Macedonian and Balkan Folk Music

Banski Starcheta — Songs and Live Dance Party!

Image of Banski starcheta CD cover showing 7 men and 2 women in Bulgarian costumes.

С песните на Банкси Старчета

Izvor Music is happy to offer both a new double-CD of 37 songs (with all lyrics) and a live performance by Banski Starcheta, available only as downloads. You can purchase the 2-CD set audio files with lyrics, the 2-set live performance audio files, or both as a discounted bundle of over 4 hours of music.

Banski Starcheta was established in 1980 by Atanas Yanchovichin in Bansko, Bulgaria. Originally, the group was created as a wedding band but soon it grew into something special and unique. Through his love of singing, music and traditions, Atanas involved many people in his group, from the elders of Bansko to young boys and girls. He nourished and passed on the traditional two-part singing of Bansko, which is a unique blend of heroism, home, and love, all enveloped in the beautiful mountains of Pirin. The CD set available here comes with lyrics to all 37 songs in Cyrillic and Latin transliteration, plus a translation summary of each song.

Atanas and his group have performed in Bulgaria and internationally and won many awards over the years. They have 15 published discs with male, female, and children’s performances. You can find out more about Banski Starcheta on their website and see them on their YouTube channel.

Members for December 2023:

  • Атанас Яанчовичин — vocal, tarambuka
  • Лазар Катерини — vocal, gayda
  • Михали Гроздин — vocal, clarinet
  • Мартин Яанчовичин — vocal, tambura
  • Марин Бърдарев — vocal, tambura
  • Костадин Бърдарев — vocal, accordion
  • Георги Стойков — vocal, tambura
  • Спасимира Калайджиева — dance
  • Десислава Баханова — dance

List of Songs on the two CDs (with excerpts)

CD One: 1 hour 14 minutes

  1. Пуста младост (2:23)
  2. Девойко (3:30)
  3. Лено ле (5:04)
  4. Ой, Вардаре (3:58)
  5. Катерниче моме (2:49)
  6. Илия войник отива (3:57)
  7. Де гиди луди млади години (5:42)
  8. Матен Вардар дотече (3:45)
  9. Ах, мерак (3:00)
  10. Край Белграда (5:28)
  11. Дорде дружина (3:13)
  12. Йоване (5:21)
  13. Дали знаеш, мила (5:25)
  14. Извила се бела лоза (3:14)
  15. Македонийо, жална майко (4:20)
  16. Проклет да е (2:40)
  17. Расти боре (3:06)
  18. Опни ми, тропни ми (2:41)
  19. Какво е чудо станало (4:11)
 

CD Two: 1 hour 13 minutes

  1. Ако умрам ил загинам (3:52)
  2. Цветините очи (3:51)
  3. Ангела (4:29)
  4. Болен ми лежи (3:10)
  5. Ерменлио (4:04)
  6. Море сокол пие (4:47)
  7. Песен за Радон войвода (4:30)
  8. Йовано, Йованке (3:49)
  9. Мелнишката мома (2:54)
  10. Тамо ле майко 4:42)
  11. Планино Пирин (2:24)
  12. Македонийо (4:21)
  13. Дайте ми я (3:34)
  14. Слушай как умят шумите (5:39)
  15. Назад, назад, моме Калин) (5:41)
  16. Турчин ми кара (2:49)
  17. Що ми е мило ем драго (3:53)
  18. Зоре, Зоре (4:35)
 

Banski Starcheta — Live in Seattle — December 8, 2023

Photo of 7 members of Banski Starcheta standing on a stage, playing instruments and singing.

In December 2023, Seattle was graced with two live performances by Banski Starcheta in their first visit to the United States, sponsored in part by the Bulgarian Cultural and Heritage Center of Seattle. The night before the community's annual Koleda concert, Banski Starcheta played two sets of songs and dance melodies for a dance party. Two-part vocals by all members were accompanied by strummed tamburas, a gayda (bagpipe) a tarambuka (hourglass-shaped metal drum, played with a hand and a stick), and accordion and clarinet.

The energy from this well-attended evening is palpable in the live recordings from that event. It's especially interesting to see how pieces on their most recent CD are transformed through medleys, spontaneous arrangements, and virtuoso improvisation in the context of lengthy dances. It was quite the celebration.

List of Songs from the two Live Sets (with excerpts)

Set One: 1 hour 16 minutes

  1. Барем се ерджен наодиш и Църно ми око ердженче, инструментал (14:49)
  2. Охридското езеро и Заръчела бела Мента (17:41)
  3. На сърце ми лежи (8:57)
  4. Разви се горо зелена (2:29)
  5. Тръгнала е мома Рума (11:23)
  6. Граовско хоро (8:10)
  7. Копаница (7:02)
  8. Ако умрам ил загинам (7:49)
 

Set Two: 1 hour 17 minutes

  1. Йоване и Ай да идем Яно (13:33)
  2. Елено моме (9:01)
  3. Пайдушко хоро (6:08)
  4. Тодоро либе и На какво съм поле (13:15)
  5. Ех да знаеш, мале (2:24)
  6. Стар мерак и Земи огин, запали ме (8:24)
  7. Пуста младост (2:11)
  8. Право хоро (7:22)
  9. Слушай как шумат шумите и Зарад тебе моме (14:49)
 

To order your downloads of the double CD audio files with lyrics, the live party audio files, or both,
please go to the order page.