Dressed in traditional Ukrainian Cossack attire, the all-female bandura ensemble Tcharivni Strouny will make its debut appearance in Taiwan on Wednesday. The group aims to introduce local audiences to the ancient plucked string instrument and a musical tradition that has been suppressed at various times through history.
The bandura combines elements of a lute and box zither, and its use dates back to the sixth century. From the 16th to 18th centuries the folk instrument underwent significant changes in the hands of Zaporozhian Cossacks who lived in Central Ukraine. The kobzar tradition was formed as Ukrainian itinerant Cossack bards popularized kobza music. The terms bandura and kobzar were interchangeable until the 20th century.
Sung to the accompaniment of the bandura, Tcharivni Strouny’s repertoire includes psalms, chants, folk songs and dumy, Ukrainian epics mainly concerned with historical events and religious beliefs.
PHOTO COURTESY OF TCHARIVNI STROUNY
It’s because of their association with aspects of Ukrainian history and religious elements that bandurists and kobzari were systematically persecuted by authorities that once occupied the region, especially during Stalin’s purges of the 1930s.
Today, the bandura is taught at the nation’s major conservatories and ensembles have become increasingly popular both at home and abroad, including Tcharivni Strouny — Magic Strings & Voices. Founded by Iryna Sodomora in 1973, the award-winning group has participated in numerous national and international competitions, and performed across the globe from Croatia, Hungary, France to Canada and the US.
For Tcharivni Strouny’s Taiwan performances, conductor and lead soloist Sodomora will lead 12 bandura players and singers aged between 15 and 22 as well as violin and flute players. The bill includes a colorful mix of Western classical music from the likes of Mozart, and contemporary compositions by Ukrainian bandura artists and traditional songs.
Instead of dealing with the weighty subjects of history and religion, the folk melodies mainly address romances between beautiful girls and young men, laments for lost love as well as a husband’s complaints about his fastidious mother-in-law.
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