the Siberian trilogy is an experiment with an innovative musical idea, which combines different styles: lyrical voice, electronic sounds and ethnic elements. 

This project was inspired by the harmony and magic of the land of Siberia, the birthplace of Maria Matveeva.

The "Siberian Trilogy Project" EP begins with "TWO", an acoustic experience like no other: the main character of the song, Maria Voldina, is a living shaman, a famous poet and keeper of the beautiful culture of the Khanty, semi-nomadic people Khanty live in the Siberian taiga.
It's song about a unique and pure love interrupted by life’s adversities but kept alive in the souls and in the spirit of the forest, a magical place where the Siberian Woman met the spirit of her beloved.

The second song of Maria Matveeva and Deep Forest, “Princess Of Ukok”, includes snap-click electronics and mystical bass arpeggios, and the theatrical and inspiring vocal performance of Maria causes a cold back, creating a powerful textural and intensely cinematic atmosphere. The track is inspired by an extremely exciting story: in 1993, a group of archaeologists from Novosibirsk discovered a sacred place on the Ukok Plateau in the Russian region of the Altai Mountains. Here they discovered the ancient mummy of a mysterious young woman known as "Princess Ukok". Shamans from Altai believe that the “White Mistress” or “Ak-Kadyn”, as they call her in their own language, was a spiritual priestess, and her early death was part of her spiritual mission.

We are then led into the next track on the EP, “Kalinushka”, which begins with layers of Maria’s vocals, showcasing her virtuosity as well as her passion for vocal texture, and then progresses hypnotically, riding on Deep Forest’s downtempo beats and melodic electronic basslines.
“Kalinushka” was inspired by an old cantilena or traditional song that Maria’s great-grandmother used to sing to her. The piece holds great folkloric and hereditary importance, based on the single verse handed down through Maria’s family tree, to all the generations of women. The tune reflects the pre-revolutionary charm of traditional Russia and recounts the bitter fate suffered by the women of the era, who experienced an overwhelming lack of freedom, not even able to choose their own husbands. However, Maria takes the cantilena and makes it her own, adding new lyrics to the song; Maria’s version tells of the strength of people overcoming their difficulties, becoming masters of their own destinies.

For the last track, producer, composer and musician Gaudi has remixed Maria’s spectacular “Kalinushka”, bringing an an infectious dance-floor rhythm to the track. The remix could fill any dancefloor across the globe, yet still retains the mythic beauty of the original track, with Maria’s traditional layered vocals bursting through the electronic drums with confidence and grace.