Straight from the World Sufi Spirit Festival in Nagaur and Jodhpur, “Terra Maïre” will be performing on Friday 24th February at the Kawa Cultural Centre. This duo of ‘a cappella’ singers: Marie-Ange and Beatrice, mother and daughter – with a common heredity and a common repertoire are rooted in the Basque country of Southern  France.

In the intertwined voices of “Terra-Maïre”(“Mother Earth” in the Oc language of the South), a world of essential emotions wells up, one that borders on the sacred and on sorcery. These are medieval and sacred melodies in Occitan, the language of troubadours and Cathars, which touch the heart of an ever-growing public.

Beatrice and Marie-Ange started out together on a pilgrimage back to their roots,  each with her own personality and her own artistic background – began to breathe life back into the secular songs of the land of their ancestors.

These songs – prayers, laments, psalms – sung (chevrotés) in a quavering voice by their musical ancestors, make up a unique heritage, a timeless tradition in danger of extinction.

‘Terra Maire’ occupy a prime position in numerous festivals in France and other European countries. One must go to one of their concerts, if even only once, to feel the depth of emotion they invoke in the audience. The deep, incantatory chants, the subtle dialogue between the voices, the twirling dances, .. all contribute to giving the performance the intensity of an initiatory experience.

The Kawa Cultural Centre proposes the musical evening at 08.30 pm on the Friday 24th February, 2012.