A women’s Bulgarian choral group was one of the major phenomena of world music in the 1990s. Cosmic Voices of Bulgaria is a similar group, with a fresh recording of lively and varied choral music as it’s only made in that nation.
Bulgaria’s geographic location at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and the resulting cultural diversity are reflected in its folk music, which absorbed influences of Turkey, Greece, the other Balkan cultures as well as Russia and the Slavs. The other key feature of Bulgaria’s folk music is that it’s the domain of women, not men. Through the influence of several composers of the Soviet period, the folk music was brought up to date, incorporating elements of classical and art music, which is what today’s Bulgarian women’s choirs sing.
All this and more is covered in this CD’s excellent liner notes. The music lives up to its billing. Sixteen tracks of unaccompanied vocal music by a women’s ensemble requires much variety to remain interesting, and this group pulls it off. Arrangements run the gamut from fast-paced, energetic romps to pensive, evocative tone poems. In many cases, the arrangements clearly reflect the song’s subject matter — “Soft Wind is Blowing,” “Forest, Put Forth Leaves,” “Beautiful Mara from Sofia” — without being purely programmatic.
Both “Rada, Finish Your Dinner” and “Todora is Taking a Nap” are quiet, lilting lullabies, while “I’m Tired of the Bachelor Life” suggests the driving rhythms of a male workplace, and the ennui of life without female companionship.
“Mechmetio, My Big Love,” a lengthy piece in three movements, is the obvious choice for a title track, impressive in its range and depth of sounds. It opens like a gentle love song, with voices joining in one at a time like pealing of bells on a spring morning, and builds slowly to a climax that fills the air with a ringing cacophony.
This is powerful stuff, but never overly solemn. Its moods range from raucous to tender, playful to pensive, but it never feels like it’s done merely to impress. If you think you’ve heard all you need of Bulgarian women’s choirs, think again.
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(Intuition, 2000)
