The
Bulgarian Women’s Choir introduced many Westerners to the haunting chorales of
their Eastern European nation. Several other ensembles have followed in their
path. The London-based Perunika group, a trio of women of Macedonian descent
(the region’s borders are porous), are resolutely traditional despite their
previous background in rock and classical. The result is the opposite of the
junky “fusions” prevalent in world music. Weaving spooky tapestries with voice
and the occasional accompaniment of woodwinds, the trio sings timeless songs
associated with changing seasons, the rites of fertility and the spirituality
of Eastern Orthodoxy. The heartbreak and yearning of their music threatens to burst
the bonds of the material world.
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