Vollenweider, Andreas
Vollenweider, Andreas
Vollenweider, Andreas, popular Swiss composer and instrumentalist; b. Zürich, Oct. 4, 1953. His father was the organist Hans Vollenweider, and the family home was often frequented by artists and musicians. He studied guitar, flute, and other instruments before settling on the harp, which he modified and amplified in developing his own technique. Vollenweider played concerts and made recordings with the ensemble Poetry and Music; his first solo recording was Eine art Suite (1979), and it was followed by the debut concert of Andreas Vollenweider and Friends at the 1981 Montreux Jazz Festival. His ensuing recordings were highly successful, marketed under jazz, pop, and classical categories, and considered among the most engaging of New Age recordings. His first U.S. tour was in 1984; that same year he directed the video Pace verde. In 1989 he produced another video, Pearls and Tears. His titles reflect his mystical roots; the music itself involves a delicate mix of electric and acoustic timbres in lively, syncopated textures. Other noteworthy recordings include …Behind the Gardens—Behind the Wall—Under the Tree…(1981), Caverna Magica (…Under the Tree—In the Cave…)(1983), White Winds (1985), Down to the Moon (1986), and Dancing with the Lion (1989).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire