album rating: ★★★★☆
a) Genre
Corsican folk / Corsican polyphony / World music. À Voce Rivolta (meaning 'the voice turned', or 'the voice that has revolted') is a Corsican folk album that exemplifies I Muvrini's distinctive blend of traditional Corsican vocal polyphony — most notably the paghjella, an ancient Corsican male polyphonic song form unique to the island — with contemporary arrangements incorporating guitar, synthesiser, and other instruments. All lyrics are sung in the Corsican language. The album also includes purely traditional polyphonic material, such as the track 'Paghjella', alongside songs with more contemporary musical frameworks. Musically it sits at the intersection of regional folk, Mediterranean world music, and contemporary European vocal music.
b) Release
Original release: Mango Records (France/international, 1991), distributed by Island Records' world music subsidiary. The phonographic copyright is credited to AGFB Productions (the group's own production company, founded in 1986 by the Bernardini brothers). Apple Music credits the phonographic copyright to ℗ 1991 AGFB. The CD edition runs 53 minutes and 25 seconds across 14 tracks. The album became difficult to find in mainstream retail outlets after its initial release period, as neither the group nor a major label has reissued it — an outcome attributed to unresolved rights issues between AGFB Productions and the Mango/Island catalogue. A French-language review from nightfall.fr describes it as 'un nouvel excellent' (a new excellent [album]) while noting its relative inaccessibility after its commercial run concluded.
c) Production
Produced under the AGFB Productions banner of Jean-François and Alain Bernardini. The group's long-standing arranger, producer, and cetera player Jean-Bernard Rongiconi — described by PopMatters as I Muvrini's 'long-time collaborator, arranger, and producer' — is understood to have played a central role in the album's musical arrangements. Rongiconi also plays the cetera, a 16-string lute-like instrument indigenous to Corsica, on the group's recordings.
d) Recording
Specific recording studio details for this album are not documented in available sources.
e) Reception
À Voce Rivolta was well received within the group's established audience in Corsica and mainland France, though it sold less well than some of its predecessors and became effectively unavailable in normal retail channels within a few years — a fate attributed by one French-language review to rights complications rather than to any lack of artistic quality. The same review characterises it as 'un nouvel excellent album d'I Muvrini', consistent with the group's high creative standard during this period. Amazon France customer reviews describe it as 'un excellent album' and 'chaleureusement recommandé' (warmly recommended) for those who 'carry Corsica in their heart'. The group achieved seven Gold record certifications in France between 1994 and 2007; their seventh gold came with I Muvrini et les 500 Choristes (2007), suggesting strong sustained commercial performance across their career despite this particular album's limited subsequent availability.
I Muvrini
I Muvrini (Corsican for 'the mouflons' — the wild sheep native to the mountains of Corsica) is a Corsican folk music group founded in the early 1980s by brothers Jean-François Bernardini (born c. 1957, Tagliu-Isulacciu, Upper Corsica; vocals, principal songwriter and lyricist) and Alain Bernardini (born c. 1960, Tagliu-Isulacciu; vocals). Their father, Ghjuliu Bernardini, was a celebrated Corsican poet and singer who introduced the brothers to traditional Corsican vocal music from childhood; he died in December 1977. The brothers had collaborated with the group Canta u Populu Corsu as early as 1975. Their first album as I Muvrini, Ti Ringrazianu (Ricordu label, 1979), was dedicated to their father's memory. In 1986 they founded AGFB Productions, giving themselves full creative and commercial independence. Throughout their career they have consistently performed and recorded exclusively in the Corsican language, promoting its survival and that of Corsican cultural traditions. Jean-Bernard Rongiconi has served as their primary arranger, producer, and instrumentalist across many albums. The group's musical style evolved from more purely traditional polyphonic forms in their early career toward a blend that incorporates contemporary popular music elements while retaining the Corsican language and polyphonic vocal practice at its core. In 2000 they collaborated with Sting on a Corsican-language version of 'Fields of Gold', titled 'Terre d'Oru'. They have also collaborated with MC Solaar, Luz Casal, Véronique Samson, and others. They achieved seven Gold records in France. They performed a celebrated concert at the Bercy arena in Paris in 1996. They continue to record and perform as of 2025.
This text was generated by Claude (Anthropic). It may contain errors or inaccuracies.
