Novaya Insolvanya Symphony Orchestra
@ Comedia Colonia, 24. april 2008

www.myspace.com/novayainsolvanyasymphonyorchestra

Novaya Insolvanya, was reported as disappeared in the early eighties of the last century, it was situated in the Barents Sea, 50 longitude, 72 degrees north latitude, was the smaller neighbor island of Novaya Zemlya, the eleventh largest island in the world and a nuclear weapons testing ground of the former Soviet Union.
Through decades, if not centuries, of isolation they had developed a distinctly separate culture.
The daily life, myths and fairy tales, religion and folklore, even the sexuality of the islanders were very different from the rest of the world.
Only the few remaining real objects, tools, pictures and reports from the three surviving island inhabitants are the testimony from this culture. They usually prefer to keep it secret, except they give one of their rare concerts as the rest of the Novaya Insolvanya Symphony Orchestra.
The conserved objects and oral testimonies of the three survivors, clearly shows that on the island ruled a very distinctive culture, which, however, fusioned with many fragments of other cultures.
Often, without knowing the true meaning of these other cultures, they were placed in a new contexts, accompanied by very own interpretations and fusioned.
Although often in contact with Soviet scientists and engineers, for example, with the neighbor island of Novaya Zemlya, who sometimes just left their legacy on the island, but they didn’t show any interest in the unusual residents so myths and behaviors of strangest peculiarity got developed.
So now this all goes back for decades, the two survivors of the sinking island and later discovered survivor who emigrated already before from the island, others live all around, but although they have only spent her childhood on the island they failed to assimilate.
Unfortunately, they have also forgotten a large part of the customs of their island. But on the other side it shows their uniqueness.
Their approach to the world and live is therefore based on memories and feelings. And also mixed up by now with many things heard later.
Thankfully, in Cologne were found musicians who lead the rewarding lecture, which is not always pleasant in passable lanes for our ears!
Nevertheless, particularly the ability to give back to the native sounds correctly is marginal.
At the time of the sinking of the island, they both had the status of the orchestra held apprentice, so not yet learned much about the intricacies of insolvanischen music.

© Ze Sikret Skvirel