Alan Stivell: “Infinity nestles in creation”

You are publishing your autobiography called Stivell by Alan. What made you decide to write it?

I’m not going to wait until I’m 100 to carry out the projects that are close to my heart (laugh)! In this work, I tell my life and my journey, unvarnished.

Does Brittany inspire you to create?

When I close my eyes, I visualize the abers, in northern Finistère, where my brother lives. In the distance, the promised Ireland looms. Certain landscapes give a tone to the musical creation like the rolling of the sea which imposes its rhythm, both melancholic and euphoric.

The person who matters most to you?

My companion. His support, behind the scenes, is essential to me. Our love dates back to 1968. It seems that long stories are rarer today…

The object that crosses generations in your family?

My father’s famous Celtic harp. He resurrected the instrument from plans he himself developed in the 1950s. From the age of 9, I wanted to learn to play it. The virus has infected me. This is the start of the rest of my life.

A good plan to reconnect with nature?

The experience of the Breton Bleimor scouts, with whom I was registered during my childhood in Paris, has never left me. Being alone in the forest was a real initiation. Moreover, the Celts sacralized natural places. I understand them, in a wood, the madness of the world fades away, and suddenly alone with the trees, I find inner peace.

For what cause would you mobilize?

I plead for the recognition of territorial minorities! A special status would make it possible to perpetuate these identities which are struggling to survive. The diversity of languages is incredibly rich for culture and thought. For example in Breton, the green and blue found in nature are both called “glaz”. But artificial green is called “gwer”.