Eva Quartet - Minka (2021)

From heartfelt tales of marriage and a mother’s love to whimsical songs about laziness and a girl’s discourse with a dove, this long-awaited new release by the Eva Quartet sees them continue to unveil the timeless beauty of traditional Bulgarian folk song.

1.01 - Eva Quartet - MINKA E RANO STANALA (3:56)
1.02 - Eva Quartet - YOVA (2:53)
1.03 - Eva Quartet - BAREM DA E MOMA (3:49)
1.04 - Eva Quartet - POMAKINI (4:05)
1.05 - Eva Quartet - BABA LUK POSELA (2:10)
1.06 - Eva Quartet - VELKO SI RADA ZALJUBI (2:39)
1.07 - Eva Quartet - NEDELINO (2:41)
1.08 - Eva Quartet - BALNO LI TI E SINJO LJO (3:50)
1.09 - Eva Quartet - RAZVIVAY, DOBRO, POVIVAY (2:28)
1.10 - Eva Quartet - YANA OVCHAR LUGALA (1:25)
1.11 - Eva Quartet - LEME DREME (2:31)
1.12 - Eva Quartet - BEZ DUMI (1:03)
1.13 - Eva Quartet - KADONA (4:38)
1.14 - Eva Quartet - GOSPODI, POMILUY (2:29)

Formed in 1995, the Eva Quartet have been at the forefront of Bulgarian folk music for over twenty-five years and this debut Riverboat Records album Minka is their first since the highly acclaimed 2012 project (The Arch) with Hector Zazou.

From the heartfelt folk songs of Bulgaria’s Rhodope Mountains to spellbinding contemporary explorations, this seamless collection highlights the incredible versatility of the Eva Quartet and is an innovative and beautiful exploration of the joys and sorrows of Bulgarian folk song. Famed for their spine-chilling harmonies, the Eva Quartet are guardians of Bulgarian traditional polyphony, and these wonderful re-interpretations invoke an earlier age when music was an indelible part of village life.

Many of these folk gems, both famous and relatively unknown, continue to be passed down through generations, such as the deeply moving opener ’Minka E Rano Stanala’, a song taken from the repertoire of the great Kuschlevi sisters, the first vocal quartet in Bulgaria to perform traditional folk songs. This beautiful arrangement shows why these pioneering sisters have become cult figures in their homeland.