SONGLINES                           issue 45 July/August 2007 

Europe

Transkapela
Over the Village

Ferment (no number)
Full (54 mins) 4*

We reviewed Transkapela’s debut album Sounds and Shadows in June 2006 and said the rustic music from this Polish quartet had the rough-edged feel of  “a peasant hut with wooden shingles”. As if to confirm that, their new album comes with a fold-out sketch of a village complete with old photos of traditional dwellings. Beginning with a barking dog and a softly sung Jewish lament-like doina with an achingly beautiful melody taken up by folk fiddle and cimbalom, this disc explores the music of the various cultures and nationalities of the Carpathians. The tunes range from Polish, Ukrainian, Romanian and Jewish sources – some from old collections, others from field recordings - but all unified by the spare, but richly textured arrangements for various fiddles, cimbalom, guitar, cello and double bass. The four members are Robert Wasilewski, his wife Ewa, Maciej Filipczuk and Piotr Pniewski and there are beautiful vocals from guest singer Maruska Natanson in the opening doina, a Romanian lullaby and ‘Schwartze Chmare’ a song collected by the Soviet Jewish ethnomusicologist Moshe Beregovski. Occasionally, as in ‘Noc’ (Night), they create something quite experimental from the same instrumental textures. 

I don’t know of many other bands in eastern Europe playing traditional music as compellingly as this and I hope they can get themselves invited to the sorts of festivals where such music is programmed and appreciated. 

Simon Broughton