Vesselina Kasarova sings beautifully, with a fine balance of deep passion, soulful abandon, and technical finesse, and the Bulgarian folk songs (Kasarova also sings a few composed works) are simply gorgeous. Nevertheless, the listener must approach this disc with some caution, mainly because Kasarova, in an essay included in the liner notes, sketches an imaginative, even visionary, history of Bulgarian folk music, in which the reader looks in vain for reliable facts, finding instead a maze of legends and mythological ...
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Vesselina Kasarova sings beautifully, with a fine balance of deep passion, soulful abandon, and technical finesse, and the Bulgarian folk songs (Kasarova also sings a few composed works) are simply gorgeous. Nevertheless, the listener must approach this disc with some caution, mainly because Kasarova, in an essay included in the liner notes, sketches an imaginative, even visionary, history of Bulgarian folk music, in which the reader looks in vain for reliable facts, finding instead a maze of legends and mythological references. For example, while many seek Bulgaria's origin in ancient Thrace, the home of Orpheus, the connection between Thrace and Bulgaria is purely geographical: scholars generally associate the birth of Bulgarian culture with the foundation of the Bulgarian state, in the seventh century A.D. True, folk music, particularly in the Balkans, retains characteristic vestiges of ancient pre-Christian traditions, but the fact remains that musicologists, who started recording Bulgaria's musical folklore in the early 20th century, cannot date the music with any certainty. In his imaginative, even daring, arrangements, Krassimir Kyurkchiyski attempts to present the songs in an altogether modern key, sometimes adding an unexpected sonic sheen, with the help of choral and orchestral accompaniment, to the music's natural simplicity. What sets this disc apart from similar compilations, however, is the supreme, soulful, deeply satisfying musicianship of Vesselina Kasarova. To take one example, in "Give Me, Oh God, the Wings of a Swan," her voice, which effortlessly leaps from quiet inwardness to operatic intensity, miraculously expresses the mysteriously vast feeling of nostalgia. Kasarova's subtle, sometimes almost imperceptible, changes of timbre illuminate her song, enabling the listener to discern the nuanced richness of feelings, a richness that words often fail to convey. ~ Zoran Minderovic, Rovi
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Add this copy of Bulgarian Soul to cart. $7.99, very good condition, Sold by Service First Media rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Taylorsville, KY, UNITED STATES, published 2004 by RCA.
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Seller's Description:
Very good. Includes disc(s), case, booklet, and back artwork. May show slight wear. Disc(s) are professionally cleaned and may contain only light scratches that do not effect functionality.
Add this copy of Bulgarian Soul to cart. $9.34, very good condition, Sold by Book Alley rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Pasadena, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Imports.
Add this copy of Bulgarian Soul to cart. $22.78, new condition, Sold by newtownvideo rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from huntingdon valley, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2004 by RCA.
