For our Canadians readers here’s a special event that may be of interest….
“If you love choirs — or any sort of music — I suggest driving up to Nanaimo’s Port Theatre Monday night. That’s where Le Mystére des Voix Bulgares will be performing.
Thursday night, this choir of 25 gave an absolutely mesmerizing concert at UVic Centre. The Grammy-winning choir specializes in both traditional and contemporary Bulgarian folk music. Performing a cappella, under the expert direction of conductor Dora Hristova, the ensemble has won kudos the world over — including raves from celebs such as Jerry Garcia and Pat Metheny.
Their reputation is well-deserved. Singing in their native tongue, Le Mystére des Voix Bulgares (The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices) gave a concert of unearthly beauty for an enthused, sometimes cheering audience. The choir’s secret weapon is its harmonies. To Western ears, the intervals — that is, the blended note choices — are unusual, even dissonant. In particular, their microtonal harmonies provide a distinctive drone almost ungodly in its beauty.
The choir, mostly women, sang the first part of the program in traditional dress representing different regions of Bulgaria. Arms linked, they wore colourful headdresses, aprons, and artificial roses in their hair. For the second part of the evening, showcasing mostly contemporary fare, they changed into modern evening wear.
The lead singing — for example, a song called The Dark Cloud featuring soloist Dafinka Damyanova — is often based on Eastern scales. It has a melancholic and plaintive quality, bringing to mind a lone voice emanating from a mosque. Florid, Eastern-style ornamention is common.
The rhythms, sometimes asymetrical, can be extremely complex. There were skittering staccaco lines layered over top of one another. Songs punctuated with yips or yelps. Some ended with a descending yo-yo-like dip. The harmonies are so precise, it brings to mind a pipe organ.
The effect can be startling. For example, when two women harmonized for Songs from The Shope Area (the Shope is a region in Bulgaria), an eerie overtone suggesting a invisible third singer seemed to surface.
Although Le Mystére des Voix Bulgares makes it look easy, this singing requires phenomenal technique. I have never heard a choir as well-rehearsed and accomplished as this one. Despite the discipline required, the women are encouraged to bring out their unique timbres — a throaty, earthy sound here; a more nasal sound there.
This choir sings in a style said to reflect ancient singing traditions in Bulgaria, which was isolated from the rest of Europe for 500 years of Ottoman rule. Western listeners may not understand the words, but we can comprehend the timeless beauty of this unusual yet accessible music.
The evening was so entertaining, it seemed to fly by. Trust me. Make the trip Nanaimo on Monday (or Vancouver’s Chan Centre, where Le Mystére des Voix Bulgares performs Friday night). You won’t regret it.”
