as an homage to Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965), doctor, physician, philosopher, protestant theologian and musician of Alsatian origin (one of the most famous organists of Europe at that time, who quit his music career to pursue his hospital in Lambaréné village, Gabon). Nobel Peace Prize in 1952 and a great lover of Johann Sebastian Bach's music. (And by the way, oncle of the existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre). The Schweitzer's worldview was based on his idea of Reverence for Life, which he believed was his greatest and simplest contribution to humanity. He saw a decline in Western civilization due to a gradual abandonment of the ethical foundations: the affirmation of life. Respect for life, as a result of contemplation in one's conscious will to live, leads the individual to live at the service of people and of every living creature. Schweitzer was much respected by implementing these theories in his own life.
The "Lambarena-Bach to Africa" was a conception of Mariella Berthéas and foundation "L'Espace Afrique" as a tribute to Schweitzer and his work in Lambaréné (Gabon) where he established a hospital near an existing mission treating and attending literally thousands of patients.
Lambarena meets the two essential elements of the "world of sounds" from Schweitzer: the Bach's music and the melodies and the natives rhythms of his adoption country, Gabon. This work is the result of a collaboration between two musicians very gifted: Hughes de Courson, French composer and producer, who put together the classic structure of Lambarena, and Pierre Akendengué, author, philosopher and guitarist of Gabon with a big discography.
De Courson and Akendengué began its Lambarena work combining the traditional harmonies of Bach with different ethnic harmonies of Gabon (there are at least 42 different ethnic groups in a country of only one million inhabitants). They created a fascinating sound tissue that is composed of the voices of the singing of Gabon and classical melodies by Bach, fully attuned to the rhythms underlying in that part of Africa.
After months of preparation, the 10 sets of music from Gabon that Pierre Akendengué had chosen to participate in Lambarena, traveled to Paris to meet for nearly 100 days in a studio with western classical musicians as well as Argentine tango and jazz musicians Osvaldo Caló and Thomas Gubitsch and percussionists Nana Vasconcelos and Sami Ateba.
I recommended to listen it very loud and... Reverencing Life...