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Concert Review
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Reading Eagle, Concert Review >>
Bulgarian choir exudes beauty and mystery - LeMystere des Voix Bulgares begins its North American tour at Kutztown University with a breathtaking performance of ethnic singing.
The Bulgarian State Radio and Television Female Vocal Choir — more picturesquely billed as Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares — began its North American tour Thursday night in Sehaeffer Auditorium as part ofthe Kutztown University Performing Artists Series.
The group originally was scheduled to begin elsewhere, but bad weather kept them from leaving Sofia, Bulgaria, where they are based, until Wednesday night.
The 26 member choir — led by Dora Hristova and accompanied by one male singer, Daniel Spasov—was founded about 50 years ago in an effort to preserve the folk music and unique style of singing of rural Bulgaria.
Through its recordings and its tours, people all over the world have fallen in love with this music, and with good reason. There is no sound quite like it, and the more you listen, the more addicted you become. Thursday's performance passed all too quickly; I was ready to hear it all over again when the last note faded away.
Dressed in striking red and green Bulgarian folk costumes for the first half, the women launched into an a cappella program mostly made up of folk-style works by contemporary composers, with some authentic folk tunes mixed in.
Their vocal style is completely unlike that of European and American choirs; they produce a strong, reedy sound with no vibrato.
The harmonies include many major and minor seconds, creating dissonances that shimmer and break your heart. Many of the songs contain pyrotechnics, including complex melismatic ornaments, warbles, slides, yips and barks.
They delivered a balanced program, full of contrasting moods and tempos; translations would have been a welcome addition, especially in the songs that obviously contained humor.
But in the end, words were unnecessary, since these singers are so skilled at conveying the essence of each piece.
As the program proceeded, there were moments of overwhelming beauty and emotion, like "Listni se goro" (Come into leaves, forest) by Stefan Moutafchiev and "Zapali se planinata" (The mountain is burning), the latter enhanced with a gorgeous soto by Radka Nankova.
In addition to the full choir, oflen with soloists, there were duets, trios and quartets performing some ofthe repertoire. "Turlupe Lupe," an authentic comic song from the Shope area of Bulgaria, was given a sprightly performance by Evguenia Miloucheva and Ruslana Aspanihova.
Spasov was featured in several numbers; while he had a pleasant voice, his performances were not nearly as impressive as those of the women.
At times the group performed more Western-style pieces, such as the sacred "Dai mi Bozhe" (Give Me My Lord), and later the lovely "Vo Tsarstvoe Tvoem" (In Your Realm).
For the second half, the women wore black gowns and uncovered their heads. This part of the program contained two of the most interesting pieces; the first was "Mehmetyo" by Ivan Spassov, a subtle, complex piece with incredible dissonances, featuring the lowest range of voices.
The other was "Danyova Mama" (Danyo's Mother) by Nikolai Kaufman, featuring soloist Binka Koteterova, whose vocal technique and quality were outstanding even among this group of supreme artists.
As an encore, the choir sang "Polegnala e Todora," a love song which is the final cut on their Nonesuch album, Le Mystere des Voix Bxdgares, Volume 1.
By Susan L Pena
12/02/06
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