Boyan Ensemble

St. Mary’s Church Monmouth

Thursday 13^th November 2003

On 13^th November, a packed St. Mary’s Church was treated to a dazzling display of Ukrainian male voice singing.  The choir in question was the renowned Boyan Ensemble, which is based in Kiev.  Monmouth was one port of call during a month-long tour of the UK.  Set up in 1991, the members of the choir are mostly drawn from the Revutsky Choir, Ukraine’s leading state male voice choir.  Now twelve years old, the Boyan Ensemble is enjoying a growing international reputation – and with good reason.

The programme consisted of a mesmerising blend of powerful Slavonic liturgical music in the first half and traditional songs from Ukraine’s deep-rooted folk heritage in the second.  The spiritual chanting to start was deeply moving, and it was easy to see the great skill that the choir has, particularly their most perfect tuning and their stunning range of dynamics, and the speed in which they affected the changes of volume.  The second half continued to show the choir off in all its glory, but in different ways.  The lyrical melodies of the traditional songs, coupled with the most precise harmony and some wonderful solos, full of power and enthusiasm, produced a winning combination.  Some of the songs in the second half were also accompanied by traditional Ukrainian instruments, including a Tsimbali, a type of drum, a Bayan, an accordion and a Bandura, a plucked-string instrument.  These give the music a strong sense of rhythm, and an excuse to tap along!

It was easy to see why the Boyan Ensemble were hailed as a “musical sensation” when they first started out.  Each member of the choir must have mastered his vocal technique to perfection for the ensemble to sound as polished as it does.  Oh, those bottom notes…

R. Yip