Lady Sapiens

About

Lady Sapiens is a new 60-minute composition by Estonian composer-bassist Mingo Rajandi for an unusual quartet: three double basses and serpent, with electronics. Drawing on recent archaeological scholarship and the ideas behind the 2023 book Lady Sapiens, the piece questions long-standing gender stereotypes by placing instruments often coded as “masculine” within a context that reimagines women’s roles across deep time. Rajandi performs alongside Beate Wiesinger, Elsa Bergman and Berlinde Deman, using low-register timbres, tactile noise and electroacoustic layers to probe ideas of labour, ritual, leadership and community. Co-commissioned by Ha Concerts, Jazzkaar Festival and hcmf//, the work frames a sonic restoration of lost or overlooked female agency rather than a linear narrative, inviting listeners to rethink what is considered “ladylike” and who gets to be heard.