Live at Real World

Through the darkness a low rumble intensifies form the back of the stage. Gradually a series of swaying figures glide into view, huge drums balanced on their heads, beating out an insistent rhythm. The sheer power of drumming fills the hall. In Burundi, drums are sacred and represent, along with the king, the powers of fertility and regeneration which guarantee the future and prosperity of the kingdom. Through their close links with agriculture the drums have acquired symbolic associations, the skin being likened to the baby's cradle, the pegs to the mother's breasts, the body of the drum to the stomach, and so on. The origins of their performance being shrouded in ancient legend and mystery, the Drummers of Burundi channel the exuberance and creative spirit of a whole nation through these drums and the rituals surrounding them. Thunderous power, pure precision and sheer rapture from one of the greatest percussion ensembles in the world.