With dashing dexterity, fervently and joyfully, on 26 May at the Concert Hall Korolevsky in Moscow started the 39th Euroradio Folk Festival. By the famous Yury Gagarin’s “Let’s go!” the Festival was opened by the General Director of Russian State TV and Radio Musical Centre Irina Gerasimova.
The shirts with national embroidery and blue sarafans - as the symbol of the blue sky and the broad Russian soul - this is the “Choir of Russian Song” of radio “Orpheus” is welcoming guests of the Festival. The songs following each other depict different images - from boundless fields and steppes to folk festivities with dances and chastushkas. Both the guests and the performers enjoy the friendly and warm atmosphere.
The first performers at the Festival were the Estonian guests. The duet of Tuulikki Bartosik and Vanessa Massera takes us far away from the city - to the country where you hear a lonely horn accompanied by singing of birds. Tuulikki Bartosik’s accordion solo starts as if from afar - being inspired by Estonian scenery, she composes music which is a mix of natural and electronic sounds. Rustle of leaves underfoot, crackling of the fire, rain drops and cosmic noises - all these sounds are created by Vanessa Massera right on the stage. It creates the effect of presence in a different dimension. Each piece of music carries us into a carefree, natural and harmonious world.
Tuulikki BARTOSIK: “Vanessa and I are trying to find out what a modern tradition is. We are collecting different sounds from all over the world and then unite them. It is really exciting. Then I compose music which brings me to a different place - the one where the sound was recorded. Thanks to it we can set off to a journey together with our listeners.”
Sunny and temperamental Armenia sounds in folk songs and dances of the ensemble “Hayordik”. A piercing sound of the wind instrument zurna - as a cry of a lonely bird -tells its own story, accompanied by the rhythmic dhol (drum) beats. The tunes of the songs with the typical of the eastern culture assertiveness and melisma do not leave anyone indifferent. It is hard to remain seated - the body subconsciously responds to the hot and emotional rhythms.
Anahit SARGSYAN: “The peculiarity of Armenian music, songs, dances and the culture on the whole is that they all stem from work. We love to work, we are a really hard-working nation. That is the reason why we have such bright songs, dances and music - everything is interconnected.”
The sounds of the ensemble “FOLK’AVANT” make you see a picturesque ancient town on the stage. There is a feeling that these tunes and songs are hundreds years old. Swedish and Finnish folk traditions are united in magic compositions which send us to a long musical journey along fjords and gulfs, towards inaccessible rocks and thick forests. One does not feel like coming back to reality from this old fairytale.
Anna WIKENIUS: “Our ensemble is unique as we are a Swedish-Finnish trio. We sing in both languages and compose music ourselves. We are inspired by the surrounding world and especially by national traditions. Our songs say about the things which are really important for me. I need to sing about something which is happening now.”
An original percussion timber combined with the sounds of the bass-guitar, string instruments and the drums sounds unusually, but interestingly. The songs of Patriciya Svitina, as well as the composition of her ensemble, reflect Slavic traditions seasoned with modern rhythms. By her songs the performer opens the door to her own inner world.
The Janette brothers from Switzerland know how to cheer people up using a marvelous kaleidoscope of images - from serious reflections to mischievous children’s games. As a raindrop in the sun, their music shimmers with all the colors of the rainbow. You can never guess where their next improvisation can lead you to - sometimes it results in the most unexpected rhythmic and melodic combinations which one can only image between the clarinet and the accordion.
Curdin JANETT: “At the background of our creative work lies Swiss pop music and national traditions. It is really exiting to be at this Festival, in this huge city of Moscow. The atmosphere here is just amazing. It is really interesting for us to play here. I play together with my brother. Domenic plays the clarinet and was even honored with the highest award in Swiss folk music. We gather a lot of different styles in our work and try to unite them, creating something absolutely new.”
The silk strings of gayageum, piercing sounds of the oboe piri, beats of the shaman’s drum janggo create a really magic atmosphere. The music of the HONA ensemble sounds as a soundtrack to a historical film devoted to ancient Korean rulers. Although the musicians create new compositions, it seems that the sweeping flow of time and modern trends do not affect the value of the ancient traditions. As if being hypnotized, we are transported hundreds of centuries back in time.
Jonghun JO: “We combine Korean, shaman and folk music. This Festival is a unique possibility for us to communicate with the performers from all over the world. One can get acquainted with absolutely different musical traditions. The unique feature of our ensemble is that we compose new musical pieces using ancient national instruments. We are fascinated by the idea of combining the old and the new. It gives us exclusivity and unique sensuality.”
When such high-scale events as Euroradio Folk Festival take place - events uniting such an impressive number of creative people, musicians and guests from all the world - our planet stops seeming so huge. It is because music is the language which allows to communicate and understand each other without any words.
