Dragana I Slaveja - Virtual Balkan Community Choir
ZADO Eastern European Vocal Ensemble & KITKA Women's Vocal Ensemble co-present:
“Dragana I Slaveja”
Performed by International Virtual Balkan Community Choir Project
Directed by Tzvetanka Varimezova
Dragana I Slaveja was composed by Philip Koutev, one of the most famous and strikingly original Bulgarian composers and musical arrangers of the 20th century. He pioneered a new Bulgarian choral tradition by fusing traditional folk song elements with western classical forms and harmonies, creating original pieces that have become popular worldwide.
DRAGANA I SLAVEJA (Dragana and the Nightingale)
Dragana sits in the garden,
In the garden under a white rose bush
She embroiders, she sings a song.
Above her a nightingale speaks:
“Let’s have a singing contest.
If you outsing me,
You will cut off my wings.
If I outsing you,
I will cut off your hair.”
Dragana outsang the nightingale.
The nightingale sadly pleaded with her,
“Cut off my legs
But don’t cut my wings.
I’ve hatched little chicks.”
“Dear little nightingale, little bird,
I don’t want to cut anything.
For me, it is enough of an honor that
I outsang the nightingale.”
Our virtual choir is honored to sing this great composition as part of our 2020-21 “Artistry of Balkan Singing” project, supported in part by funds from the California Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, and donations. We were led by teacher, choral director, and master vocalist, Tzvetanka Varimezova, who is loved throughout the world for her clear, brilliant soprano voice. We dedicate this recording to the memory of Philip Koutev, to his family, and to the ensemble that bears his name. We are grateful to the Koutev family for allowing us to publish this recording and to California visual artist, Biljana Stremska, for permission to feature her beautiful painting at the beginning.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Video editing by John Nilsen, John Nilsen Studios.
Audio mixing and mastering by Craig Long, Paradise Studios, and Jan Volkoff.
Project direction by Jan Volkoff, Tzvetanka Varimezova, Michele Simon, and Shira Cion, with special thanks to Zado and Kitka members.
ARTWORK CREDITS:
Dragana I Slaveja – Mome Dragano Watercolor Painting
From “Paintings of Bulgarian Folk Songs” collection
By permission from artist Biljana Stremska
COMPOSITION/PUBLISHER CREDITS:
“Dragani I Slavei”
Written by Filipe Tenev Koutev and Mariyka Vassileva Kouteva
Carthage Music Ltd. / CTM Publishing BV
By arrangement with Concord
Please help to support Zado’s and Kitka’s work sharing the beauty, complexity, styles, and artistry of Balkan music and cultivating community and cross-cultural understanding through song:
Zado Eastern European Vocal Ensemble
https://www.zadosings.org
Kitka Women’s Vocal Ensemble
https://www.kitka.org
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