Concerto Mali
By Kari Juusela and Sidy Maïga
AboutComposed in the summer of 2022 by Kari Juusela and Sidy Maïga, Concerto Mali is a unique pairing of solo African percussion with symphony orchestra.
An interesting and unusual aspect of the concerto are the islands of improvisation in the solo drum part set within notated parts in the orchestra. Although some might think this is a modern twist to the concerto, during the Baroque and Classical periods, soloists were often improvisors and would extemporaneously embellish the notated solo lines and often play wholly improvised cadenzas. The improvised elements assure that no two performances of the concerto would be alike.
Three Movements
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BONES
Movement 1
The concerto opens with djembe solo punctuated by insistent stabs from the orchestra. The mood quickly shifts to an upbeat djembe-driven groove over which the different sections of the orchestra toss around a syncopated melody. The pulsating rhythm of the first island of improvisation begun by the low strings and marimba then gives way to an orchestral tutti, which is followed by a raucous duet between the orchestra’s percussion section and the solo djembe. After an energetic climax, the movement ends with a solo trumpet and a solo horn foreshadowing the darker mood of the mysterious 2nd movement.
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SPIRITS
Movement 2
The Second Movement is a meditation on the ghosts and memories of our ancestors. While composing this movement, I imagined spirits of our past looking down and commenting on the theater of our mortal existence. The movement begins with an ethereal duet between the sometimes mumbling and sometimes effusive talking drum conversing with the howls and clamoring of the eerie-sounding waterphone. The waterphone, a hollow water-filled stainless-steel resonator pan with bronze rods that are bowed or struck, was invented by Richard Waters and can often be heard in Hollywood science fiction and psychological thrillers. The atmospheric opening is followed by a lively string fugue accented by brass and percussion. The movement then moves to a slow death-march led by the soloist on the dundun, a large, resonant African drum. The music culminates in an avalanche of a dundun and timpani crescendo, and closes with a parting whimper from the waterphone.
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FLESH
Movement 3
The final movement brings the listeners back from the spirit world to the joy of being alive. The movement begins with a jazz-like djembe and flute flirtation. Flirtation leads to a lush theme over pulsating woodwinds. The lyrical theme is developed and passed through the orchestra and trails off with gently dancing string pizzicati. The trumpets announce the final section of the movement, which is set in a rollicking 12/8 meter with slashing cross accents. The brass and strings blast a heroic motif, and the solo djembe and percussion section trade bursts of polyrhythmic joy. The concerto closes with a frenzied crescendo and accelerando before it lands, exhausted, on three emphatic ending chords.
About the Artists
Kari Henrik Juusela
Kari Henrik Juusela is a Finnish/American composer, performer, educator, and former Dean of the Professional Writing and Music Technology Division at Berklee College of Music. Prior to his work at Berklee, he served as the Associate Dean, Director of Composition and Almand Chair of Composition at Stetson University.
Juusela’s compositions have been performed around the world in concerts and festivals including performances in New York’s Carnegie Hall, Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Hall, and Shanghai’s Symphony Hall. His music has won top awards in competitions including the Vienna International Full-Length Opera Competition, the International Trumpet Guild Composition Competition, the International Red Stick Composition Competition, the Aliénor Harpsichord Composition Contest, the Cello Guild Composition contest, and London Chamber Group’s "Piece of the Year Competition”.
Juusela enjoys performing a wide variety of music and serves as the co-principal cellist for the Narragansett Bay Symphony and principal cellist for the Chamber Orchestra of Barrington. He also performs in a variety of eclectic chamber music ensembles including the world music group Afrimanding led by Malian djembe player Sidy Maiga.
His music is recorded and published by MuusJuus Music, Beauport Classical, ERM Media, Lakeside Records, Capstone Records, ISG Publications, and Yelton Rhodes Music.
Sidy Maïga
Trained from a young age under some of Mali’s most renowned master drummers, Sidy brings deep cultural knowledge and authenticity to his work. Since moving to the United States, he has become a respected leader in Rhode Island’s arts community, known for both preserving traditional West African music and expanding it through collaborations across genres.
As an educator and cultural leader, Sidy has spent nearly two decades teaching in schools, hospitals, and community organizations, developing programs that connect people of all ages to African music and culture. He is the founder of Afrika Nyaga, a West African Dance and Drum Festival that brings together local and international artists and audiences across Rhode Island.
In addition to his artistic work, Sidy has served on the boards of several organizations, including The Providence Drum Troupe, the Downtown Providence Parks Network, and the Gaia Vaccine Foundation, reflecting his strong commitment to community leadership and cultural advocacy.