Macedonian Folk Dances
with Pece Atanasovski
Vol. 1 and 2 - CDs and matching DVDs
Pece Atanasovski (1927-1996) was considered one of the leading exponents of Macedonian music and dance. Born in the village of Dolneni near Prilep, he began to play traditional folk music instruments as a child and was also active as a dancer in various amateur groups in Skopje. In 1950, he joined the famous Tanec State Folk Ensemble as a dancer and gajda player and travelled throughout the world. From 1960 until his death, he directed the orchestra for folk instruments at Radio-Televizija Skopje as well as his own orchestra. Working closely with ethnomusicologist Prof. Živko Firfov, he established a standard for the Macedonian izvorno (traditional instruments) sound which became a trademark of radio programs and recordings both as instrumental pieces and as backup for famous folk singers. Pece also discovered and introduced many village singers to the airwaves and records such as Kumanovsko Trio, Trio Kučkovski, Kvintet Temjanuški, Bapčorki, etc. In 1970, Pece established the annual Summer Seminar for Macedonian folk dances and folklore in Oteševo on Lake Prespa which was attended by many folklore enthusiasts from North America, Western Europe and Japan. Pece was artistic director of the Makedonija Folk Ensemble and guest choreographer for many groups in Macedonia and abroad. In 1972, he toured North America for the first time and many of his original dances have become classics in the international recreational repertoire: Ovčepolsko Oro, Ovčepolska Potrčulka, Žensko Beranče, Maškoto, Odeno Oro, Topansko Oro, etc. His material has also been taught regularly to recreational folk dancers by such teachers as Bob Leibman, Steve Kotansky, Michael Ginsburg, Larry Weiner and Paul Mulders. In 1974, Pece founded the annual International Bagpipe Festival (which now bears his name) in his native village of Dolneni near the town of Prilep.
The 47 musical selections found on the 2 CDs are the original master recordings which were released in former Yugoslavia in the 70’s and 80’s on such labels as Jugoton and RTB and re-issued under license in Germany in 2003 by Verlag Hepp. Yves Moreau and Bourque-Moreau (BMA) Productions have obtained special permission from Verlag Hepp to press these CDs and DVDs in Canada for distribution and sale in North America. The recordings feature the Pece Atanasovski Orchestra with Pece on gajda and his fantastic musicians accompanying him with many solos on kaval, and tambura. There are also several tracks with zurla and tapan, čalgija orchestra, clarinet and accordion as well as Aegean Macedonian brass band. The technical quality is excellent both for dancing and listening.
CD Volume 1 (BMA-1007) includes the following melodies (click on titles in red for a short mp3 sampler):
1.Odeno Oro; 2.Adana; 3.Tropnalo Oro; 4.Teška Krstačka; 5.Pajdško Oro; 6.Ovčepolska Osogovska; 7.Devojče; 8. Žensko Čamče; 9.Teškoto; 10.Buvčansko; 11. Skudrinka; 12. Crnogorka; 13. Jeni Jol; 14. Čupurlika; 15. Kopačka; 16. Baba Džurdža; 17. Kalajdžisko; 18. Maško Beranče; 19. Žensko Krsteno; 20. Kucano Oro; 21. Staro Žensko Krsteno; 22. Žensko Pušteno Oro; 23. Pravoto (Lesnoto); 24. Nevestinsko Oro.
CD Volume 2 (BMA-1008) includes the following melodies (click on titles in red for a short mp3 sampler):
1.Postupano Oro; 2.Pravo Oro; 3.Ovčepolsko Oro; 4.Krivo Žensko Oro; 5.Sitna Lisa; 6.Ovčepolska Potrčulka; 7.Beranče; 8. Maškoto Oro; 9.Dolgoto Oro; 10. Topansko Oro; 11. Staro Oro; 12. Potrčano Oro; 13. Ibraim Odža; 14. Berovka; 15. Ratevka; 16. Čučuk Oro; 17. Dračevka; 18. Zborskoto; 19. Patrunino; 20. Posednica; 21. Toska/Memede; 22. Maleševsko Oro; 23. Marinino Oro.
Matching DVDs
In conjunction with the above two CDs, we have also released two companion DVDs (BMA 1007-8-DVD) which were originally produced in Germany by Hartmut Bartels. They show Pece Atanasovski leading 46 Macedonian dances from his teaching repertoire. BMA Productions have also obtained permission to produce these DVDs for the North American market. These are not instructional videos. They show Pece leading each dance, thus providing a useful reference on style and technique for teachers and dancers. These were filmed during workshops with Pece conducted between 1992 and 1995 in Macedonia, Germany and Belgium. You can also see scenes of Pece playing his gajda as well as playing tapan for the dance Teškoto.
Note: The above CDs and DVDs are the only authorized versions produced by Verlag Hepp (CDs) and Hartmut Bartels (DVDs) and distributed exclusively by Yves Moreau and BMA Productions for the North American market. Beware of fraudulent copies currently being sold without due credits.
We hope that these recordings will contribute in keeping alive the memory of Pece Atanasovski’s music and dances.
If you live outside North America, please order directly from the German producers:
CDs: Michel Hepp: michel@michelhepp.de
DVDs: Hartmut Bartels: huf.bartels@t-online.de