Now
available from BMA Productions - 2 CDs and matching DVDs !
Macedonian
Folk
Dances
with
Pece Atanasovski - •
Vol. 1
&
2
Pece
Atanasovski (1927-1996) was
considered one of the leading exponents of Macedonian music and
dance. Born in the village of Dolneni near Prilep, he began to play
traditional folk music instruments as a child and was also active as
a dancer in various amateur groups in Skopje. In 1950, he joined the
famous Tanec State Folk Ensemble as a dancer and
gajda player travelling throughout the world. From 1960 until
his death, he directed the orchestra for folk instruments at
Radio-Televizija Skopje as well as his own orchestra. Working closely
with ethnomusicologist Prof. Zhivko Firfov, he established a standard
for the Macedonian izvorno (traditional instruments)
sound which became a trademark of radio programs and recordings both
as instrumental pieces and as back-up for famous folk singers. Pece
also discovered and introduced many village singers to the airwaves
and records (Kumanovsko Trio, Trio Kuckovski, Kvintet Temjanuski,
Bapcorki, etc.), In 1970, Pece established the annual Summer
Seminar for Macedonian folk dances and folklore in Otesevo on Lake
Prespa which was attended by many folklore enthusiasts from North
America, Western Europe and Japan. Pece was the Artistic Director of
the Makedonija Folk Ensemble and guest choreographer for many
groups in Macedonia and abroad. In 1972, he toured North America for
the first time and many of his original dances became classics in the
international recreational repertoire: Ovcepolsko, Ovcepolska
Potrculka, Zensko Berance, Maskoto, Odeno Oro, etc. His material
has also been taught regularly to recreational folkdancers by such
teachers as Bob Leibman, Steve Kotansky, Michael Ginsburg, Larry
Weiner and Paul Mulders.
The 47 musical selections found on these 2 CDs are original master recordings which were released in Germany in 2003 by Verlag Happ. Yves Moreau and BMA Productions (Canada) have obtained special permission from Verlag Hepp to press these CDs in Canada for distribution and sale in North America. The recordings feature the Pece Atanasovski Orchestra with Pece on gajda and his fantastic musicians accompanying him with many solos on kaval, tambura. There are also several tracks with zurla and tapan, calgija orchestra, clarinet and accordion and Aegean Macedonian brass band. The technical quality is excellent both for dancing and listening !
Click on titles in red (below) for short MP3 sound sampler