1. Di chi è questa ragazza?

Whose girl is this? Arrangement of the Bulgarian folk song “Chie e tova momiche? Чие е това момиче?” – in its original version for voices and instruments – by Georgi Seymenski permormed by Nubras Ensemble. The song captures the essence of young women’s lives from that era. A condition of subordination not far removed, in reality, from what many women still experience today. Whose is that girl walking on the ridge? Wearing a gray apron, she tends to a gray flock. I want her, mother, to marry.

2. Se giri l’angolo, c’è un giardino di fiori

If you turn the corner, there’s a garden of flowers. Arrangement by Georgi Seymenski and Nubras Ensemble of the original song Kanya se, Kune mome – The lamenting girl by Daniel Spassov, a Bulgarian singer and composer, released in the album Here Comes the Brass Band in 2001. In its original version, the song is sung by Daniel Spassov, accompanied by a brass orchestra.

3. Krivo Pazardjishko

The original composition by Borislav Galabov performed by Nubras with Kiril Belezhkov on kaval. The term Krivo refers to a traditional musical style often associated with a horo, a dance. Pazardzhik is a city located in the central part of the country, on the banks of the Maritsa River.

4. Nubras Tropanka

Nubras Tropanka – Нубрас Тропанка – is an arrangement of a traditional dance from the Dobrudzha region in northeastern Bulgaria. Originally a male dance, it is performed in an arched formation, moving hand in hand to a two-quarter rhythm. Thanks to the fantastic slovenian violinists Barja Drnovšek and Bojan Cvetrežnik to introduce us this tune.

5. Una danza della provincia di Kardzhali

A dance from the province of Kardzhali is an arrangement by Nubras Ensemble with Kiril Belezhkov on kaval and Borislav Galabov on gadulka and tapan of Kardzhaliiska râchenitsa, a traditional piece performed, in its most well-known version, by the Trakia Orchestra under the direction of Dimitar Trifonov.

6. Suite di Pirin

Suit from Pirin is an original composition by Kiril Belezhkov performed by Nubras Ensemble with Kiril Belezhkov on kaval and Borislav Galabov on tapan. “I began composing the piece in 2022, a few months before receiving an invitation to lead the woodwind instruments class at the Balkan Music Masterclass organized by Nicolas Hauzer in Chiprovtsi, a small village in northwest Bulgaria. I then completed the Suite with the musicians and orchestra I would soon be directing in mind.”

7. Una Pizzica in Bulgaria

A Pizzica in Bulgaria is a dialogue between the Bulgarian song dedicated to the young Rada and the Pizzica of San Marzano, from south of Italy (Puglia). The piece was arranged (and then recorded) by Nubras Ensemble, Kiril Belezhkov, Borislav Galabov and Diyana Vasileva in the kitchen of Borsilav and Didi’s house near Sofia.

Oĭdoya, poydoya u livade Rada zavedoya. Every morning, when the sun rises, Rada starts singing, and when everyone hears her, they smile. Slaveyat nadpyava moma Rada pesen zavyava. The nightingale sings, and young Rada keeps singing. The young ones watch her, and Rada’s heart starts to dance. On the other side of the Adriatic, Maria is bitten by the spider (the tarantula). Addo t’ha pizzicato Maria mia? Nu te lu dicu no, marito mia. E dimmi lu vilenu ddo ti le misa. Sutta lu giru giru di la camisa. Addo t’ha pizzicato nu te lu ticu no. Abbiam propria bisognu de nu maritu. Addo t’ha pizzicata la taranta? Sutta lu giru giru di la mutanda.

The tracks were recorded by Todor Chorbov in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, in November 2023.

The editing and mastering of the songs were taken care of by Matteo Vagnarelli and his Ultrasuoni Servizi Musicali.

The artwork was created by artist Guendalina Salini with graphic support from the amazing illustrator Federica Di Carlo.

Special thanks to the Culture Moves Europe program of the European Union for contributing to the realization of this album by supporting Nubras’ journey to Bulgaria.

Thanks also to Nicolas Hauzeur, who took us to Chiprovtsi, a small village in northwest Bulgaria, and introduced us to these incredible musicians. Thanks to slovenian violinists Barja Drnovšek and Bojan Cvetrežnik and to all musicians who are working with great seriousness to study, teach, and transform through their history and sensitivity the enormous wealth of traditional musical languages, often considered of lesser importance compared to ‘classical’ Western music.

Thanks to all our families and friends that suported us in this journey.