Music Reviews : Bulgarian Female Choir at Ambassador Auditorium

Even if the sound is labled as “mysterious,” there should be no mystery as to why the two recordings titled “Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares,” which feature the Bulgarian State Radio and Television Female Vocal Choir, have proved such a commercial success. Not, at any rate, to any member of the audience at Ambassador Auditorium Wednesday evening.

The choir’s singing is--to our Western ears--both refreshingly exotic and accessible. Exotic, because we are so unused to the sound--bright, intense and nasal and virtually without vibrato--that traditional Bulgarian singers produce. Exotic, too, because the dissonant harmonies and complex rhythms contrast so markedly from our preconceptions of folk music. And yet accessible, because the energetic vibrancy and polish with which the ensemble sings transcends any cultural barriers that may exist.

The repertory of this 38-year-old ensemble consists principally of modern arrangements of folk songs. These arrangements, however, do not smooth out the particularities of Bulgarian folk music, but embrace those characteristics wholeheartedly. Bulgarian music, for instance, regularly employs asymmetrical meters (7/16 time, for instance) and these women, conducted by Dora Hristova, are clearly at home with such meters.

But perhaps most fascinating are the harmonies: We hear seventh, ninth and eleventh chords and voices moving in parallel seconds, and the singers seem to have no more difficulty singing in tune that we would singing a C-major chord.

The program included songs from all of Bulgaria’s geographic regions. Songs of lament contrasted with humorous songs, and solos and small-ensemble selections added further variety. The 23 singers were dressed in brightly colored traditional costumes, to striking visual effect.

Four men, playing kaval (rim-blown flute), gaida (single-reed bagpipe), gadulka (vertically held fiddle) and tambura (lute) offered two sets of regional dances.

The encore proved an absolute delight: “O Susanna,” sung with a Bulgarian accent.