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МАКЕДОНИСИМО MAKEDONISSIMO by Pande Shahov in collaboration with Simon Trpčeski

SIMON TRPČESKI & FRIENDS SIMON TRPČESKI HIDAN MAMUDOV ALEKSANDAR KRAPOVSKI ALEXANDER SOMOV VLATKO NUSHEV 1

Credits Tracklist About Makedonissimo Composer Notes Biographies

МАКЕДОНИСИМО MAKEDONISSIMO by Pande Shahov in collaboration with Simon Trpčeski

SIMON TRPČESKI & FRIENDS SIMON TRPČESKI HIDAN MAMUDOV ALEKSANDAR KRAPOVSKI ALEXANDER SOMOV VLATKO NUSHEV

Executive Producer Simon Trpčeski

Recording Producer Jeremy Hayes

Design stoempstudio.com

Recording Engineer Benjamin Connellan Recorded in Potton Hall, Dunwich, Suffolk, UK, on 27–29 January 2018

Piano Steinway & Sons Model D 587462

Cover Image Photo © KulturOp / Slavčo Spirovski 3

SIMON TRPČESKI & FRIENDS

СИМОН ТРПЧЕСКИ И ПРИЈАТЕЛИТЕ

83:28 MAKEDONISSIMO

МАКЕДОНИСИМО

Transcriptions of Macedonian traditional music by Pande Shahov in collaboration with Simon Trpčeski

Транскрипции на македонска традиционална музика од Панде Шахов во соработка со Симон Трпчески

Pande Shahov (b. 1973)

Панде Шахов (p. 1973)

Pletenki ‘Plaits’

Плетенки

Plait 1

Плетенка 1

—

Pembe 4:08

Пембе

—

Buvčansko 1:23

Бувчанско

—

Berovka 1:32

Беровка

—

Maleševka 4:01

Малешевка

—

Crnogorka 1:39

Црногорка

Plait 2

Плетенка 2

Čije je ona devojče 4:28

Чије је она девојче

(dedicated to Simon Trpčeski’s

(посветено на мајката и

mother and father)

таткото од Симон Трпчески)

—

Ibrahim odža 2:33

Ибрахим оџа

—

Beranče 3:17

Беранче

Plait 3

Плетенка 3

—

Filka, moma 3:44

Филка мома

—

Sitna lisa 2:02

Ситна лиса

—

Staro Čunovo 6:37

Старо Чуново

—

Ratevka 3:38

Ратевка

—

Dračevka 1:42

Драчевка

Plait 4

Плетенка 4

Ne si go prodavaj,

Не си го продавај,

Koljo, čiflikot 5:45

Кољо, чифликот

—

Žetvarki 3:10

Жетварки

—

Čučuk 3:53

Чучук

—

Plait 5

Плетенка 5

—

Veligdensko 4:28

Велигденско

—

Piperkovo 3:23

Пиперково

—

Pomniš li libe, Todoro 2:55

Помниш ли либе, Тодоро

Janino 4:51

Јанино

Plait 6

Плетенка 6

20 —

—

Metovo 5:22

Метово

—

Pelistersko 3:19

Пелистерско

—

Postupano 5:38

Поступано

MAKEDONISSIMO QUINTET

МАКЕДОНИСИМО КВИНТЕТ

СИМОН ТРПЧЕСКИ пијано

HIDAN MAMUDOV clarinet, saxophone, kaval ALEKSANDAR KRAPOVSKI violin ALEXANDER SOMOV cello VLATKO NUSHEV percussion

ХИДАН МАМУДОВ кларинет, саксофон, кавал АЛЕКСАНДАР КРАПОВСКИ виолина АЛЕКСАНДЕР СОМОВ виолончело ВЛАТКО НУШЕВ удиралки

We dedicate this project to the

Овој проект му го посветуваме на

Macedonian people!

македонскиот народ!

