Review: 'Ritual' is an unusual recording for the Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir. For one thing, two male guest artists make appearances on two of the songs and a measure of instrumentation on half a dozen tunes includes one instrumental (gasp!). It's a wonderful dance tune which only enhances the feel of the recording dealing mostly with tunes meant for St. Lazar's Day and also Christmas carols. This recording (1994) is the first studio album since the group's two Le Mystere anthologies of the late 1980's. The tradition established by Philip Koutev in the 1950's of applying the compositional methods of concert practice to folk material is still the origin of the famous sound of this choir, now directed by Dora Hristova. Another fascinating aside on this recording is the group singing "A Jewish Triptych (Sephardic)" composed and arranged by Nikolai Kaufmann. This is glorious music that anyone literate in world music should know.

Songlist: Houbava milka, Pesen na put, Koledarska pesen, Trakiisko nastoenie, Lazarski bouenets, Nazdrave ti, chorbadjiio, Shopski tantsek, La rosa en floresa, A senora novia, Lamenta, Bulgarski einicheski meloii, Moma houbava, Vurba, Za mlado momiche, Mur stho sme se razigrali, Tebe peem-za ovchariya, Ai nazdrave, Zhalba za lazar