Mama Africa, by Swiss composer Jean-François Michel, is a vibrant piece that celebrates the energy, warmth, and vitality of the African continent. True to the composer's inventive spirit, the work opens with an imagined vocal language: a purely phonetic imitation inspired by the sounds of various African tongues. Not speaking any of these languages himself, the composer sought above all to reproduce their natural musicality their rhythm, color, and spontaneity.

This playful and enigmatic open...