National Gepgrapher

Since 2004 alone, some 12 new member states have joined the European Union within the enlargement process. Along with the new territory, the EU has also integrated the history, culture and tradition of each of these countries. A national anthem often reflects one of the most significant chapters in a country’s history and in some cases it refers to the very beginnings of its existence. This new recording of the national anthems of all current EU member states affords the listener the possibility of discovering the diversity concealed beneath the unifying blue flag. Besides possible use on international occasions and during state celebrations, our CD also provides an excursion into the history and traditions of each of the EU countries.

In Bulgaria, both folk and art music evince an ancient tradition that strikes awe even in some of the great music nations today. The way Pancho Vladigerov incorporated these folk-music themes into his concert pieces shows not only his affinity for them but also suggests that he felt something of a calling to promulgate and champion the folk-traditions of his central European homeland. The most-performed work of Pancho Vladigerov’s is undoubtedly his Bulgarian Rhapsody op.16 “Vardar” from 1922. The most outstanding must be his Seven Symphonic Bulgarian Dances op.23 (1931), with which he might have wanted to create a counterpart to Brahms’ Hungarian Dances, Dvorák’s Slavonic Dances, or Grieg’s Norwegian Dances or similar such popular aural nationalistic postcards.