Balkan Melodie

Running time: 92 mins

Some of the most beautiful music in the world, and the devoted couple who brought it to us. Known and loved for decades by aficionados, the Bulgarian Women singers ("Le mystere des voix Bulgares"), Zamfir and others were completely unknown in the West in the 1950s when two young lovers Marcel & Catherine Cellier first visited behind the Iron Curtain. Their love for each other and for this music is one and the same; their field recordings are treasured examples of this much beloved music.

What Swiss director Stefan Schweitert did for accordion music and for yodeling (Accordion Tribe, Cinequest, 2005; Echoes of Home, Cinequest 2008) he now does for traditional Balkan music. This wonderful film is also a love story - and a door into a world of musical wonders. - Charlie Cockey