The magic of Bulgaria’s folklore has been captivating Bulgarians and foreign nationals for centuries. It is part of Bulgaria’s image abroad and motifs of different songs are used by many world musicians in their pieces. Thus, the Bulgarian folklore is experiencing a renaissance and becomes recognizable by a larger audience, which includes many young people. They started to search information about music, discover constantly new bands and visit their concerts. They find a completely new world filled with traditions and natural beauty.

Since the beginning of September this year eight Bulgarian students and a pupil have been glorifying their country at the World Music Platform for Artists, Labels, Event Organizers, Media, Industry Professionals and Music Fans EthnoCloud with their interpretations of two folklore songs- Chichovite Konye and Kalino, Kalinche. The pieces occupy EthnoCloud’s top 40. On this occasion Radio Bulgaria talks with Bulgarian kaval (shepherd’s flute) player Vladimir Velichkov who tells us details about Jarava (Ember) student music formation:

“Jarava (Ember) is a student music formation at the Paisii Hilendarski University of Plovdiv. The idea about that formation arose during the working process at the university, because many of the students wanted to make music interpretations of Bulgarian folklore and present it in a contemporary and accessible to all young people manner. My students studying kaval and the female singers who deal with folklore music volunteered to make a contemporary version of some Bulgarian folk songs. I started to work with my students and showed them some non-traditional nuances and conceptions about kaval playing. One of my students is very skillful piano player and I showed him some motifs of funk and fusion and he is doing accompaniments with those motifs now. We had one singer at the beginning. But then another one came and we gradually established the formation that sings Chichovite Konye.”

The music formation received a series of invitations to attend various festivals and concerts worldwide. It will participate at the international student jazz festival in St. Petersburg in June 2018. In July next year the formation is to hold a concert in Nashville (Tennessee, USA). It also received an invitation from the Vatican. In Bulgaria Jarava formation will have two concerts-during the opening of the new academic year at the Paisii Hilendarski University of Plovdiv on September 29 and in Kolodruma hall on October 10 again in Bulgaria’s city of

Plovdiv. In other words, this is a huge achievement for a formation established in November 2016.

Apart from the two folklore songs there is also an interesting composition by Vladimir Velichkov at the EthnoCloud. It is named Anonim. Radio Bulgaria’s music editor Albena Bezovska came up with the idea about the name of that piece. The Bulgarian musician uses in that piece an ecclesiastical chant of the 13th century without an author. Vladimir discovered the enthralling sound of the shepherd’s flute when he was only six years old. He graduated the Panayot Pipkov National School of Arts and later graduated the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv. His desire to experiment with music came when he heard performances of Bulgarian virtuosos Petar Ralchev and Ivo Papazov-Ibryama. Vladimir Velichkov is also a member of Kanarite Orchestra.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov