Jordi Savall - Esprit Des Balkans: Balkan Spirit - Import SACD Hybrid

Credits:

Jordi Savall

Description:

The new disc of the Historical Tales series takes place in the Balkan Peninsula... Roma rhythms, Bartok echoes... Savall's full-length program "Balkan Spirit" *Savall's long-awaited return to Japan in 2013 is just around the corner. After "The Heart of Armenia" (AVSA9892), Savall invites us to the Balkan Peninsula, a melting pot of cultures where various peoples have gathered. Once called the "powder keg of Europe," this region has experienced many invasions and domination by great powers and ethnic upheavals from the Byzantine Empire to the present day. The "Balkan spirit" has remained at the heart of the people of the region, even though the country's name and shape have changed over its long history. In order to convey the essence of this fascination, Savall has woven a program of music from Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Turkey, and other countries.The album is based on regional folklore and contains a wide variety of dances and songs from the 18th to 20th centuries. Throughout the album, the dances have a delightful, uniquely Roma rhythm, and the 19th-century songs offer interesting glimpses of Bartók and Kodály. All of these works project the sound of their own national music, and the program is designed to show us the various charms of the "Balkan spirit," which has been passed down from generation to generation. Tabouri Jemil Bey, the composer of the third piece, "The Girl from Chechnya," is said to be the last string player of the Ottoman Empire, and is a master musician who has devoted himself to the preservation of his country's classical music.The fifth piece is a makām (traditional Ottoman melody) by an unknown composer from "The Book of Written Music," a collection of instrumental pieces selected by Dimitrije Cantemir (1673-1723), the great composer of Ottoman classical music, whom the Bey loved. Already featured prominently in the historical tale series "Istanbul" (AVSA9870), this important collection of pieces offers the unique charm of the Middle East with its rich resonance. Alexander Saryevski is a singer who gained popularity in the 1950s for his repertoire based on folk songs. Buckwheat Berries, Buckwheat Berries" is a song based on a Macedonian folk song with a beautiful melody that stirs feelings of nostalgia, while the 16th song, "Sled with Bells," which was made famous by Piaf, was composed by the Jewish composer Richard Stein in 1937.It is based on a Romanian folk song, this time in an instrumental version. The album closes with an elegy composed by Serbian composer Bora Dujsi. It is a sad song about a tragic love that leads to leaving the village for marriage and being separated from the man she has known since childhood. King International

Tracklisting:

1.Borin Cocek
2.Doina, hora
3.Ta xyla / Cecen kizi
4.Chichovata
5.Der makam-i Huseni Sakil-i Aga Riza
6.Zajdi, Zajdi
7.Sborenka
8.Azt hittem hogy minden konnyem
9.Kovni
10.Cuando el Rey Nimrod
11.Sousta
12.Galabovska Ruchenitsa
13.Bilijana
14.Ciocarlia / Seva
15.Suite (Doina / Purtata / Hora ka la kaval)
16.Sanie cu zurgalai
17.Suite (Hora de ascultare / Hora mare / Hora lui Dragoi)
18.Vrcavo Kolo
19.Pastirska Elegija