17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My Deserted Island Music, October 18, 2000
This review is from: Complete Box Set (Audio CD)
These ladies sing universes. Incredible, strange, dissonant, unbelievable harmones that make me gasp and cry.
Someone said that any art that moves the spectator must harness the concept of contrast. This amazing music covers the whole audible spectrum: from massive wave interference to sweet, delicate consonance; from bold, unfaltering vibrato-less pitches to subtle, gentle wavering over a note; from frolicking and fun to mournful and intensely moving.
In short, this music is some of the most unusual, extraordinary, elegant, expressive sound I have ever heard, and it is THE piece of music I would take with me to a deserted island if I could take only one. I would recommend this to anyone who is willing to listen attentively. It is almost impossible that one would do so and NOT be moved.
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24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
consider the source..., July 10, 2002
This review is from: Complete Box Set (Audio CD)
I won't repeat any comments... these women have done a marvelous job fleshing out traditional songs and bringing them to a new audience. But those who are interested in the choir's dissonance, passion and ethereal tone should check out the more authentic music they pull from, even though it is not as polished and may not have as wide an appeal. When I was ten I heard the Byrd's shimmery version of Mr. Tambourine Man. When I was 16 I heard Bob Dylan's original six-string wheezing operetta and thought it was a horrific joke. Of course, now that's the version I prefer. *Both* have their place. A few Dylans available on Amazon (do a search): Bistritsa Grannies, Bulgaria: Traditional Singing (on the Ocora label. they put out several field recordings), the "Song of the Crooked Dance" compilation. Not on Amazon yet (but not hard to find): renowned ethnomusicologist Yves Moreau's Beyond the Mystery three-disc set (what do you think the title refers to?). The best collection of field recordings I have heard. Other choirs you might want to try (available on Amazon) are Bulgaria's Pirin Folk Ensemble (name varies) or Georgia's Rustavi Choir, though (as one reviewer says), they ain't the "male version of Le Mystere." Listen well before you buy.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
The first disc was a knockout, but the box set shows ever-declining quality, September 21, 2007
This review is from: Complete Box Set (Audio CD)
Over a 15-year period the French record producer Marcel Cellier recorded obscure state vocal ensembles in the then-Communist republic of Bulgaria. When he finally released these recordings in the West, the resulting first album
Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares was an explosive suprise for music lovers. It had thirteen songs performed by the Bulgarian State Television Female vocal choir, the disc displayed a highly exotic method of singing where each singer has limited vocal range but piercing projection and resonance, and polyphony using intervals never heard in traditional Western art music.
One thing should be said from the start: none of it was authentic Bulgarian folk music, but rather sophisticated arrangements made by composers during the Communist era. Many of the lyrics here are from old folk songs, and the method of singing each singer displays is truly old, but you're crazy if you think any folk music has four-part counterpoint. Still, folk cultures are dying across Europe, and these arrangements are becoming all we have left of a precious tradition snuffed out by Western common-practice tonality. Plus, the songs represented the features of many regions of Bulgaria, from the Thracian plains to the idiosyncratic humour of Shopsko.
That first disc is highly recommended if you keep an eclectic collection of music, and it's historically important for starting a World music craze among English and American listeners.
With volume 2, more material collected by Cellier was released in the West, but was rather less satisfying. And then, with volume 3, things got just plain awful: on RITUAL the warm sound of the first two discs is replaced by hollow pop sheen. furthermore, instead of going towards more authentic Bulgarian material, RITUAL offers the ensembles singing a few Spanish-language songs, which is just World music crossover gimmickry.
I find very little reason to recommend the box set, when it's only the first disc that's essential.
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