Staritsa: Klyukva

On the world map of folk music, Russia has so far been largely uncharted territory here, with a few exceptions. Yet there is so much to discover! After all, more than 150 different ethnic groups are represented within the Russian Federation. Many of them live in autonomous republics and regions and have absolutely nothing to do with the image we in Western Europe have of “typical Russia.” STARITSA is a duo from the Russian region of Belgorod, located about 70 kilometers from the Ukrainian metropolis of Kharkiv. NATALIA SOLDAITKINA and OLEG SOLDAITKIN founded STARITSA as recently as the summer of 2019. Their debut album, “Klyukva,” draws its power, vitality, and originality from the fact that the two musicians draw inspiration from traditional songs of the region and reinterpret them.