Popol Vuh - Agape Agape (1982)

Popol Vuh - niemiecki krautrockowy zespół muzyczny, założony w 1969 przez Floriana Fricke, rozwiązany w 2002 po jego śmierci. Czołowi przedstawiciele rocka eksperymentalnego. Współpracownikami Floriana Fricke byli Daniel Fichelscher i Bob Eliscu. Grupa znana jest z soundtracków do filmów Wernera Herzoga (Aguirre, gniew boży, Zagadka Kaspara Hausera, Nosferatu, Fitzcarraldo). Nazwę zespołu zaczerpnięto od tytułu świętej księgi Indian Quiché, plemienia pokrewnego Majom.

W odróżnieniu od innych zespołów krautrockowych muzyka Popol Vuh była bardziej mistyczna, sakralna i medytacyjna. Fricke i jego muzycy inspirowali się przede wszystkim muzyką Tybetu, Afryki, a także kulturą prekolumbijską. Na początku większość utworów Popol Vuh była oparta na dźwięku, tworzonym przy użyciu syntezatorów Mooga.

Pracując nad płytą "Hosianna Mantra" Fricke, stwierdził, że dźwięki generowane przy pomocy syntezatora działają niekorzystnie na duchową stronę człowieka i zrezygnował z urządzenia a następnie sprzedał je Klausowi Schulze. Kolejne albumy zdominowane są przez instrumenty akustyczne, partie chóralne, jednak czasami pojawiają się elektroniczne dźwięki np. na płycie "Messa di Orfeo", gdzie towarzyszy im szmer owadów. 29 grudnia 2001 Florian Fricke zmarł we śnie na atak serca. Wraz z jego odejściem ponad 30-letnia historia Popol Vuh została definitywnie zamknięta.

Florian Fricke (1944-2001)

Agape (gr. agape – miłość) – w chrześcijaństwie szczególny rodzaj bezwarunkowej miłości Boga do człowieka, która jest zdolna do samopoświęcenia Boga w celu odkupienia grzechów człowieka i wyzwolenia go z mocy szatana. Wcześni chrześcijanie uważali, że wobec siebie także powinni okazywać ten rodzaj miłości, dlatego pisarze wczesnochrześcijańscy podkreślali odmienność agape jako miłości braterskiej i siostrzanej od miłości seksualnej (eros). W początkach chrześcijaństwa była to wspólna uczta o charakterze religijnym. Celem agape było podkreślenie jedności wyznawców i podtrzymywanie ich trwania w wierze.

Renate Knaup (ex-Amon Duul II)

Płyta "Agape-Agape Love-Love" jest częścią swoistej trylogii do której należą również wcześniejsza "Sei Still, Wisse Ich Bin" (1982) i późniejsza "Spirit Of Peace" (1985), które uważam za jedne z najwybitniejszych pozycji w dyskografii grupy.

Tutaj znajdziecie bardzo dobrą polską stronę poświęconą grupie Popol Vuh.

Florian Fricke - piano, vocal, percussion
Daniel Fichelscher - guitars, vocal, percussion
Conny Veit - guitar
Renate Knaup - vocal

Of the many now-legendary artists to emerge from the Krautrock movement, few anticipated the rise of modern electronic music with the same prescience as Popol Vuh -- the first German band to employ a Moog synthesizer, their work not only anticipated the emergence of ambient, but also proved pioneering in its absorption of worldbeat textures. At much the same time Popol Vuh was formed in Munich in 1969, another group, of Norwegian descent, adopted the same name, an endless source of confusion in the years to follow; both were inspired by the holy book of Guatemala's Quiche Indians, and according to Mayan researchers the title roughly translates as "meeting place." Keyboardist Florian Fricke was deeply immersed in Mayan myth at the time he formed the group with synth player Frank Fiedler and percussionist Holger Trulzsch, and his interests were reflected in the spiritual themes of their 1970 debut, Affenstunde.

The follow-up two years later, In den Garten Pharaos, was Popol Vuh's creative breakthrough, an intensely meditative work fusing ambient textures with organic percussion. In its wake, however, Fricke converted to Christianity, a move which sparked a rejection of electronics in favor of traditional ethnic instrumentation including guitars, oboe and tamboura; he then tapped korean soprano Djong Yun to lend vocals to 1972's lovely Hosianna Mantra. Fricke next teamed with onetime Amon Duul II drummer Daniel Fichelscher for the next Popol Vuh LP, Seligpreisung; its follow-up, 1975's Einjager und Siebenjager, remains widely considered among the group's most stunning efforts. That same year, they began a lengthy creative partnership with the celebrated filmmaker Werner Herzog which yielded soundtracks for features including Aguirre, Wrath of God, Fitzcarraldo and Nosferatu.

Throughout the latter half of the 1970s, Popol Vuh's fascination with global sounds and instruments continued, with the prominence of sitars, tablas and tamboura percussion on LPs like 1977's Herz aus Glas and 1979's Die Nacht der Seele: Tantric Songs earning their latter-day sound descriptions like "raga rock." In 1978, Fricke founded the Working Group for Creative Singing and also became a member of the Breathing Therapy Society, travelling the world to lecture on both subjects; ultimately, his outside passions began to overshadow his work in Popol Vuh, and as the 1980s dawned the group began losing steam, calling it quits after 1983's excellent Agape Agape. After reuniting two years later for Spirit of Peace, Fricke again reassembled Popol Vuh for the 1997 LP Shepherd's Symphony.

Agape, is one of several Greek words translated into English as love. The word has been used in different ways by a variety of contemporary and ancient sources, including Biblical authors. Many have thought that this word represents divine, unconditional, self-sacrificing, active, volitional, and thoughtful love. Greek philosophers at the time of Plato and other ancient authors have used forms of the word to denote love of a spouse or family, or affection for a particular activity, in contrast to philia—an affection that could denote either brotherhood or generally non-sexual affection, and eros, an affection of a sexual nature. The term 'agape' is rarely used in ancient manuscripts, but was used by the early Christians to refer to the self-sacrificing love of God for humanity, which they were committed to reciprocating and practicing towards God and among one another (kenosis).

Agape has been expounded on by many Christian writers in a specifically Christian context. Thomas Jay Oord has defined agape as "an intentional response to promote well-being when responding to that which has generated ill-being." Oord also argues that agape is not the only form of Christian love. Philia and eros can also be forms of love appropriate for Christians to express.

The first half of Agape-Agape reveals the side of Vuh that dances in the shadows of a monastery, with Gregorian chant vocals and booming, almost processional percussion sounds. An austerity of mood that I haven't heard yet in other Popol Vuh efforts, but still retaining that devotional aspect of their music. The one exception to this is Fichelscher's lone songwriting contribution, "They Danced, They Laughed, As of Old," which is an extended reworking of "Kleiner Kreiger," originally off the album Einsjäger & Siebenjäger. The remainder of the album generally follows familiar territory with PV's well-worn style, but since many of the songs are constrained to being jams in one key, I find earlier albums to be more dynamic and interesting. That said, my favorite song on the album is the title track, with a trance-inducing chant weaving a beautiful melody like incense through a prayer room. The final track is also quite effective; although Fricke hangs back with throughout the album, here he steps out of the shadows on the piano. A worthy effort, but probably not one I'd start out with if exploring the band's discography.

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