If Only I Could Hibernate

This release is the soundtrack to the film If Only I Could Hibernate by Mongolian director Zoljargal Purevdash. It had its European premiere in France on January 10, 2024. Johanni Curtet is a musician, ethnomusicologist, producer and artistic director of Routes Nomades. He has spent the past 20 years studying Mongolian khöömii, sometimes known as throat singing. Most of the 20 tracks are short, presumably due to the nature of the film. That said, the six-minute ‘Theme of Hope – Final’, in which Curtet displays his considerable skills on classical guitar, including a chopsticks-hammered guitar emulating a dulcimer, his marvellous beatbox and throat-singing, evokes hope with a touch of sadness. He is ably accompanied on the horse-head fiddle or morin khuur by Mandakhjargal Daansuren while Kham Meslien holds it all down with arrangement contributions on double bass. This simple palette with the addition of the dan moi, a metal jaw harp from Vietnam works well. However, the soundtrack release could have been developed further in order for it to stand on its own, separate to the film.