'Dobroudja State Ensemble for Folk Songs and Dances from the town of Dobrich is one of the oldest and most renowned Bulgarian folk formations which has been performing the most original samples of the folk musical and dance tradition from the region of Dobroudja for more than three decades now. Situated in the North-West, between the Danube and the Black Sea, these fat lands of Bulgaria's granary are populated by hard-working Bulgarians who have preserved even to the present day their old songs and tunes, dances, folk customs and costumes. The region is inhabited by a mixed population - the oldest local people, the so called "grebentsi", and settlers from the mid-19th century, mainly from Southern Bulgaria - the Thracian plane and the poor Central Balkan villages. Thus a multi-coloured musical culture was formed, an exceptionally varied treasure of dances and colourful folk costumes and customs, representative of the whole country. Having mutually enriched each other, the three trends of folk culture - of the old local population, of the Thracians and the Balkan people - lent the folk image of Dobroudja which is brilliantly presented now by the Dobroudja Ensemble at their numerous concerts throughout the country and abroad and in the present CD which features some of the Ensemble's latest performances. -The backbone of the Dobroudja Ensemble is formed by the folk orchestra and the folk choir, regular participants in the New Bulgarian Music reviews of new works by prominent Bulgarian composers, organised by the Union of Bulgarian Composers. The new compositions are conducted by the Ensemble's Chief Artistic Director Kostadin Bouradjiev who is also the author of two of the instrumental pieces herein. The present collection opens with Kosta Kolev's original piece entitled Suite for Dobroudjanska Troika. The Dobroudjanska Troika- a combination of two folk instruments and concertina is characteristic of this region only. The composition includes authentic tunes from the Dobroudja region. The aroma of the typical Dobroudja instrumental music is introduced by Kostadin Bouradjiev's Horo for Kavaland Ruchenik with a Quarter of a Bushel (Ruchenik s shinitsi) and before all by Whisk Your Pigskin Sandals (Brusni tsurvoul) on music by Stefan Moutafchiev, based on the local folklore. he witty and ingeniously constructed Suite of Chalukovo Tunes by Tsvetan Tsvetkov is a combination of original and widely popular melodies in the style of the modern 'wedding orchestras". Oristo Ouroumov's Concerto Piece for Folk Orchestra is a counterpart to the former work. It sounds in conformity with the style of traditional folk music, composed by means of the long-used practices of folk orchestra, established in the 5Oies and the 6Oies by composers like Philip Koutev, Hristo Todorov, Stefan Kunev, etc. 'liexander Djigov - bagpipe (Plovdivsko Horo) and Zhivko Zhelev - kaval (Horo forKaval), the Ensemble's soloists feature brilliantly their performing skill and musicianship.
A special mention deserves the participation of the folk choir. Krassimir Kyurkchiiski's five a cappella songs written especially for the Dobroudja Ensemble are representative of both the creative style of this leading Bulgarian composer and the performing capacity of the folk choir. The complex harmony unique for the genre, the expanded form, the contrastive counterpositions of soloists and choir have obviously challenged the conductor and the performers into a successful and responsible interpretation reflecting the specific character of each region represented by a song. With much authenticity and responsibility they treat the tragic a cappella Dobroudja song The Pigeons Are Cooing (Gulubite goukat) by composer Anastas Naumov. Festive Suite on music by Stefon Georgiev and Northern Motifs (Severnyashki motivi) by Stefan Moutafchiev throw a challenge to both the choir and the orchestra to demonstrate their amazing ensemble performance. The second piece in particular can be considered a creative success for the Ensemble. This is an expanded, dramatic and powerful work, written and performed with devotion, which represents the musical folklore of a vast Danubian region, that of Vidin, in which Northern tunes inevitably merge with local melodies. The present CD is an unique combination of traditional and innovative composing techniques, of authentic and original tunes. It reflects like a mirror the characteristics of a vital genre of long standing, that of folk choirs and Ensembles, a movement pioneered by Philip Koutev, the unforgettable Bulgarian composer.
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