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SING TILL THE SUN SETS
Folk Ensembles from Aginsk-Buryat Region of Siberia
Ensemble "Sakhor" (Flint) of Tsagaan-Chelutay village with members of Yara |
WHAT THE CRITICS SAY:
"The day will come, I'm convinced, when collections such as Sing Till the Sun Sets will
take their places as prized musical contributions to the human undertaking. The hottest of
today's "world music" stars will fade, and we will turn for renewed inspiration to the honest,
authentic sounds that have enriched lives since time immemorial. Such inspiration served as the
motive for Sing Till the Sun Sets, which arose when members of New York's La MaMa Experimental
Theatre sought to record folk songs from the eastern Siberian homeland of the Buryats. Though originally
nomads, today's homeland of the Aginsk-Buryats lies to the east of Lake Baikal, a remote region of
mountains and steppes. With thirty-two tracks, its important to recognize that many of these songs are
brief and reflect the ambiguity of field recordings and you often have to take what you get.
What you get is extraordinary. The song collectors were seeking traditional songs and legends
to be used for Flight of the White Bird, a performance that debuted in the region from which these
songs were gleaned in 1998 and then in New York (1999). Hence, from the region they sought out keepers of
the oral tradition, meeting storytellers, musicians, village folk-ensembles and shamans.
In these songs of horses, the land, love, swans, temples and even comic dialog, Sing Till the Sun Sets
offers an impressive glimpse across time through the recording magic of DAT, CDs and the world of digital technology."
-- Richard Dorsett, RootsWorld On-Line Magazine
"In 1997, five members of the New York experimental theatre company La MaMa traveled to
Ulan Ude. There they worked with Buryat actors to create a new theatre piece, and with their new
colleagues they traveled to an isolated region 500 miles away to collect the oral traditions of the region.
This CD is the result of that trip. The recordings are of three folk ensembles based
in the regional center of Aginskoye and the villages of Tokchin and Tsagan-Chelutay.
The recording quality is variable, reflecting being 'in the field." The CD offers much that
is unique. The knowledgeable listener will be able to discern similarities to the music of other
parts of Siberia, to Russia further west, and to China and Mongolia to the south. At the
same time, the CD demonstrates that Buryatia preserves a distinct culture, a culture that,
sadly, is hardly known in the West. In sum, then, the recordings are wonderful"
-- Keith Howard, School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London
Review for Musical Traditions, August 21, 2001
"This CD contains several recording of Siberian folk ensembles. Beautiful, pure music,
that is so rarely heard in the Western World."
-- Eelco Schilder, Folk World 12/2001
CD includes:
Ensemble "Sakhor" (Flint) of Tsagaan-Chelutay village
1.Erbed Sokhor (Star-marked Horse) (2:15) sung by Bazarzhapov Vladimir.
2. Moryne Solo (Praise to the Winning Horse) (0:48) sung by Bazarzhapov Vladimir.
3. Yoxor (1:32) sung by Sakhor folk ensemble. A series of traditional Buryat round dance songs
performed during rituals and holidays as sung in Tsagaan Cheutay village.
4. Suugel Dasanai Magtal (Song about a Buddhist Temple) (4:05) sung by Purbuyeva Dashima.
5. Khun Shubuun - Neryelge (Swans - Thunder Dance) (1:47) sung by Sakhor Folk Ensemble.
The swan is the totemic animal of the Khori Buryat clans. Thunder Dances are sung by the assistants during shaman rituals.
Are those swans flying high in the sky? I sing ho-hey
Do they gaze from above on our land? I sing ho-hey
Is that new way coming to our land? I sing ho-hey
Will this way bring good times to us all? I sing ho-hey *
6. Tukheren Shara Naran (The Yellow Round Sun) (1:36) sung by Bazarzhapov Balzhinima.
The yellow round sun will be with us forever, just as my father's clan will be with us forever.
7.Khuryakhen Duun (Song of the Brother-in-law) (1:55) sung by Shadabay Sanzhidma.
Song about a man who accidentally killed his brother-in-law during a hunt.
8. Uusyn Duun (Daughter-In-Law's Song) (2:36) sung by Purbuyeva Dashima. A wedding ritual song.
9. Zakhia Duun (Parental Advice) (1:49) sung by Gotopova Tsyregma.
10. Altargana (Sage) (0:34) sung by Bazarzhapova Darima.
Ensemble "Onon" from Tokchin village
In July 1997 five members of Yara Arts Group, a resident company at La MaMa Experimental Theatre in New York, traveled to Buryatia: Virlana Tkacz (director), Genji Ito (composer), Watoku Ueno (designer), Wanda Phipps (writer) and Tom Lee (actor). Together with three actors from the Buryat National Theatre: Erzhena Zhambalov, Sayan Zhambalov and Erdeny Zhaltsanov, they hoped to create a new music theatre piece based on traditional songs and legends. They traveled to the Aginsk-Buryat Region, a trip of 500 miles. Sayan Zhambalov, who was born and raised in the area, arranged for the group to meet and record the keepers of the oral tradition of the region: storytellers, musicians, village folk-ensembles and shamans. Included here are the songs of three folk ensembles: "Sakhor" (Flint) from the village of Tsagaan-Chelutay, "Tumen Zhargalan" (10,000 Years of Happiness) from the regional center of Aginskoye, and "Onon" from Tokchin village.
The traditional songs the group recorded became an integral part of their new theatre piece, Flight of the White Bird. The piece performed at the Buryat National Theatre in Ulan Ude in the summer of 1998, then on tour in all the villages of the Buryat Aginsk Region where the material was first recorded and premiered at La MaMa Experimental Theatre in New York in the spring of 1999. Yara would like to thank the people of Tsagaan Chelutay, Aginskoye and Tokchin for sharing their stories and songs.
YARA ARTS GROUP brings together drama, poetry, song, and movement to
create original theatre pieces. Yara began its collaboration with
Buryat artists in 1996 by presenting a joint work, Virtual Souls,
in New York, Ulan Ude and Kiev. In 1997 Yara artists traveled to
Siberia to collect folk material for a new piece, Flight of the White Bird,
which was presented in Ulan Ude and at La MaMa in New York.
recorded on location and mixed by Genji Ito, mastered by Slavko Halatyn of BeSharp,
edited by Sayan Zhambalov, notes by Sayan Zhambalov and Virlana Tkacz
photos by Watoku Ueno and Virlana Tkacz
To purchase CD: Make check out to: Yara Arts Group for $15 + $5 for postage
Send to: Yara Arts Group, 306 E 11th St. #3B, New York, NY 10003 USA
for more information on CD or Buryat artists write to us at yara@prodigy.net.
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