Juliana & PAVA - Let The Bird Fly
Juliana & PAVA's first CD
in the USA is released and available on
CD Baby!
Read more about the
songs from the CD:1.
The Week of the Mermaid – Gryanaya
nedelya (Western Russia, Bryansk region)
In the ancient pagan tradition, during the week of the mermaid, dark
forces would materialize and become a threat to people and animals. In
this brisk, uplifting song, peasants would try and get on the mermaids’
good side and to warn the young and the old to respect the forces they
cannot explain.
2.
Through the Open Gates – Chto v
nashikh vorotechkah (Western Russia, Bryansk region)
Through the open gates, one gazes at a lake and at the swans on it, a
symbol of youth and innocence. In addition, the open gates are a
pervasive element in Russian folklore, suggestive of a person’s longing
to connect with the world while remaining in the contemplative safety of
his or her own soul.
3.
Don’t Wake Me at Sunrise – Oh, ne
budite menya moloduyu
(Southern Russia, Belgorod region)
A round-dance song that describes a young girl who would rather be
awakened not before but after the sun rises, when the young herder comes
out and begins to play his horn.
4, 5.
Winter Solstice Songs
– Kolyadka
(Southern Russia, Belgorod region)
Similar to the Western tradition of trick-or-treating, Kolyadka involved
the act of giving gifts to strangers. The requester of the gift either
thanked (4) the giver for the gift or admonished him humorously (5) if
the gift was not offered.
6.
Fortune Telling – Gadaniya
(Western Russia, Bryansk region).
A winter solstice song that describes a ritual where each participant
drops a small personal belonging into a bag, then the fortune teller
sings a good-wish chant and pulls an object randomly out of the bag. The
good wish, of course, goes to the owner of the drawn object.
7.
A Jealous Wife’s Good-Bye – Na gore sneg napal – (Western Russia, Smolensk region)
A humorous song that tells the story of a young, newly married man eager
to leave his village for a few days, to get supplies in a nearby town.
8.
In Our Garden – U nas v ogorode
(Western Russia, Kursk region)
In this song, a husband coming back home from work notices his wife
working in the garden. He teases her that she has done so little during
the day, hinting that she must have spent time with someone else. In
response, she tells him that his suspicions are not justified.
9.
Yegoriy’s Hill – U Yegoriya na gore
(Northern Russia, Arkhangelsk region)
Yegoriy’s hill symbolizes a gathering place for young people, away from
but not entirely out of sight of their parents. It is a humorous song
about youth, love, and lust.
10, 11. The Cabbage Dance –
Da uzh my
vyom kapustenku,
Uzh ya ulykom shla (Northern Russia, Arkhangelsk
region)
These songs accompany and instruct dancers to form a line that weaves
into spirals, creating the appearance of a crosscut of a cabbage. In
the first part of the song, the dancers move to “tighten” the layers of
the cabbage, only to “loosen” them in the second part, symbolized as the
unwinding of a ball of yarn.
12.
Twigs of Guelder Rose – Na gore-to kalina (Southern Siberia, Altai region)
Guelder rose, with its bitter-sweet fruit, is a symbol of a lady’s whim
and flirtatiousness. A young lady is strolling on a hill and picking
twigs of Guelder rose. Later, she notices a young man and playfully
tosses a few twigs of Guelder rose at him, hoping he’d notice her.
13.
Misguided Love – Oy da zakipuchiy
klyuch (Southern Russia, Kursk region)
The heart of a young man in love is ridden with angst and yearning. This
young man’s heart longs for a woman who is already married.
14. Falcons – Naletali yasnye sokola
(Northern Russia, Murmansk region)
A falcon symbolizes a young, unmarried man. In this wedding song, the
falcon is the groom sitting in the house of his bride’s parents, trying
to catch a glimpse of the young lady who will soon become his wife.
15. Dunyushka (Southern Russia,
Belgorod region)
Dunyushka is a young bride. Her groom is asking her to be his faithful
wife and promising her to be her faithful husband.
16.
Whispers in the Garden – Gulyal
Van’ka (Western Russia, Smolensk region)
In this song, two lovers talk over a fence because the lady’s strict
mother is not letting them be together.
17.
A Peacock’s Feather – Letel pavlin
(Southern Russia, Belgorod region)
A young man finds a peacock’s feather, which in Russian folklore means
that he will soon find his soul mate. Instead, this man gets conscripted
into the army – a crushing blow to him and his bride.
18.
Don’t Cry, Cuckoo Bird – Oy da ne
kukuy, kukushechka (Southern Russia, Belgorod region)
A cuckoo bird is a symbol of a soul at the time of personal upheaval; in
this song, it is the soul of a young army conscript who is forced to
leave behind his young wife and his old, frail mother.
19.
Quieter than Grass – Travushka-muravushka (Western Russia, Smolensk region)
A lyrical song about unrequited love.
20.
Young Lady in the Garden – Devka
po sadu hodila (Southern Russia, Belgorod region)
A young lady is strolling through a spring garden, then trips on a
boulder, breaking her shoe and tearing her pantyhose. She is not the
least bit worried about the shoe, given to her by her father; she is,
however, saddened about the pantyhose—a gift from her lover.
21.
My Dear Bridesmaids – Lyubezniye
moi podruzhen’ki (Southern Siberia, Altai region)
This song is a ritualistic lament of a bride on her wedding day. The
bride is saying good-bye to her maids and to the life she used to have.
22.
Sweep the Yard – Metite dvor
(Southern Russia, Belgorod region)
This song describes a ritual where the road is swept before the
newlyweds as they enter their home.
23.
Shattered Dreams – Da priehal moi
milen’kii s polya (Southern Russia, Kursk region)
A hearty, sad, lyrical song about a young man in love and in distress.
The man wants to marry a lady he loves dearly, but her parents refuse to
give their permission.
24.
Games of the Forest -
Improvisations on kalyuka (Russian overtone flute) and kugikly (Russian
panpipes).
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