Ukrainian Folk Songs with the Guitar. Golden Collection.

The first association caused by the name of this collection is, certainly, the Marenych Trio. In the end, that is justified – therefore, no wonder that a considerable part of the disc is made up by songs performed exactly by them. But it is worth speaking about something different: we have already had a talk focused on the Ukrainian romance once – actually, that this phenomenon in our culture is not too well covered. But it does not mean that the phenomenon has never existed – and the new disc from the "Golden Collection" series evidently demonstrates that there is enough material for researches. And the folk songs represented here can be and should be considered a branch of the romance – as the music constituent is not a reiteration of folk melodies but authors' arrangement of them. In this form the songs were intended, let's say, for chamber and concert performance. It does not eliminate, sure, the "routine use" – but somewhat different aesthetics arise. And it seems to us that it is such aesthetics that determine attribution of that or another song to the domain of the romance – and the text in this sense plays a less important part. It is, sure, possible to contest this point of view. But, at least, due to such discs as this one here the following looks irrefutable: Ukrainian romances are an extraordinarily beautiful, delicate thing deserving attention and respect.