(9 female voices) & klapa sinj lipo ime (11 male voices) – Nenad
Bach Music multichannel 4.0 SACDs, NBM 118 & NBM 119 ****:
Remember the Bulgarian women’s choir of some years back? It came
to mind when first hearing these two joyful choral albums of folk music
of the Balkans region. The differences are several: Now we have
the voices in glorious hi-res four-channel surround sound. There are
two choral groups – one all female and the other all male. The style
and performance of the songs are more in agreement with accepted
classical choral performance, showing sophistication in phrasing and
dynamics that were missing in the rougher Bulgarian folk group. The
appeal of the general sound and folk culture is the same however, and
these recordings should find a ready audience.
The women’s group, The Folklore Ensemble Lindo, was founded in
Dubrovnik in l965 to preserve the cultural heritage of that region of
Croatia. Its young women members perform as both singers and
dancers. Anonymous Dalmatian folk songs as well as
recently-composed a cappella pieces make up their repertory. Some of
the recent songs tell of the long struggle for freedom in this war-torn
region. A short description of each song and its English title are
given in the colorful booklets.
The second SACD features the male choir from Dalmatia called Klapa
Sinj. It was founded in l982 to promote Croatia’s musical legacy.
Repertory consists of a variety of traditional songs, all approached
with an overriding joy that is palpable in the beauty of their vocal
harmonies. The choir is made up of very talented members to have
developed the group’s highly individual performance style and even
contribute new pieces to the existing catalog of klapa music. The songs
deal with love, friendship, the Croatians’ defense of their freedom,
and the beauty of their land. The first two words of the Croatian
national anthem are “Our beautiful,” and Croatians refer to their
homeland as Our Beautiful. If you have difficult locating these fine
SACDs, email nenadbach@aol.com
– John Sunier
