The Four Corners is a collaborative song for four countries and.... thus far Bolivia, Romania and Malawi. The idea began in Bolivia with some chords, a melody and an arrangement idea. Then, together with Saul Callejas we 'jammed' the idea, added lyrics, confirmed a melody, instrumentation and recorded the basic foundation for the piece with Danilo Rojas (piano), Carlos Ponce (zampona), Galo Cortez (bass guitar), Victor Hugo Guzman (drum kit), Saul Callejas (charango, sonjo, vocals) and Peter Keelan (didgeridoo, zampona).
Space was left for additions, to be made in Romania, Africa and the Solomon Islands, and I departed Bolivia with a CD ROM of the recorded music (and luckily sent a back up copy to Australia). The 'master' copy was stolen, along with all my baggage, in Prague. The backup copy (previoulsy sent to Australia) then went on a journey of its own. My mother sent the backup from Adelaide to Perth where a friend made three copies (the theft paranoia teaching me to be careful). It was a very busy time for him and he departed for a trip to China with the copy to be sent to me in his case, having not had time to send it. It travelled into China, then back to Perth and eventually arrived in Bucharest.
In Romania I recorded the Romanian section with virtuoso nai (traditional Romanian pan flute) player Cornel Pana, Marius Radu (tambal, or hammered dulcimer) and the wonderful vocals of Maria Raducanu. Maria also poetically adapted the words into Romanian.
The chords, lyrics and direct translations are...
C Em Am Am C F Am Am Dm F Am Am C Em G G
Bolivia: Cuatro Esquinas (lyrics by Saul Callejas)
Con tu voz
con mi voz
quiero expresar
el sentir
de la humanidad
al vibrar
con la musica
dejamos otra vez
con el ritmo
el baile, bailar
With your voice
with my voice
I want to express
the feeling
of humanity
to vibrate
with the music
lets move again
with the rhythm
to dance and dance
Romania: Patru Colturi (words by Maria Raducanu)
Glasul tau
Si al meu
Sa rasune acum
sa cantam lumii
intr un glas
Doar un cantec
Sa fim
dincolo de timp
si in dans
sa ne nlantium
Your voice
and mine
let them sound at once
let us sing to the world
as one
Let us be one song
beyond time
and let the dance
make us one
Malawi: (lyrics as written by Mildred 'Nachi' Ligoyain the Chichewa language)
Tonse pamodzi
inu ndi ine
tiyimbe nyimboyi
ndi mtima umodzi
pogwirizana
tidzaona
tonse ndife amodzi
All together
you and I
let us sing
this song
in unity
we shall discover
we are all one