SIMON TRPČESKI piano

Simon Trpčeski – about MAKEDONISSIMO 2017 was marked by the start of my latest project, which I called ‘MAKEDONISSIMO’, meaning ‘very Macedonian’, dedicated to my Macedonian people. It is a project of Macedonian music which I have been looking forward to and have worked on this project in my head for a long time. The indescribable power of the ‘beat’ of our music is part of my everyday life and brings with it many memories, starting from my childhood with my parents, my brother, my sister and my grandparents. Family gatherings were full of joy and happiness, today I pass on this timeless tradition to my children. I have never had the opportunity to make this recording a reality, so I’m overjoyed that it has finally happened. This project had its world premiere on 18 May 2017, at Ludwigsburg Festival, Germany, which at the same time marked the 10th anniversary of my successful cooperation with KulturOp – Association for Culture and Art, a group of music enthusiasts from various professions. I previously opened the Ludwigsburg Festival in 2016, together with the Finnish conductor Pietari Inkinen. The audience was thrilled and after the festival’s very spontaneous invitation for me to come back again I suggested I return with Makedonissimo, which they welcomed. I was very grateful for that.

This project includes plaits of Macedonian dances with several songs bringing charm to the entire instrumental dimension of this project. I personally selected these Plaits, while consulting with professionals from the ‘Marko Cepenkov’ Institute of Folklore and the Ensemble for folk dances and songs ‘Tanec’. I am sincerely grateful for their professional contribution, advice, information and materials. This project also represented another extraordinary opportunity to collaborate with Macedonian composer Pande Shahov. He transcribed these wonderful musical works and brought with him his great enthusiasm to this huge project of 80 minutes of music. The project involves a quintet, a chamber view of our music, that includes piano, violin, cello, clarinet, saxophone, kaval, and a set of percussions. It has been successfully presented in several countries, including France, Germany, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, and South Korea where it was broadcast live on YouTube. I am thrilled about our collaboration with Linn Records and the release of this recording which I sincerely hope will bring warmth and joy to audiences all over the world. I am grateful to my management KD SCHMID, CM Artists and MKI Artists for the special support and respect for my ideas and my Macedonian music! 8

I would like to dedicate this recording to my father Gjorgjija Trpčeski and my mother Netka Trpčeska, my brother Jovan and my sister Božana, my children Lara, Stefan, Andrej and my wife Daniela, my grandparents and my whole family, who were hugely important to me and to my love of music. They have supported the realization of my long-standing desire to create this project with Macedonian music and this album called MAKEDONISSIMO! From the heart, Simon Sincere gratitude to my colleagues of Makedonissimo. As the leader of this project, I would like to thank Pande Shahov, Hidan Mamudov, Aleksandar Krapovski, Alexander Somov and Vlatko Nushev, as well as their families for this extraordinary musical marathon, positive energy and honest companionship! Special thanks to the great admirers of true arts: * KulturOp – Skopje, Makedonija / Aleksandar Marković, Toni Cifrovski, Slavčo Spirovski, Božana Trpčeska, Jovan Trpčeski, Petar Krajinović * Institute of Folklore ‘Marko Cepenkov’ – Skopje, Macedonia * Tanec – National Ensemble of dances and songs of Macedonia * Kompas Holidays – Skopje, Macedonia * Devol Marketing – Skopje, Macedonia * Mrs. Vida Milovanović * Mr. Graham Peter and Mrs. Ingrid Peter

