DANTCHEV:DOMAIN – To Those Who Have Gone, I Sing in a Key of D (Glomama Music, , 2025)
The Finnish-Bulgarian ensemble DANTCHEV:DOMAIN has released its third album, To Those Who Have Gone, I Sing in a Key of D. The record explores gratitude for life, heritage, and music through rhythm-driven and profoundly cinematic compositions centered on the key of D.
Singer and composer Anna Dantchev drew inspiration from the fragility of life and the encounters that shape it. She effortlessly interweaves Finnish folk and Bulgarian brass band influences with elements of western classical charm, elegant contemporary jazz, blues, and a dash of rockish guitar, performed in English.
“From the beginning, themes of childhood, ancestry, family, loss, and perseverance guided my writing. Gratitude emerged as the thread tying everything together,” Dantchev explains. During the album’s production, she was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, which, she notes, deepened the emotional weight of the songs.
The opening track, To Those Who Have Gone, captures the album’s essence. It offers a message of thanks. “The song carries both shadows and light. For me, it glows with warmth, like a yellow hue. Singing it feels like the greatest tribute to everything received in life,” says Dantchev.
Often called “the Bulgarian Voice from Finland,” Anna Dantchev is recognized for her versatile vocals and distinctive compositions. She founded DANTCHEV:DOMAIN in 2019 to bring her musical vision to both recordings and live performance.
The ensemble’s debut album, Say It (Glomama Music, 2020), won Folk Music Album of the Year from Kansanmusiikki magazine and KamuKanta.fi, while also charting in the U.S. and Europe. Their second album, The Lions We Are (Glomama Music, 2022), became the first Finnish release available in Dolby Atmos format.
Musicians: Anna Dantchev on vocals, tupan drum; Erno Haukkala on trombone; Kenneth Ojutkangas on baritone guitar, tuba; and Antti-Pekka Rissanen on drums.
Buy To Those Who Have Gone, I Sing in a Key of D.
Author: JGurski
