Baklava - Live @ MTV (bootleg)

The baklava is one of the key archetypal geometric shapes and ornaments both in prehistorical artefacts from the Balkan Peninsula and in the visual milieu of the costumes and carps of our ancestors.The baklava is a shape that connects us all.

If you look a little bit closer, you will realise that we are “surrounded” by baklavas. Our first major challenge is to draw this perfect geometric shape in the auditive space.

The baklava is both a powerful and an extremely sweet dessert. Anyone who has ever tasted baklava could not have remained indifferent. Our second major challenge is to penetrate the secrets and recipes of the musical delicacies of the Macedonian folk music tradition.

Baklava is a musical group with a minimalist musical concept: the sound is made by only one female vocal and two string and percussion intruments – the tambura and the bendir. The third major challenge is the musicianship: simplicity and unpretentiousness.

Apart from the remakes of Macedonian folk compositions, Baklava’s worldview is open to other folk traditions as well. But the key challenge is to create original music in a vivid dialogue with the aesthetic achievements of traditional Macedonian music.

Baklava was formed in 2005 as a result of the bond between the individual musical experiences of its members in their personal projects as well as the collaboration with other musicians and bands.
After the launching of their first album, entitled Baklava (2007), Vladimir Martinovski replaced Aleksandar Stamatov (of the first lineup).

Baklava consists of:

ELENA HRISTOVA – vocals, kaval
She plays several instruments (the kaval, the lute, the tambourine). She is familiar with opera, choir and folk singing, most devoted to the latter lately. She is constantly searching for a new, fresh sound both in composing and in interpreting folk songs. She has taken part in various projects, albums and performed in several European countries.

NIKOLA NIKOLOV – tambura
He plays the tambura introducing completely new, contemporary elements in his improvisations. He has been the guitarist in several bands (metal, funk, rock). He plays several instruments, including the guitar in the Plan B jazz band. He gets special credit for the arrangements of the compositions on the Baklava repertory.

VLADIMIR MARTINOVSKI – tambura
He is a student of the great master Pece Atanasovski. He plays several folk instruments. His first attempts in composing and writing lyrics have been in Baklava.

DEJAN SIBINOVSKI – bandir
He is yet another student of Pece Atanasovski. He is self-taught in the art of playing the bandir, by observing the Turkish dervishes, his greater influence being Sabit Tahiri. He can play other instruments as well. He has taken part in several projects and collaborated with various performers. He has written the lyrics for several compositions and is the author of the Baklava music videos.