Овој компакт диск би сакал да го посветам на мојот татко

Ѓорѓија Трпчески и мојата мајка Нетка Трпческа, мојот брат Јован и мојата сестра Божана, моите деца Лара, Стефан, Андреј и мојата сопруга Даниела, моите баби и дедовци и на целото мое семејство / фамилија, кои имаат огромно значење за мојата љубов кон музиката и за реализацијата на мојата долгогодишна желба да биде создаден овој проект со македонска музика и овој албум наречен МАКЕДОНИСИМО! Од срце, Симон Искрена благодарност до моите колеги од МАКЕДОНИСИМО. Како лидер на овој проект, би сакал да се заблагодарам на моите колеги, Панде Шахов, Хидан Мамудов, Александар Краповски, Александар Сомов и Влатко Нушев, како и на нивните семејства, за несекојдневниот музички маратон, позитивната енергија и искрената дружба! Посебна благодарност до големите почитувачи на вистинските уметности: * КултурОп – Скопје, Македонија / Александар Марковиќ, Тони Цифровски, Славчо Спировски, Божана Трпческа, Јован Трпчески, Петар Крајиновиќ * Институт за фолклор „Марко Цепенков“ – Скопје, Македонија * „Танец“ – Ансамбл за народни игри и песни на Македонија * Компас Холидејс – Скопје, Македонија * Девол Маркетинг – Скопје, Македонија * Г-ѓа Вида Миловановиќ * Г-дин Грахам Петер и Г-ѓа Ингрид Петер

MAKEDONISSIMO

Composer Notes

Macedonian folk music is appreciated by ethnomusicologists and audiences around the world. For a relatively small geographic region, Macedonia has produced an outstanding wealth of songs and dances, characterized by intricate rhythmic patterns as well as a diversity of melodic and choreographic features. Such richness of expression and variety of gestures might have been forged by the political and social environment, often set out by conquerors with an assimilation agenda. Indeed, in absence of opportunities for social and cultural development, the people in these regions expressed themselves through poetry, song and dance, realizing that these forms of expression were the only way of preserving their identity and culture. For centuries, nobody recorded Macedoniaâ€™s vast folk output in written form. At the beginning of the twentieth century, several enthusiasts from the region developed a passion for this, at that time, undiscovered musical and choreographic treasure. These pioneers were especially interested in the oro, a traditional circle dance genre. One of the most famous oro dances, TeĹĄkoto, best translated as The heavy oro, was performed at folk music festivals in western Europe between the two World Wars. With the establishment of the Tanec Ensemble in 1949, and the Macedonian Institute for Folklore

shortly afterwards, a more organized approach gathered momentum, enabling scholars and enthusiasts to initiate the process of recording and analysis of the vast amount of material. The most significant characteristic of the Macedonian folk idiom is the irregular (additive) rhythm. Although similar patterns are also present in other musical traditions of the Balkans, they have an especially authentic resonance in the Macedonian folk music. This might be due to the speech rhythm of the Macedonian language, where the length of all syllables is equal, regardless of the number of syllables in the word. Whilst in many other languages a word with three syllables is usually compressed in the space used for two syllables (resulting in a triplet), in Macedonian extra time is added at the end. The idea for this album comes from Simon TrpÄ?eski; his passion for folk tradition has been a real driving force throughout the development of the project. A medley of folk dances or songs is called splet (knitwork); I prefer to translate it as plait, and I decided to use Pletenki (Plaits) as the title for the whole cycle presented here. The six movements of the cycle are arranged according to a metric pattern. Plait 1 is the only movement in regular 42 metre. Pembe is a cheeky, relaxed dance, probably from Skopje or Veles, and is still very popular at celebrations. The modal character of the harmonic language and some oriental influences create an interesting combination. BuvÄ?ansko is thought to originate from the village of Buf, near Lerin. 12

