The concert of the Barcelona Gipsy BalKan Orchestra officially kicked off the musical segment of the 38th edition of the Bar Chronicle last night. There was great interest in the performance of the seven-member ensemble, known for its energy and attractive repertoire, and the auditorium of the Summer Stage of the Cultural Center was filled to the brim.
The audience had the opportunity to enjoy the rich musical mosaic of the Balkans and the Mediterranean: Slovenian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Roma, Macedonian, Montenegrin, Spanish melodies, which were further enriched by the enchanting voice of the Sicilian woman. Margarite AbiteThe interpretations of the songs "Leno mori", "Ciganine, sviraj", "Đurđevdan" (in the Romani language) and "Još ne sviće rujna zora" (The September dawn has not yet risen) were particularly noteworthy.
Besides Abita, the band consists of Julien Chanal (guitar, French), Pere Nolasc Turu (violin, Spain), Fernando Salinas (accordion, Spain), Xavi Pendón (clarinet, Spain), Albert Enkaminanko (percussion, Spain) and Ivan Kovačević (double bass, Serbia). It was Kovačević who shared his impressions after the concert, recalling that they last performed in Bar three years ago.
"We got what we expected, because this is the Balkans - this is the heart, this is where we feel best. Montenegro always welcomes us wonderfully. The audience was large, everyone knew why they came, what they were going to hear - they sang with us, it was incredible," said Kovačević, revealing the secret to the success of the band, which recently celebrated its thirteenth anniversary.
He added that a lot has changed over the years:
"There are only two of us in the band from the very beginning, but this band is a living organism. Since we come from Barcelona, it's natural. This city attracts people who go for their bread with their soul, not their stomach. A large number of musical artists pass through it - all this was a logical sequence of events. We are one family that lives through great work, dedication and numerous trips. It's not always sunny - sometimes it thunders and shines - but what unites us and lasts is the love of music, research and work."
He particularly highlighted the emotions evoked by the performance of the Montenegrin song "Još ne sviće rujna zora", emphasizing that they like to play it the most in Montenegro:
"It's a song I've known since childhood, and I first heard it at the Barski ljetopis festival, never realizing that one day I would perform here myself. Our vocalist has it in her little finger - she's worked on it for a long time and always approaches it with special feeling."
The band Barcelona Gipsy BalKan Orchestra was founded in 2012 in Barcelona. They perform all their compositions in their own arrangements, relying on a contemporary approach to traditional musical forms. After long-time vocalist Sandra Sangiao left the band in 2019, Margarita Abita from Italy joined the band. Her arrival was marked by the album "Nova era", with which they symbolically opened a new chapter in their career. In 2023, they released their seventh album, simply called "7".
Bonus video:
