Inti-Illimani

The name sounds like some shadow conspiracy group whose purpose is to overthrow the Pope. It is not.  Or I should say, they are not. The name means “Sun of the Illimani” in the Aymara language and they are a Chilean musical group founded back a in 1967 which perhaps also owns the longest musical tour in history. You see, they were in Italy at the time of Augusto Pinochet’s military coup back in 1973 and since much of their music was a) politically motivated and b) aligned with Salvador Allende (the guy Pinochet overthrew as head of the Chilean state) they were not allowed back into Chile. It wasn’t until September 1988 that they were allowed back into their home country.

Now in spite of, or perhaps because of their politics, the Inti-Illimani have integrated baroque and other classical elements into their native and Latin American rhythms to create a rich fusion of world music. I was treated to a performance of theirs last night at The Barns of Wolf Trap and in addition to their rich and dynamic music, they also had Francesca Gagnon performing with them. She is best known as the voice of the Cirque du Soleil’s Alegria soundtrack.

The group relies on traditional Chilean folk music as the backbone of their work. Instrumentation is primarily simple instruments that might be found in any small community: drums, congas, guitars and mandolins and a vast array of pan flutes. Each and every member of the group can and did play a variety of instruments during the performance. Francesca Gagnon’s voice lent a haunting quality to some songs, yet cut through the male dominated ensemble very precisely on others.

This group is a collection of extremely talented musicians that bring wonderful energy and creativity to a genre of music not often heard in this country. I heartily recommend catching them if they every appear in your neck of the woods.