SIKÁN
-Afro-Cuban Tale for Violin and Percussion–

The “Afro” aspect of Afro-Cuban music is a specific reference to the music brought mainly from the coastal areas north through south of what is known today as Nigeria. It is from the myth of the most secretive Abakuá that the title of this piece is derived. The princess Sikán, going to the river for water, unknowingly picked up the fish-god Tanze in her Guiro. The powers of Tanze had been sought out by the men of two rivaling tribes. It is Sikán who brings the power to men. Tanze releases three powerful sounds, but dies shortly after being found. Sikán is sacrificed in man’s attempt to renew the sound. It is her skin that gives birth to that sound - the first drum – replicating the sounds of the fish-god Tanze.

Sikán is an evocative celebration of all aspects of the Afro-Cuban tradition. It was commissioned by the amazing Duo 61/4: Shalini Vijayan, violin – Lynn Vartan, percussion.

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