Berovka and Maleševka are well-known oro dances from the Maleševija region. The movement ends with the second theme of the popular Crnogorka dance, from Skopska Crna Gora (Skopje Black Forest). Plait 2 is based on songs and dances in (always in irregular combination). It opens with the extraordinary timbre of the kaval (an endblown flute, found in the Balkans and parts of Asia), in a song that Simon Trpčeski remembers from his childhood: Čije je ona devojče (Whose is that girl) is a delicate, lyrical song, noted down by one of the first Macedonian melographers, Vasil Hadžimanov. Many versions of Ibrahim odža exist, both as a song and a dance; it is popular in the neighbouring countries as well. Beranče, usually danced by men only, is from the village of Ber, near Lerin. One of the themes of Ibrahim odža concludes this movement; it features the characteristic gipsy scale and a heavy, poignant atmosphere, before accelerating towards the end. Plait 3 focuses on songs and dances in , one of the most common metre in Macedonian folk music. The initial song is Filka, moma (The girl Filka) from the town of Kukuš. It is followed by Sitna lisa, from Skopska Crna Gora, which introduces the mixolydian mode and features an unusual change of the order of rhythmic groups within the bar halfway through the phrase. Staro Čunovo (Čun’s old dance), also known as Nevestinsko (Bride’s oro), forms the core of this movement. This transcription is another tribute to Tale Ognenovski, who mastered the authentic sound of the čalgii ensemble tradition, characteristic of the musical life of larger towns. Ratevka is another gem from the Maleševija 13

region (the village of Ratevo), and my tribute to the flautist Ivan Terziev. Dračevka originates from the village of Dračevo near Skopje. Plait 4 is in 98 metre and starts with one of the most cherished Macedonian songs of all times, Ne si go prodavaj, Koljo, čiflikot (Koljo, don’t sell your estate), in which the singer warns her beloved to stop his reckless lifestyle. She beseeches him not to sell his land, as then her mum would not give permission to marry him. Two dances follow: Žetvarki (Harvest dances), based on choreographic traditions from the Kočani region, and Čučuk, from Skopska Crna Gora; the former is melancholic, and the latter optimistic and vigorous. Plait 5 explores two of the most unusual metres: 188 and 228 . In spite of the length of the patterns, the music flows naturally, without awkward accents and a sense of irregularity. Veligdensko (Easter oro) is based on the song Kinisalo maloj mome (Young girl has departed) from the Tikveš region. Piperkovo (Peppers oro) is one of the most popular dances by the virtuoso clarinettist Tale Ognenovski. The song Pomniš li libe, Todoro (Do you remember, my sweetheart, Todora) evokes somewhat nostalgic feelings, as the singer asks his beloved Todora whether she remembers the times when the pair were young and in love. The final Janino (Jana’s oro) is usually played on kaval or gajda (bagpipes). This transcription is a tribute to the legendary gajda master Pece Atanasovski.

Plait 6 features three dances in 138 . Metovo (Meto’s oro) is followed by two widely known oro dances: Pelistersko by Tale Ognenovski (Pelister is the highest peak of Baba Mountain, situated between Prespa Lake and the city of Bitola) and Postupano, a vigorous dance from the Skopje region, providing opportunities for an energetic ending. This project, while aiming at discovering the Macedonian musical tradition, is not approaching the songs and dances in a scholarly fashion. As a composer, I wanted to connect the original material with my own sound world, which is equally influenced by impressionist attitude to resonance and jazz harmony. Therefore, the final result is neither authentic in an ethnomusicological term, nor is it a stylistic composition exercise. It represents only one approach to transcription of the originals, and a very personal one. I would like to invite the audience to explore this music further, starting with the aforementioned masters; their craft is more authentic and well worth discovering. We would like to thank the Institute for Folklore and the Tanec Ensemble for sharing their resources and invaluable expertise. My special thanks go to Vlatko Nushev, who played an important role in shaping the final score, especially the percussion parts.

