Album Notes

New album by Bulgarian clarinet super star Ivo Papasov.
Ivo Papasov is a master of the Balkan clarinet whose fiery concerts have been acclaimed throughout the world. Ivo was first introduced to audiences outside Bulgaria by impresario Joe Boyd who recorded him for his own Hannibal Records.

In 2005 Ivo received the BBC Awards for World Music audience award and brought the house down with an unrehearsed demonstration of virtuosic clarinet playing (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/world/awards2005). The exposure which followed has again brought Ivo to the attention of his compatriots and led to plans for this recording: a return to form and to the songs of his childhood.
The album features traditional themes of sex and death. Songs sung at weddings; music summoned to pacify the spirits; music to dance to; music to drink to. Ivo takes these potent songs and reinvents them in his own image.

Dance of the Falcon takes inspiration from themes close to Ivo’s heart. “I’ve been wanting to record these tunes for a long time. They’ve been in my mind for years and I didn’t even dare to think that one day I’d be able to record them… My performances here are modern interpretations. But it’s good to look back and to remember who we are, where we come from and to preserve this music for our children and for those who will come after us.”

Joe Boyd remains inspired: “Ivo Papasov continues to play the dance rhythms of Central Thrace and other agrarian regions of the South Balkans. He has modernized, but not much. And as a soloist, he remains a giant who transcends the folk music of his home and joins a world-class list of instrumentalists who can turn a melody inside-out and set feet flying.”

The album was recorded on location in Bulgaria.

Recording Location

Bulgaria