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John Peel Wiki
in: Artists, Featured Articles, Compilations

Le Mystère Des Voix Bulgares

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The Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir is an internationally renowned world music ensemble that performs modern arrangements of traditional Bulgarian folk melodies. It is most recognized for its contribution to Marcel Cellier's Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares (The Mystery Of The Bulgarian Voices) project. First created in 1952 as the Ensemble for Folk Songs of the Bulgarian Radio by Georgi Boyadjiev, the choir is now under the direction of Dora Hristova. The choir was granted the name Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares by Marcel Cellier in 1997, in recognition of the fact that it had contributed most of the songs on the original compilations.

In 1951 Filip Kutev and Maria Kuteva founded the first professional national folk music ensemble in Bulgaria, the State Ensemble for Folk Song and Dance, now known as the Filip Kutev Ensemble. The State Television Choir followed in 1952. Though the latter choir became widely known when the trend-setting English alternative record label 4AD reissued a pair of anthology albums in 1986 and 1988 with the now famous title Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares, their recordings date as far back as 1957. The first pressing of the Voix Bulgares album was the result of fifteen years of work by Swiss ethnomusicologist and producer Marcel Cellier and was originally released in 1975 on his small Discs Cellier label.

Ivo Watts-Russell, the founder of the 4AD Records label, was introduced to the choir from a third or fourth generation audio cassette lent to him by Peter Murphy, singer from the band Bauhaus. He became thoroughly entranced by the music, and tracked down and licensed the recordings from Cellier. They were one of four choirs who appeared on the album Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares, Volume Two, This album won Cellier a Grammy Award in 1989. The group has since performed extensively around the world to wide acclaim.

Links to Peel[]

Peel obtained a copy of the choir's single in the middle of 1986 via the 4AD label and was puzzled by what the ensemble were singing about. Later on he got their self titled album, which provided translations of the song lyrics, and would often play their music in the late 80's.

This wasn't the first time Peel had heard of Bulgarian folk music, which became known in pop and folk circles after Elektra's subsidiary label Nonesuch released a number of albums of folk music from the country in the 1960s, including one by Filip Kutev's Ensemble Of The Bulgarian Republic[1], which became a favourite of musicians suxh as Paul Simon and Graham Nash. This inspired the label to release a couple of albums of rural music recorded on location in Bulgaria[2]. Peel had a copy of one of these LPs and played tracks from it on his 13 August 1986 and 19 August 1986 shows. However, the Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares releases led him to play other Bulgarian folk music such as the Trio Bulgarka and other musicians associated with the scene.

In 1991 Peel visited Bulgaria but didn't buy any Bulgarian records from there. However, after that, he rarely played much of Bulgarian folk music and moved onto other interests.

Releases under the 'Le Mystère Des Voix Bulgares' banner were listed as v/a compilations in the UK indie charts, [3] but Discogs credits them to the artist (choir) of the same name.[4] The current 4AD website lists them as by the "Bulgarian State Radio & Television Female Vocal Choir"[5], although this name was not used on the label's first releases of the albums in the 1980s.[6] [7]

Shows Played[]

Pritouritze_Planinata_(Chant_From_The_Thracian_Plain)_With_Orchestra

Pritouritze Planinata (Chant From The Thracian Plain) With Orchestra

Le Mystère Des Voix Bulgares
State Ensemble For Traditional Songs And Dances
  • 01 December 1987: Nat Pat Hodam, Na Pat Pracham (I Make Clouds Of Dust With My Feet) (LP - Rodopska Devoika) Harmonia Mundi
  • 24 February 1988: Nat Pat Hodam, Na Pat Pracham (I Make Clouds Of Dust With My Feet) (LP - Rodopska Devoika) Harmonia Mundi

See Also[]

External Links[]

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