MAKEDONISSIMO QUINTET

Formed by the acclaimed pianist Simon Trpčeski, the MAKEDONISSIMO QUINTET also includes Hidan Mamudov (clarinet, alto saxophone and kaval), Aleksandar Krapovski (violin), Alexander Somov (cello) and Vlatko Nushev (percussion). Its first concert prompted glowing reviews: ‘Quite magical’ wrote Süddeutsche Zeitung; ‘This group should come again’ exclaimed The Independent after the UK premiere in Wigmore Hall, London, in 2018. Indeed, MAKEDONISSIMO produces a unique sound: it fuses incredible rhythms and haunting melodies of the Macedonian folk music tradition with highly virtuoso, jazz-influenced riffs and harmonies. The twenty-three dances and songs, especially selected by Trpčeski for this project, are interwoven in a truly unique fashion by the composer Pande Shahov. After its successful premiere in Germany at the Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele, the project travelled to Slovenia, UK, Poland, The Netherlands, France, Serbia, Montenegro and Romania; other performances include Canada, China, Russia, New Zealand and Australia. The quintet featured on BBC Radio 3 In Tune programme, live Broadcast on YouTube from South Korea, as well as on other renowned TV and Radio broadcasters. 16

Simon Trpčeski

piano

(accordion & vocal)

Born in Macedonia, Simon Trpčeski studied with Boris Romanov. He was a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist and was honoured with the Royal Philharmonic Society Young Artist Award in 2003. Trpčeski performs with leading orchestras such as the Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, WDR Sinfonieorchester, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Amsterdam Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Orchestre National de France, The Royal Danish Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Russian National Orchestra, State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia, China Philharmonic Orchestra and Sydney Symphony Orchestra, amongst others.

He regularly gives solo recitals in New York, Paris, Munich, Prague, São Paulo, Sydney, Beijing, Tokyo and London where he was recently Artist-in-Residence at Wigmore Hall. He has performed at prestigious festivals including Verbier, Bergen, Baltic Sea and BBC Proms. Trpčeski is also a committed chamber musician, appearing with his regular duo partner Daniel Müller-Schott in the UK, Germany, USA and Canada. He has recorded prolifically; his first recording (EMI, 2002) was Gramophone’s ‘Editor’s Choice’. His 2010 and 2011 albums of Rachmaninov’s complete concertos were awarded a Diapason d’or de l’année and a Gramophone’s ‘Editor’s Choice’ respectively. His recording of Prokofiev’s Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 3 received a Diapason d’or in September 2017. His latest recital album Tales from Russia was named ‘Instrumental Choice’ in January 2020 by BBC Music Magazine. With the special support of KulturOp (Macedonia’s cultural and arts organization), Trpčeski works regularly with young musicians in Macedonia to cultivate the country’s next generation of artists.

Hidan Mamudov

clarinet, saxophone, kaval (vocal in Plaits 4 & 5)

Hidan Mamudov was born in Macedonia in 1982. He studied for a year with Sidney Forrest and then for a further two years with Petko Radev in Bulgaria. In 2000 he went on to study at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien with Horst Hajek. He has participated in masterclasses with Charles Neidich, Stanley Drucker and Robert Spring. He received scholarships from the Dr. Robert and Lina Thyll-Dürr foundation and the Viktor-Bunzl-Stipendium. He was a finalist at the Ciudad de Dos Hermanas competition and won first prize at the Jeunesses Musicales Bucharest competition. He appeared as a soloist with the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra under the conductor Jouan Romero and Thomas Platzgummer. Other conductors he has worked with include Pierre Boulez, Franz Welser-Möst, Kirill Petrenko and Mark Stringer. He is a founder of the Trio Prestige, which has won competitions in Greece and Austria. The ensemble has given concerts in Germany, Italy and Bulgaria.

Aleksandar Krapovski

violin

(vocal in Plait 4)

Aeksandar Krapovski was born in Macedonia in 1981. He studied in Bulgaria with Dora Ivanova and in Germany with Mintcho Mintchev. He won third prize at the Pancho Vladigerov Competition and first prize at the Musicians of the New Millennium competition. He has appeared as concertmaster with orchestras such as the Music Academy of the State of Bulgaria, Verbier Chamber Orchestra, Spanish National Orchestra (Madrid), Tenerife Symphony Orchestra and Real FilharmonĂa de Galicia, among others. He has worked with conductors such as James Levine, EsaPekka Salonen, Kurt Masur, Mstislav Rostropovich and Valery Gergiev. He is a member of the orchestra of Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona. As a soloist he has performed with orchestras in Bulgaria, Macedonia and Spain, and has toured with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and Slovenian National Youth Orchestra. He has performed at Ohrid Summer Festival, Verbier Festival, Apollonia Arts Festival and Ravello Festival, to name a few.

