Music Bosnia

“When I wanted to exist, I couldn’t”. Mystical inscriptions on ancient Bosnian tombstones inspired this programme.

Myrna Herzog is a well-known figure in the Early Music world, internationally praised as a viola da gamba performer, conductor and researcher in the field of viols. Her ground-braking articles on the Quinton, the English Division Viol, Stradivari's viols and viols in general have appeared in important journals (such as Early Music and the Galpin Society Journal) and books (The Italian Viola da Gamba; Across Centuries and Cultures); she is a contributor to the New Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians. She studied cello with Iberê Gomes Grosso, viola da gamba with Judith Davidoff and Wieland Kuijken, and was mentored in conducting by Doron Salomon.

Many people have thought many things about Grand Funk Railroad, but chances are, no one ever thought they were politically conscious, despite songs like "People Let's Stop the War," "Save the Land," and "Freedom Is for Children." That's only one of the reasons why the double-disc Bosnia seems so odd: it's hard to believe that the band had even heard of Bosnia, much less care about what was happening there…

The Aero Saxophone Quartet brings its trademark versatility and variety to their debut album, which embraces music from Glazunov to John Coltrane. Praised by Augusta Read Thomas for their ‘nuanced, colourful, and artfully sculpted’ performances, the award-winning Aero Quartet was formed in 2020 and has quickly established a reputation for wide-ranging programmes. This album spans classical and jazz, profound and light-hearted. Alongside Glazunov’s richly innovative music, we hear the evocative Danzón No. 5 (Portales de Madrugada) by Mexican composer Arturo Márquez, the playful Wapango by Cuban-American legend Paquito D’Rivera, and Ed Calle’s sultry Iberia Suite. There are thought-provoking works from Carlos Simon, whose Elegy (A Cry from the Grave) pays powerful tribute to Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner and Michael Brown, and from Guillermo Lago, whose Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) is dedicated to his many friends there. The release culminates in Coltrane’s Dear Lord, a mellow yet joyful affirmation of life.

Goran Bregovic - Three Letters From Sarajevo (2017) {Universal Music 578 2234}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 260 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 94 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 96 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2017 Tetak / Mercury / Universal Music | 578 2234
World Music / Balkan Music / Gypsy Music

Goran Bregović has done it all. A rock star in the former Yugoslavia, he went on write film scores and ride the fashion for brassy Balkan Gypsy music, selling over 6m albums and collaborating with everyone from Iggy Pop to the Gipsy Kings. Now he celebrates the history of his birthplace Sarajevo, a meeting place for Christians, Muslims and Jews before the Balkan war, with a wildly varied set. There are instrumental pieces honouring the three religions, each dominated by a different violinist, and including powerful atmospheric work from Tunisia’s Zied Zouari. They would work well as a documentary soundtrack. And then there are songs, many of which develop into a brassy knees-up. The cast includes the cool and dramatic Spanish singer Bebe, the Israeli folk-rocker Asaf Avidan, and – best of all – the exuberant Algerian rai-punk rocker Rachid Taha. Patchy, maybe, but often enormous fun.