Radujsja, zemle... Traditional Christmas and New Year carols of Poltava region. Music Heritage of Ukraine. (Rejoice, the Earth...)

I’ll indicate at once – on this disk, you have the opportunity to hear not simply Christmas carols and schedrivky, but those in authentic performance. What is already interesting. But it is of not less importance that the material represented here is from Poltava region – for it is not a secret that it is in this territory that Ukrainian folklore has been preserved virtually best of all. Though, it refers to later times. In Carpathians, for example, there are considerably more archaic discoveries – but they have been preserved much worse. Moreover, the Ukrainian language of exactly this region is often taken as the standard of purity – and it means that it is considerably easier to understand texts of traditional songs here than in regions where a few different languages have historically interlaced with Ukrainian. This must be everything that should be mentioned separately – because all the rest speaks for itself, you will hear it. I have already repeatedly understood it, and I understand it again – beauty of these songs is, foremost, in their being true. That deep truth that we feel subconsciously. And various song patterns and decorations – they are already external, not obligatory. In the end, nobody listens to this music for the sake of decorations. If you already listen to it – you do it exactly for the sake of the truthful depth. Here you have enough of it.