Celebrating its 80th anniversary, Radio Bulgaria welcomes you to monthly voting for music from Bulgaria. Lots will be drawn to select the names of the winners - people who have guessed the winning song or tune - and three of them are going to win CDs with music in the respective genre. To vote, please send us an e-mail at english@bnr.bg.

The genres that open the chart correspond to the music streams in the upper right hand corner of Radio Bulgaria's website. The selection of pieces is by the authors of the respective streams.

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Like in Episode 1, this time Sasho Zaraliev presents Episode 2 in the folk music chart. Here is his refined selection:

1. Mari Marodiiko performed by Dimitrina Kouneva from the village of Alekovo in the large folklore region of Dobrudzha, Northeastern Bulgaria. The music was written by Stefan Kanev and the recording was made at the Bulgarian National Radio back in 1977. The song conveys the typical calm Dobrudzha style in telling a humorous story - in this case the “difficult” amorous choice that the girl has to make between a plowman and a shepherd.

2. Barem se Ergen Nahodih (At Least I Had Fun Being Single) Listen to the men's folklore group from the town of Bansko, Southwestern Bulgaria, led by Ivan Matsurev, a remake of a recording dated in 1971. This is an emblematic song from the Mount Pirin region. Its most characteristic music elements are atsane (a kind of hiccup) and tresene (shaking of the voice) in the high register which happen to be a big challenge for present-day singers.

3. Tornal e Todyu in the rendition of Roumen Rodopski Men's Trio with the following lineup: Roumen Rodopski, Lubomir Petov and Nikola Zapryanov, a recording made in 2001 and included in the album Rhodope Folk Songs. This is a typical song of the Rhodope Mountains folklore region in Central Southern and Southeastern Bulgaria featuring an open and powerful men's singing and preserved authentic sound that is reinforced by the accompaniment of the low-pitched (kaba) bagpipe.

You can cast your vote for one of three songs selected by Sasho Zaraliev until 15 May:

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In the March/April Musicbox Bulgaria vote most entries favored Katia Popova's rendition of an aria of La Wally from the opera of the same name by Alfredo Catalani. Lots were drawn from all who had voted for her performance, and the three winners of CDs are

                                 · Alexander Kuzyominskiy, Ukraine

                                 · Andreas Mueklich, Germany

                                 · Khaled Al-sheh, Tunisia

Congratulations!

They will receive the latest CD with classical music released by the Bulgarian National Radio entitled 120 years Petko Staynov – Choral Ballads.

English Daniela Konstantinova