Zedashe Ensemble, a polyphonic vocal choir and dance group from the nation of Georgia, is set to release its 9th album Silver Sanctuary (Electric Cowbell Records) on November 11, 2020.
The ensemble is directed by Ketevan Mindorashvili. It is one of the few mixed (male and female) choirs in Georgia led by women. The ensemble was created in the mid-1990s to preserve the polyphonic folk songs and chants unique to Georgia that were mostly lost during the Communist era.
Silver Sanctuary includes 22 songs from twelve different regions of Georgia, including ancient chants, ballads, wedding songs, work songs, medieval allegories, dance melodies, feast songs, and instrumental tunes.
“In Georgia, every song has a history behind it,” says Ketevan Mindorashvili. “All of them are true stories, in a way, because they tell us the story of our roots. On this record we ended up recording five wedding songs, which surprised me. I found myself drawn to the storylines of these songs, which are very dramatic and often depict love triangles, sometimes of real people. Some are hundreds of years old, but are the poetry is as vivid as any film or novel. I love ‘Kakhuri Maqruli’ for lines like: ‘Pearls falling from the sky’ and ‘Rose blooming in your cheeks’, for me this is very close to the poetry of Rumi.”
The album is available from zedashe.bandcamp.com/album/silver-sanctuary where you can stream and purchase the recording.
Author: World Music Central News Room
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So you’re not providing a link to listen to some of their music? That makes this email fairly worthless.
Bandcamp allows you to listen to the tracks. We have adjusted the article to reflect that.