Folk and Great Tunes from Belarus (2CD)

An installment in the popular “Folk And Great Tunes” series to be released in 2025 on CPL-Music: 21 songs from Belarus—either traditional or with strong traditional influences—as a double CD in a three-panel digisleeve with a 20-page 4-color booklet. What do we really know about folk music in Belarus? And how many artists do you think left the country or were imprisoned following the failed popular uprising of 2020–2021? How many bands may have disappeared? How are the country’s well-known artists faring, and under what conditions are they working today? Elvira Baranovskaya of the band Aratseya and Christian Pliefke cannot provide definitive answers to these questions, but one thing is certain: the 21 songs collected here cover a broad and vibrant musical spectrum, ranging from newcomers to established artists, not only from the Minsk region but also from Brest, Gomel, and Grodno. Folk rock (Aratseya), folk pop (Roskvit), alternative folk (Nevrida), folk fusion (Paparats), folk electronics (Pawa), folk metal (Adarvirog), and many other indescribable sounds—ranging from postmodern to medieval—can be found on this highly recommended compilation.