I didn’t choose your folklore instead of something else and I have not given up my previous musical interests. However, the moment I listened to Bulgarian music for the first time I felt strongly that it is part of me, Portuguese Miguel Falcão told Radio Bulgaria. He paid visit to Bulgaria in August to attend a series of lessons in the classes of Dobri Dobrev-a renowned Bulgarian rebec player, soloists at the Bulgarian National Radio Folk Orchestra, composer and lecturer at Kliment Ohridski University in Sofia. Miguel is an engineer and physicist, a scientist at the Universidade de Coimbra. He graduated Conservatório de Música de Coimbra majoring in double bass. In parallel with his research activities, Miguel has been part of various music projects where he plays on the bass guitar. The rebec comes later in his life and his first “Bulgarian love” was the Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices:
I always start working with every student with excitement and strange anticipation-whether we will find a common language, whether I will be able to teach the best of this beautiful, yet very difficult music instrument, Angel Dobrev says. Things went quite smooth with Miguel. We have been working together for the fourth consecutive year and our repertoire consists of 30 Bulgarian chain dances and instrumental melodies.
We started with the music of different folklore regions and we accentuated on the folklore music of the Pirin region. The rebec instrument is not as popular as the mandolin in that Bulgarian region. Miguel has somehow opened my eyes for the good things in Bulgaria, because he likes everything in this country. In his view, transport is among the best in Europe, the Internet connection is among the fastest and Sofia is a wonderful city with many green and beautiful parks. As for our folklore, I thought until recently that the foreigners are having fun with our songs and dances, but I have started to realize that they are attracted by some kind of magic.
Later, Miguel and his teacher will sink into the magic of folklore of North Bulgaria, Trace and Dobrudja regions and next year they will play together at the stage of Koprivshtitsa folklore festival.
English version: Kostadin Atanasov
Photo: private library
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