Goran Bregovic (Serbia)
Goran Bregovic describes himself simply as a contemporary composer. Why then does his "contemporary" sound different from music of other contemporary composers? Because Goran is from the Balkans. And in the Balkans "contemporary" is different.
What does his orchestra for Weddings and Funerals composed of a gypsy brass band, traditional Bulgarian polyphonies, an electric guitar, traditional percussion, strings and Orthodox Church male singers, read on Bregovic’s score sheets? Echoes from Jewish and Gypsy weddings, chants from Orthodox and Catholic Church, Muslim invocations. His music comes from that terrible frontier where for centuries Catholics, Orthodox Christians and Muslims made war and lived together. Music that our soul recognises instinctively and the body greets with an irresistible urge to dance.