Elena Ledda, the voice of Sardinia

Sardinia is an island for all the senses. Holidaymakers who are currently enjoying the warmth of a Sardinian beach on their skin, breathing in the island's characteristic scent of the sea, scrubland and pine trees, savouring Sardinian delicacies and delighting in the sight of the emerald green sea and picturesque, rugged landscapes will agree with me. But Sardinia also has something to offer the sense of hearing that can only be found here.

I have already reported elsewhere on Canto a Tenore, the traditional shepherd songs from Barbagia. However, this distinctive form of polyphonic singing is still reserved for men. But traditional Sardinian music has even more facets. The fact that these are now known to a wider audience outside the island is due in no small part to the Sardinian singer Elena Ledda.

Born in 1959 near Cagliari, Ledda initially received classical training as a mezzo-soprano at the local conservatory. However, she decided against a career in opera and instead devoted herself to rediscovering the musical folklore of her home island. She travelled to the most remote mountain villages to collect and learn old songs. Her aim, however, was not to preserve what she found in a museum, but to create a contemporary interpretation of the old material. In 1979, she and her compatriot Mauro Palmas founded the music group ‘Suonofficina’, which specialises in an exciting mix of Sardinian folklore and modern music forms.

Born in 1959 near Cagliari, Ledda initially received classical training as a mezzo-soprano at the local conservatory. However, she decided against a career in opera and instead devoted herself to rediscovering the musical folklore of her home island. She travelled to the most remote mountain villages to collect and learn old songs. Her aim, however, was not to preserve her findings in a museum, but to create a contemporary interpretation of the old material. In 1979, she and her compatriot Mauro Palmas founded the music group ‘Suonofficina’, which specialises in an exciting mix of Sardinian folklore and modern music forms.

In the years that followed, Ledda collaborated with many renowned international musicians and is now considered the ‘voice of Sardinia’. And when I'm not on my favourite island and can't enjoy it with four of my five senses, I can still let my sense of hearing transport me there – thanks to Elena Ledda and her music.

With a Sardinian ‘Adiosu’, I bid you farewell for today.

Yours, Joachim Waßmann