Axoum Duo Axoum New Music For Two Marimbas CD - Import

NICE BEAT Axoum Duo, a couple playing the marimbas (a kind of xylophone) is a very aesthetic venture: a pretty Polish woman and a French gentleman. On their debut album, Elwira Ślązak and Gabriel Collet presented diversified contemporary program. You can relax listening to it (though harmony is sometimes aggresive, but the tone gentle). You can also screen an old-school, black-and-white movie, because marimba used to be one of the most important instruments in film music in 60's. What is very supporting - the sound of it never bores you. Axoum Duo have had a lot of concerts abroad in their career. They are deservedly exalted for beautiful banging the wooden bars with theirs sticks. They share their enthusiasm on the stage and now they showed that the cool of studio doesn’t scare them at all. Filip Lobodzinski, journalist Newsweek "We have heard sparkling, fantastically executed composition of Jan Van Landeghem (Sohum & Shakti) ... " (...) Phenomenal presentation of Elwira Slazak and Gabriel Collet ..." Gazeta Wyborcza journal (...) Music, from one part magic, about tone rigorous (...), from other spontaneous, unusually and virtuozo (...) executed with great sensitivity and engagement " Ruch Muzyczny (music magazine) ABOUT AXOUM DUO :Acknowledged to have excellent musical skills and virtuoso performances, Axoum Duo include an eclectic repertoire compiling different kinds of present-day music - film music, classical music transcriptions, new music and also original compositions written by Gabriel Collet. Fully commited to today's music, they have made many first performances of new pieces, some of which have been dedicated to them. They regularly perform in France, Belgium, Poland and Germany. In past seasons the duo appeared in South Korea "international Seoul Drum Festival", throughout Europe, including "Braunshweig Festival Classix”, "International Marimba Festival", "Notes on Stock" Festival, Japan Art Centrum Manngha" in Cracow, "X Franz Schubert Music Festival" and in Azerbaidjan.Their first CD recording "Axoum New music for two marimbas" has been released in november 2006 with, among others, three first recordings of the original pieces written for marimba duo. It has received enthusiastic reviews in France, Belgium, Japan and USA. Axoum's performances have been broadcast on different radios in Europe including: Musiques 3, Radio Bartok, Polskie Radio. The duo formed in Paris in 2000 by Elwira Slazak and Gabriel Collet. They hold degrees with the highest distinctions from Conservatories in Paris, the Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels and from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Antwerp, obtaining a diploma with the highest honour in the class of the world's famous marimbist Ludwig Albert .They are recipients of prestigious european grants: "Prix Luffin" in Brussels and "The Sir Georges Solti Foundation" in London as promising young talents. They are prize winners & laureates of numerous international competitions, such as: International Music Competition in Belgium, VII International Krzysztof Penderecki Contemporary Chamber Music Competition, Cracow (II prize), II International Marimba Duo Competition in Belgium (II prize), VIII International Contemporary Chamber Music Competition in Cracow (I prize - Axoum Duo was the first marimba duo in the history of the competition to win the First Prize)In july 2008 Elwira Slazak and Gabriel Collet were invited as guest professors at "3rd Ludwig Albert International Marimba Summer Academy " in Sint-Truiden, Belgium. The 2009-2010 season includes the release of the second CD of the duo and concert tours in Europe. Visit the duo’s official website at www.axoumduo.com for more information.