| Back in August of 2005, I caught members of the Buttja Ensemble playing in front of the metro station "Arsenal." Buttja is one of a number of instrumental ensembles in Ukraine that is dedicated to performing (and recording) Ukrainian folk music in an authentic, village-based style. Their's is not the Academy style (the highly arranged, super-refined version of Ukrainian folk music that is quite common, especially in the diaspora). Members of Buttja have traveled throughout Ukraine gathering and learning authentic Ukrainian folk music from each and every ethnographic region of the country. They have recorded some 15 CDs, each very worth acquiring. You can purchase at least two of their CDs at the following links: 1)www.umka.com.ua 2)www.umka.com.ua Other performance-based ensembles in Ukraine that play Ukrainian folk music in an authentic style that I am aware of are: the Drevo, Volodar, Bozhychi, and Hurtopravci ensembles. There certainly are many more; also, there are hundreds--if not a thousand or more--of wedding and event bands, in villages and towns throughout Ukraine, that continue to play in a more authentic than Academy-based style. . . And to be a bit provocative here: My experience is that people in Ukraine, though they may not always like the more authentic style versus the Academy style, are at least familiar with it, and are exposed to it throughout their lives. However, the authentic style is, in the main, virtually unknown in the diaspora and often ... |
