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“a connection which is not stopping from the past and goes and goes and maybe it’s the circle and maybe it’s an unstoppable line – but oh it’s a really great feeling.” Vanda Bakuradze
Delve deep into the culture, mythology and stories of Svaneti :-
- Hear from two young singers from ensemble Lalkhor, who say they could not live without ‘perkhuli’, the ritual round dance.
- Take a fireside seat to hear the legend of the pagan goddess Dali and hunter Betkil.
- Swim in the land between reality and myth at the Folk Centre.
Rituals of the Singing Village
Chamgeliani Sisters
- How do you welcome the souls of your ancestors?
- Why are wolves sacred?
- Can you sing and dance through grief?
An audio journey to the highest mountains of Georgia – Svaneti. We meet Ana, Madona and Eka Chamgeliani, three sisters keeping the ancient traditions of their village, Lakhushdi, alive.
Recent Podcast Episodes
Nino Kalandadze Makharadze Remembered
“Nino was like a fish in water amongst all the musical genres of Georgian folk, but especially so amongst the lullabies.”
Voices of the Ancestors podcast tribute to Nino Kalandadze-Makaradze, a respected ethnomusicologist, editor and singer with ensemble Mzetamze.
On folk instruments with Nino Razmadze
Can you tell your changis from your chuniris from your chonguris? You’ll often see one of them in the hands of Trio Mandili. Don’t worry, our guest Nino Razmadze talks us through all the folk instruments of Georgia.
Our chat touches on:-
- The spiritual significance of instruments in rituals.
- Embroidery designs
- the Bate Collection of musical Instruments in Oxford
Voices of Our Grandmothers with guest Tamar Buadze and interpreter Zoé Perret. Part 2
One of Tamar’s former students tells us what it was like to grow up in a folk choir, and tells us (one version of) the story behind the Abkhazian song Varado. But best of all Tamar shares with us the tone-bending voice of her Megrelian grandmother.
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This is what the Georgian language looks like :-
პოდკასტ (ციფრული.აუდიო ფაილი ინტერნეტში) „წინაპართა ხმები”-ის ფარგლებში ჰოლი და სიუზანი ესაუბრებიან ქართული მრავალხმიანი სიმღერების ქალ შემსრულებლებს, როგორც საქართველოში, ისე მის ფარგლებს გარეთ. ისინი ერთად განიხილავენ სიმღერების მოგზაურობის ისტორიებსა და მასთან დაკავშირებულ ამბებს. პოდკასტის მასპინძლები დიდ ბრიტანეთში ცხოვრობენ, სტუმრები კი მსოფლიოს სხვადასხვა ქვეყნიდან არიან მოწვეული. ყოველი მხრიდან, სადაც ფოლკლორის მოყვარულებს ქართულ ჰარმონიებთან აქვთ შეხება
In the above, we speak to our Georgian readers about Voices of the Ancestors, a ‘georgian podcast’ in the english language.
Reviews
Alistair, listener and Ko-fi supporter
“This podcast helped me to join the dots of many a story. The episode with Joan Mills of CPR was so moving, I had to stop driving to cry. I really would love to hear another series! 9.8.2022″
bee_franz, early adopter – 5 Star Apple Review
“This is such an interesting podcast, featuring beautiful voices, stories and songs from Georgia. Full of emotion, heart and wonderful music. I had no knowledge of this topic before listening, but love hearing from the people, teachers and singers of these traditional songs – a hidden gem of the world.” 12.12.2020
Derek Wilcox, singer with Chela & Buska, Maspindzeli
“Voices of the Ancestors enables Georgian singers to share their lives with us, the listeners, who are given a unique and personal insight into their music. I definitely feel a real part of a family of Georgian singers in the UK, helping this community to prosper and grow, creating connections to many Georgian singers both in the UK and in Georgia.” 4.8.2022
Trailer
Press the “Play” icon top left, or on mobile use “Listen in browser” option for quick access.
Voices of the Ancestors presented JOURNEY OF GEORGIAN SONGS – Ensemble Stumrebi Audience Review 9th July 2022 “It is always a great delight to attend the Willow Globe performances and I booked to see Journey of Georgian Songs because I knew nothing about this music. It was very different but in a good way, I am very pleased that I booked to see it. The singers were very accomplised and brought the new (to me) sounds and stories to life. So the evening was a very enjoyable experience.”
Enjoying the podcast? Please give us a review on iTunes. It really helps to get the show out to more people and grow the community. Just pop over to Voices of the Ancestors on the iTunes website to do that.