“To sing is to pray twice. » Armand Diangienda, cellist, composer and conductor, devotes himself fully to classical music, relying on numerous ancestral sounds. Initially destined for a career as an aviator, in 1994 he created the Orchester symphonique kimbanguiste de Kinshasa (OSK) in order to promote Congolese musical heritage. « The idea came to me from my father. He suggested that I bring together members of musical groups from different villages. The goal was for everyone to be able to come together in a community. »
With more than 200 members today – musicians and choristers – the largest symphony orchestra in Central Africa will meet the Choeur de l’Orchestre de Paris on Saturday 11 June. On the program: the symphony My identity d’Armand Diangienda, Luba of Héritier Mayimbi Mbuangi – member of the orchestra –, and the Orphanage Mass by Mozart, mixing Western timbres and typically African sounds.
Kimbanguism, the cornerstone of the Congolese orchestra
The OSK amateur ensemble was born within a religious community, the Kimbanguist Church, an autonomous Christian religious movement that fought for the independence of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 1920s. Armand Diangienda, grandson of Simon Kimbangu – spiritual leader and founder of this same Church – draws inspiration from his values to promote “passion, fraternity, peace and reconciliation of Nations. » This spiritual current has made itself known beyond the African continent thanks to the documentary Kinshasa Symphony (2010) which explores the daily lives of the Congolese and their love of music.
Back to basics and change of tone
The Symphony No. 3My identity by Armand Diangienda is inspired “in a very African coloring, Western areas combined with typically Congolese music”, explains the conductor and composer. Among them, we find the short traditional melodies of the Pygmy villages, one of the oldest peoples of Africa, which serve as themes and which the Symphony Orchestra seizes over increasingly developed variations.
Among the instruments that will surprise listeners, the ditumba, very popular type of drum, in the shape of a trapezium with a hollow in the body: “He comes from my housesays Armand Diangienda. We get very different sounds depending on how we hit its cavity.»
Beyond their performance at the Philharmonie, the collective also wishes to train future composers from the African continent. “The musicians of the orchestra did not have the chance to study at the Conservatoire. But passion guided us and we became pioneers leading the way for the next generation. This adventure is that of music lovers », ignites Armand Diangienda.