(On the album cover from left to right: Nina Grasenkova, Ulyana Galantseva, Svetlana Sedova, Yulia Dronova, and Ekaterina Dupliy.)
V Koromysle Ensemble – Golden Twig: Russian Songs from Siberia (Irkutsk Region) (Antonovka Records , 2024)
V Koromysle Ensemble’s Golden Twig presents a captivating set of primarily a cappella songs from the Bratsk district, specifically the villages of Parilovo (tracks 1, 3-6) and Bolshaya Mamyr (tracks 2, 7-9). Both of these settlements no longer exist; they are underwater as a result of the construction of a cascade of hydroelectric power plants on the Angara river.
The V Koromysle Ensemble was founded in Moscow in 2021. All its members are from the Irkutsk region in Eastern Siberia, near Lake Baikal. All members moved to the Moscow region independently of each other. They later got together and began to sing old songs from their native land.
“V Koromysle” means “In the Koromyslo” (koromyslo is the Russian name for the ancient water buckets yoke).
Recorded in Moscow on December 6, 2023.
Track listing:
1. Go, You Dunyasha, To the Danube | Сходи-ка, ты Дуняша, на Дунай
2. As Today, White Snow Fell | Как сегодняшний денёк
3. Oh, My Dear Mother | Ой, мать моя родная
4. Golden Twig | Золотая веточка
5. The Gyus Played Around | Разыгралися ребята
6. Dunyasha Was Born | Уродилася Дуняша
7. Masha Is Not Allowed to Go Across the River | Не велят Маше за реченьку ходить
8. Damned Taiga Mosquitoes | Распроклятые таёжные комары
9. Once Upon a Time, There Was a Girl | Жила-была девчонка
Buy Golden Twig: Russian Songs from Siberia (Irkutsk Region)
Author: Tyler Bennet
