Prior to attending the Monistra Band’s performance at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina’s First Alexandrina World Music Festival, traditional, or for that matter any, Macedonian music was something of a mystery to me. But as I left the auditorium there was no doubt I was a fan, as were the vast majority of the audience who made their feelings known by the standing ovation given at its conclusion.
Not knowing what to expect from the six piece ensemble worked very much in their favor as they won the audience over with their lively set, the majority of which were traditional folk songs from Macedonia’s villages.
“It is not uncommon for an audience to react like that, explains 25-year-old Jovan Strezosk, the band’s tambura (a long necked instrument with a pear like body) player. “Many audiences don’t know much about Macedonian music, but they soon get into it and enjoy it.
Dressed in white tunics with traditional embroidery, and matching pink tights for the two female performers, the band gave an insight into the disappearing folk music of their homeland, in addition to some newer pieces fusing contemporary with traditional.
Their enjoyment of playing such tunes was evident, heightened by the knowledge they were performing a stone’s throw away from where their greatest ancestor, Alexander the Great, founded the city.
At the heart of much of the music was the haunting sound of the kaval, a rim-blown flute, played by the highly talented front man Aleskandar Jovevski and well supported by the two tanbura players and tapan wooden drum. Particularly captivating were the band’s second and tenth numbers, Mitra Delia and Filizio Mome, two examples of Macedonia’s vibrant musical folk tradition. The latter, from Lazaropole in western Macedonia, narrates the story of two lovers soon to be separated by war, a typical example of how music is used in narrating the country’s past.
Of course I wouldn’t have had a clue what the song was about had I not met the band afterwards, but the manner and obvious enjoyment the band got from performing it betrayed a passion and understanding of the song’s roots and its significance to their cultural heritage.
“It is about catching the feeling, said lead vocalist Lidija Dokuzovic, who explained that the band actually conducts field work, visiting the villages and capturing what little folk traditions remain.
“We don’t want to have to rely on digital archives to express our region’s music, she adds.
Monistra, and bands like them throughout the world, sadly are not the norm.
With an average age of just 25, the band represents one of perhaps only three or four Macedonian bands committed to safeguarding their musical culture, a task made even more difficult due to full time study and work commitments.
“The reality is that in 10 or 20 years this music may well disappear as village traditions become rarer, said Strezosk. Despite such challenges, the band has managed to perform across the Balkans and beyond, including France and, most recently, Israel.
They have just recorded their first album.
Their purpose and musical ability made them a perfect candidate for the European Commission funded World Music festival.
“One of the event’s core objectives was creating a festival that would have music not representative of the main stream or western classical music, explained Dr Azza Mahadian, deputy director of the Bibliotheca’s Arts Center and herself a historical musicology graduate of Columbia University.
Western classical music, whose quality is often determined by money and years of specialist training, and contemporary mainstream music are two genres Mahadian wanted to avoid when putting the festival together.
“World music focuses on the basics, focusing on simplicity and accessibility and above all merry making, she said in a reference to the fact traditional music and dance are inextricably linked to joyful ceremonies including harvests, marriages and weddings.
The festival, which concludes today with a grand open air concert featuring all participating groups, invited seven groups representing Algeria, Egypt, Greece, Germany, Italy and Macedonia, bringing to Alexandria a taste of traditional music from around the Mediterranean and incorporating a vast array of authentic, and sadly disappearing, instruments, sounds and rhythms.
Despite some noticeable oversights, such as lack of introductions to the performers and absence of venue locations or performance time on the poster of flyers, the festival has managed to introduce an engaging and highly enjoyable form of music to Alexandria in addition to highlighting the city’s potential in hosting more diverse and larger festivals in the future.
