Exciting news! This week’s Woxx magazine features a glowing review of « Out in the Light », the Authentica debut album. The article dives into how our music bridges Luxembourg’s folk roots with Celtic influences, describing the project as “musically first-rate and conceptually original.” It highlights our unique instrumentation and celebrates the way we breathe new life into traditional melodies and legends. Below is the English translation of the original German article. You can read the original piece in German here:

https://www.woxx.lu/band-authentica-wo-luxemburgische-musik-keltische-inspiration-findet/

English Translation:

Band “Authentica”: Where Luxembourgish Music Meets Celtic Inspiration

By Willi Klopottek | 2025-04-03 | woxx magazine

The Luxembourgish band Authentica has made a promising debut with their first album “Out in the Light.”

The group, led by Italo-Luxembourgish artist Martina Menichetti, brings music with Celtic influences to the Grand Duchy. Their musical approach to Celtic traditions reflects a piece of the country’s history: as is known, Celtic tribes inhabited the area of present-day Luxembourg until around 2,000 years ago. The excavated oppidum (fortified settlement) at Titelberg in the municipality of Pétange was apparently of regional importance. So why not draw a connection to the present, as Authentica compellingly does?

Menichetti was born in Italy and grew up in Esch-sur-Alzette. Her first contact with folk music came through Italian medieval folk singer Angelo Branduardi, who had a big hit in 1978 with “La pulce d’acqua.” His records were frequently played at home. She encountered Celtic music at a young age, thanks to the Zeltik Festival. Her mother, a journalist, often reported on the festival, and Menichetti would accompany her. As a child, she first learned to play classical music, taking flute and piano lessons at the Esch Conservatory. Later, she went to Maastricht for her bachelor’s degree and then to Vienna for her master’s.

Keeping Musical Traditions Alive

But Menichetti’s passions go beyond music—she is also deeply engaged in the performing arts. She gained insights into theatrical production at the Vienna State Opera and the Volksoper. Later, she directed an opera in Graz. In Munich, she studied music management and marketing, completing her broad and diverse qualifications. She ultimately returned to Luxembourg after deciding to focus fully on music. She found a position at the Philharmonie Luxembourg, where she now works in music education with both children and adults.

A crucial part of her life, however, is her own artistic expression through her group Authentica, which places a strong emphasis on Celtic music. A key moment for Menichetti came at age 14, when she had the opportunity to play the flute for the famous Galician bagpiper Carlos Núñez at the Zeltik Festival—he even invited her to accompany him on two songs live on stage. Through this encounter, she also met the prominent Breton musician Dan Ar Braz. Menichetti also spent time as a member of the well-established Luxembourgish folk group Dullemajik, which further nurtured her love for folk music. With this foundation laid early, she was ready to lead her own band—Authentica.

The ensemble performs both as a trio and as a full group: Martina Menichetti on vocals, piano, and various flutes; Cyril Yabroudi on guitar; Luca Sales on keyboards; Mher Mkrtchyan on accordion; and Amit Dhuri playing a diverse range of percussion instruments. The project began around 2019 but was put on hold due to the pandemic. Menichetti is responsible for the repertoire—she composes new pieces or arranges existing ones. “Sometimes it’s a melody I’ve found that I vary and perhaps add a vocal verse to,” she says, “or I compose something entirely new, inspired by stories and legends from Luxembourg, as with my composition ‘Miller’s Valley Nightingale’ on the debut album.” Menichetti sees it as important to preserve old Luxembourgish musical traditions from being forgotten.

One example is the dance tune “Chiberli” on the debut album, which she discovered in the richly detailed 2005 publication “Ronderëm de Lëtzebuerger Volleksdanz.” Fittingly, she plays the melody on a Péckvillchen, the traditional Luxembourgish clay bird-whistle. Her particular instrument was a lucky find at the Easter market Éimaischen—a stand was selling not the usual simple whistles, but precisely tuned, even chromatic versions, making them fully usable instruments for Menichetti’s virtuoso playing.

A Cohesive Song Collection

Authentica’s album features nine tracks. One is instrumental, while the other eight include lyrics in English, Luxembourgish, or French. In Luxembourgish, you’ll hear the traditional folk song “De Schmadd” and also “Wéi meng Mamm nach huet gesponnen,” a 19th-century song. The latter is Menichetti’s interpretation of a piece based on a poem by Luxembourg’s national poet Michel Lentz, set to music by his son Edmond Lentz. The Celtic influence is unmistakable, especially in the flute playing. Italian elements are also woven into the compositions and arrangements.

The remarkably versatile percussionist Amit Dhuri brings in a wide variety of instruments, from the African djembe and Irish bodhrán, to the Middle Eastern darbuka and Argentine bombo legüero. These instruments add finely balanced textures and even hints of Latin American rhythms to each piece. The album was recorded by Jeroen Geerinck at the renowned Studio Trad in Belgium, located between Brussels and Ghent, known for its high-quality belgian folk music productions.

Despite the diversity of the songs, the album forms a harmonious whole. Anyone who has seen the band live knows how well-crafted and professional their stage presence is. The album captures exactly the same atmosphere that the group brings to their concerts, without the cold, artificial studio sound that unfortunately defines many other bands’ recordings. The album, which also includes a beautifully designed 16-page booklet with lyrics and notes, is self-released and available on Menichetti’s website (www.martinamenichetti.com). The musician is already working on ideas for a follow-up album.

Where does the name Authentica come from, anyway? “I wanted a name that would be understood in many languages. In archaeology, you have to authenticate objects from the past, to prove they’re genuine. It’s the same with folk music,” she says. It’s all about authenticity. “And it’s also my aim that what I do comes truly from within me, and is therefore authentic.”

Music by Luxembourgish artists. especially when tied so clearly to local traditions, has so far largely flown under the international radar. Menichetti is deliberately working to build connections in the international music scene so she can perform abroad and make her recordings available there. And rightly so: what Authentica accomplishes, both live and in the studio, is a musically first-rate and conceptually very original body of work. At the heart of it are the beautiful vocals and excellent flute playing of the bandleader—a performance not to be missed.

Authentica can next be experienced live on April 30 at 19:30 at Kinneksbond in Mamer.