Chiaroscuro
Vedrana Subotić (piano) 
rec. 2024, Libby Gardner Concert Hall, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA
Blue Griffin Records BGR673 [61]

Croatian-American pianist Vedrana Subotić has created a collection of her favourite traditional folksongs from the former Yugoslavia, representing Bosnia, Macedonia and Montenegro, as well as the Roma people, who once lived there in considerable numbers, each in an arrangement she commissioned. Her choice of the disc’s title, Chiaroscuro, is significant in that the songs reflect both the light and the dark in people’s lives.

The first is a Serb Romani song of lament, made famous in the country when it was used in a popular film about the life of Romani families living in the north of Serbia, eventually becoming the official Romani National Anthem in 1971. The desire of Romani to travel around rather than settle has always made their life difficult since the majority of the population always find it hard to understand other people’s decision to be different. The Nazis, especially, attempted to wipe the race out altogether. The words to one of the verses was changed post-war to reflect that suffering. The Romani Balkan orchestration that traditionally uses cimbalom, fiddle, clarinet and drums is cleverly represented in this arrangement with a bittersweet nature to the tunes which reveal sadness alongside any hints of happier feelings. There is also a recognisable Balkan element to the tune that would enable most people to identify it as coming from that area of Europe.

That same element is there in the next song, which is a Sevdah, a romantic but melancholy love song from Bosnia that has existed in that part of Europe since the 15^th century. A young man is asked by his beloved to visit her in the evening, clearly without the approval of her parents who operate strict Islamic law. For some reason he misses his chance and when he goes the next day finds her married to another. The sad nature of the story is well represented in the music. In Macedonian Girl, the piano represents the typical line-up of Balkan ensembles which includes clarinet, drums, accordion and guitar. The rhythm is the relatively complex 7/16, but Subotić writes in her notes that some Macedonian songs can be found in the unbelievably complicated 22/16 which would be something to behold! The words to this song would have the listener believe that nowhere on earth could you find a more beautiful girl than a Macedonian girl.

The song Crimson dawn has not yet broken represents Montenegro, along with North Macedonia, perhaps the least known area of the entire Balkans. Once again, it is sad in nature but naturally songs are bound to reflect the history of an area and Montenegro has had more than its fair share of pain and suffering, having fought against Ottoman rule for centuries before winning its independence from the Turkish Empire as late at 1799, three hundred years after it had been forced to become part of it. The gentle tune belies the words though the sadness is clear; the singer explains how they no longer pick flowers since the one they used to give them to is long buried and any joy they felt has gone far away. Knowing a little Czech, I am always fascinated that whether written in Cyrillic or Latin script, there are many words in common despite the great distance between the areas – 1300 kilometres in the case of the two capitals, Prague and Podgorica – and Austria coming between them linguistically. Though it begins slowly, towards the end the music speeds up as if to emphasise how it has been since the loss of joy and hope.

The final choice of this collection of favourite folksongs is a second Bosnian Sevdah, Mujo shoes his horse under the moonlight. This song, like the first, tells of a boy wanting to visit his beloved, saddling up his horse at night while his mother does her best to dissuade him, saying how dangerous such a foolhardy enterprise is and, of course, the young man spurns such concerns. For him, the thought of seeing his girl dispels any possible danger. All five of these arrangements maintain the folkloric element that the sung version would make clear and there is nothing lost in that respect. The tunes are simple with a fragile beauty to them and all have a melancholy aura. They certainly inspire me to want to search out the original versions to enjoy them all over again. Vedrana Subotić is a powerful advocate of her homeland’s folk culture and it is reassuring that, considering what terrible events occurred in the Balkans only a few short years ago, she is by no means partisan in her selection. It is clear that she recognises the value of the cultural heritage of the entirety of the former Yugoslavia.

To complete the disc Vedrana Subotić has chosen Liszt’s Sonata in B minor. Liszt had Balkan roots and his music always reflected his interest in the folk music of his native Hungary, none of it too far from the roots of the rest of the music on the disc. At thirty minutes, this single movement sonata is equivalent to the running time of all the other five songs, it is a mighty work with plenty in it to represent the disc’s title, Chiaroscuro. Liszt’s sense of drama is there throughout, whether in thunderous passages or the gentlest interludes that serve as telling contrasts. In her booklet notes, Subotić points out how Liszt’s usual flair for presenting himself as virtuosic is somewhat subjugated in this sonata to enable his loftier ideals to take precedence and he transforms the piano into a virtual orchestra, leaving a considerable challenge to the pianist. There is no doubt that it is a work that only the most talented pianist should attempt. In Liszt’s day it was his incomparable ability at the piano that had audiences flocking to his concerts in much the same way as today’s pop idols draw huge numbers to theirs. Vedrana Subotić not only rises to the challenge but delivers a powerhouse performance that really grips the listener from the first moments and doesn’t let go until the gradually descending notes, which create yet more drama, ending the sonata and leaving the listener with a feeling of awe.

This disc, with its intriguing choice of folk-inspired music in the most attractive arrangements and the Liszt sonata, delivers a fascinating programme that introduces listeners to repertoire most will not have come across, all of it capable of weaving a magic all of its own.

Steve Arloff

Contents
Traditional
Djelem, Djelem (I went, I went)
traditional Romani, arranged by Igor Iachimciuc
Kad ja podjoh na Bembaša (When I went to Bembaša 
traditional Bosnian, arranged by Christopher O’Riley
Makedonsko devojče (Macedonian girl) 
traditional Macedonian, Jonče Hristovski, arranged by Christopher O’Riley
Još ne sviśe rujna zora (Crimson dawn has not yet broken)
traditional Montenegrin, arranged by Igor Iachimciuc
Mujo kuje konja po mjesecu (Mujo shoes his horse under the moonlight)
traditional Bosnian, arranged by Christopher O’Riley
Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Sonata in B minor S.178