ÂŠ KulturOp

Alexander Somov

cello

(vocal in Plait 4)

Alexander Somov was born in Sofia and studied at the National Music School with Stefan Rounevsky. He continued his studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London, where in 1998 he won the Gold Medal, a prize previously awarded to Jacqueline du Pré. Since then Somov has performed concertos spanning from Baroque to contemporary music with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg and Bulgarian National Radio Symphony, conducted by Thomas Zehetmair, Paul McCreesh, Thierry Fischer, David Parry, Marc Albrecht, Lionel Bringuier, Sir James MacMillan, Emil Tabakov and Georgi Dimitrov, among many others. As chamber musician Somov has travelled across Europe, Israel, Japan and Mexico with partners including Thomas Zehetmair, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Yuri Bashmet, Tasmin Little, Bartek Nizioł, Mari Kobayashi and John York. Since 2003, he has been guest-principal cellist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra and SWR Baden-Stuttgart, among others.

Vlatko Nushev

percussion

(vocal in Plaits 4 & 5)

Vlatko Nushev was born in 1981 and studied percussion and timpani at the Faculty of Music in Skopje, Macedonia, where he is currently working as a Professor. He regularly plays with the Macedonian National Opera and Ballet, and was a member of the contemporary music ensemble ConTempora. A versatile musician, he has performed with various types of chamber music ensembles and bands, as a composer, arranger and producer. He won prizes at the Yamaha scholarship Competition (Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe) and the Music and Earth International Competition, among many others.

ÂŠ KulturOp

Pande Shahov

composer

Born in 1973, Pande Shahov studied composition with Risto Avramovski, before enrolling at the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University’s Faculty of Music, Skopje, where he graduated in the class of Tomislav Zografski. He also studied jazz harmony privately with the renowned composer and arranger Ilija Pejovski. As a Chevening Scholar of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Shahov completed his Postgraduate Diploma at the Royal College of Music, London, studying with Julian Anderson. In 2013, he was awarded his Doctorate by the Royal Holloway University of London, under Philip Cashian’s supervision. Shahov lives in England and teaches a range of academic studies at the Royal College of Music, London, and Alton College in Hampshire. His music has been performed by the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra, Sofia Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Bolshoi Theatre Symphony Orchestra, Macedonian

National Opera and Ballet, New London Chamber Choir, Pro Ars, The Smith Quartet, Saxofonquadrat, as well as the ensembles orkest de ereprijs, Lontano, Ixion, Chroma Ensemble, New Noise, Contemporary Consort, Reconsil, Kokoro, California EAR Unit, ConTempora and Ensemble Horizonte. Shahov’s collaboration with Simon Trpčeski dates back to the opening recital of the Southbank International Piano Series in London in 2009; Trpčeski commissioned a piece to commemorate the anniversary of Chopin’s birth. Two movements of the suite Songs and Whispers relate to Chopin’s works, whereas the other four are built around Macedonian folk songs. The Guardian praised it as ‘genuinely resourceful and attractive work’, whilst Classical Source wrote that ‘the work is fiercely pianistic, with spiky jazz influences familiar from Stravinsky and Poulenc, and its ebullient virtuosity, very much in Rachmaninov territory, was right up Trpčeski’s street.’ Since its premiere at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Trpčeski performed the suite at some of the most prestigious concert halls, including the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and the Auditorium du Louvre in Paris.

In association with Simon Trpčeski www.trpceski.com

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