Sustained excellence from Le Mystere Des Voix Bulgares

When the Bulgarian choral ensemble known as Le Mystere Des Voix Bulgares burst into the musical consciousness of the Western world in the late ‘80s, the initial reaction was astonishment. How, audiences wondered, could this seemingly unassuming collection of female singers, garbed in traditional dress, produce such an incredible array of vocal sounds and harmonies.

Nearly two decades later, after frequent concert hall appearances, performances with pop artists, and a Grammy Award, a large measure of the astonishment remains. In the ensemble’s concert Wednesday at Disney Concert Hall, the Bulgarian women (and one man), conducted superbly by Dora Hristova, affirmed their position among the world’s most compelling and original musical aggregations.

Moving through a program of 20 works, some brief, some more extended, they displayed the gamut of their unique skills. Voices slid through glissandos, erupted in shouts and cries. Timbres, mostly driven from throat and head tones rather than the diaphragm, were shaped and molded into a stunning kaleidoscope of textures. Harmonies ranged from moving lines above a drone bottom to acerbic dissonances and occasional bursts of lush, six-part chording.

The pieces were sung in a variety of combinations, many by the full 24-voice ensemble, others by soloists as well as by combinations of two, three and four singers. In each case, the music -- traditional songs arranged to combine ancient Bulgarian vocal styles with contemporary harmonizations -- came stunningly alive. The excellence of the individual singers in the solo and small ensembles (none of whom were identified individually either by announcement or in the program) underscored the overall musical quality of this rare and special collection of artists.

Opening the performance, Brazilian singer Monica Salmaso was, in her own way, as wondrous as the Bulgarian choir. Blessed with a lustrous voice, a propulsive feel for rhythm and sophisticated musicality, she brought layers of subtle musical intensity to a program reaching from sambas and Brazilian pop songs to “Ave Maria No Morro” and Paul McCartney’s “Blackbird.”