This is a original arrangement and composition based on 13th century liturgical chant. It was recorded many years ago, yet I am posting it now in dedication to the passing of a dear, sweet friend, Breanna LeVine. Remembering how she loved this song and how music carried her spirit so beautifully, I offer this as yet another prayer for the passage of her soul to be carried beyond all further pain and suffering, into her true nature of brilliant, beaming, love and light. This is a prayer for her spirit's rebirth into a world where she may be truly united with divine love and be filled with the joy and laughter that radiated within her. Goodbye, beautiful, brilliant one. 


Kyrie Eleison

San Francisco Bay Area based world music ensemble, Stellamara, travels to the Island of Crete and emerges with their new album, "The Golden Thread."  In collaboration with the European legends, Ross Daly and Kelly Thoma, and with NY-based cellist Rufus Cappadocia, "The Golden Thread" is immersed in otherworldly melodies, deep musical meditations, and astonishing improvisations. With her extraordinarily intricate, siren-like voice, Sonja Drakulich carries the listener on a journey into realms of beauty both deeply known and yet undiscovered. "The Golden Thread" travels beyond any derivations or trends in world music, diving deeply into a felt experience of the divine. This is Stellamara's third CD release, and it exceeds all expectations. It is a truly masterful creation.


Each masterful release by Stellamara has appeared years apart, but the treasures and rewards are well worth the wait. Led by the exquisitely gifted singer Sonja Drakulich, with her Hungarian and Serbian ancestry, this group runs on a feverish energy that always stops sufficiently short of frenetic, although they never lack intensity. Right from the start, the virtuoso playing of the members of Stellamara becomes ever-present, while the stellar interplay lends an even greater power to their wonderful web of sound. You'll find yourself wishing for an even stronger vocal emphasis if only because of the magnificent vehicle of vocal expression that Sonja possesses. Her voice is at a never-ending peak of clarity and luminosity, from soft, distant and tailing off into the night, to lively and ignited by fires that burn brightly within. At times she may bring to mind Lisa Gerrard, Loreena McKennit or Azam Ali, but the magnificent way she uses her voice is hers alone. There is no lack of power or presence in this intricately realized music, and those who favor Balkan, Medieval, Persian, Arabic, Greek, Turkish or Far Eastern music will find themselves captured quite easily in the free-flowing marvel that is created. Gari Hegedus has a repertoire that utilizes various Eastern modal systems, and he plays Oud, Baglama, and Mandocello proficiently, taking each passage to a soulful level of modern passion. Cellist Rufus Cappadocia, percussionist Tobias Roberson and clarinet player Peter Jaques join in the sublime magic, moving the music from evocative to inward while driven with a balance that is carefully maintained yet not controlled. Featured as well are two Lyra players (a small pear-shaped upright fiddle from Crete): Irish-born Ross Daly (who also plays Baglama, Divan Saz, Tarbu and African Rebab) and Kelly Thoma (she is also part of the group Labyrinth w/Daly). There is a deeply devotional sense to this music which ebbs and flows from faraway places and times, making for a listening experience that is quite remarkable and unforgettable.

—Lloyd Barde, Common Ground Magazine 


01 Prelude

02 Aman Doktor

03 Misklotc

San Francisco Bay Area based world music ensemble, Stellamara, travels to the Island of Crete and emerges with their new album, "The Golden Thread."  In collaboration with the European legends, Ross Daly and Kelly Thoma, and with NY-based cellist Rufus Cappadocia, "The Golden Thread" is immersed in otherworldly melodies, deep musical meditations, and astonishing improvisations. With her extraordinarily intricate, siren-like voice, Sonja Drakulich carries the listener on a journey into realms of beauty both deeply known and yet undiscovered. "The Golden Thread" travels beyond any derivations or trends in world music, diving deeply into a felt experience of the divine. This is Stellamara's third CD release, and it exceeds all expectations. It is a truly masterful creation.


Each masterful release by Stellamara has appeared years apart, but the treasures and rewards are well worth the wait. Led by the exquisitely gifted singer Sonja Drakulich, with her Hungarian and Serbian ancestry, this group runs on a feverish energy that always stops sufficiently short of frenetic, although they never lack intensity. Right from the start, the virtuoso playing of the members of Stellamara becomes ever-present, while the stellar interplay lends an even greater power to their wonderful web of sound. You'll find yourself wishing for an even stronger vocal emphasis if only because of the magnificent vehicle of vocal expression that Sonja possesses. Her voice is at a never-ending peak of clarity and luminosity, from soft, distant and tailing off into the night, to lively and ignited by fires that burn brightly within. At times she may bring to mind Lisa Gerrard, Loreena McKennit or Azam Ali, but the magnificent way she uses her voice is hers alone. There is no lack of power or presence in this intricately realized music, and those who favor Balkan, Medieval, Persian, Arabic, Greek, Turkish or Far Eastern music will find themselves captured quite easily in the free-flowing marvel that is created. Gari Hegedus has a repertoire that utilizes various Eastern modal systems, and he plays Oud, Baglama, and Mandocello proficiently, taking each passage to a soulful level of modern passion. Cellist Rufus Cappadocia, percussionist Tobias Roberson and clarinet player Peter Jaques join in the sublime magic, moving the music from evocative to inward while driven with a balance that is carefully maintained yet not controlled. Featured as well are two Lyra players (a small pear-shaped upright fiddle from Crete): Irish-born Ross Daly (who also plays Baglama, Divan Saz, Tarbu and African Rebab) and Kelly Thoma (she is also part of the group Labyrinth w/Daly). There is a deeply devotional sense to this music which ebbs and flows from faraway places and times, making for a listening experience that is quite remarkable and unforgettable.

—Lloyd Barde, Common Ground Magazine 


04 Yemen Türküsü

03 Miskolc

07 Odam Kireç

ZABLEJALO MI AGANCE
Lyrics and vocal melody: traditional Bulgarian 
Music and arrangement: Sonja Drakulich and Gari Hegedus

The baby lamb in the stable begins to cry. All the sheep cry with him.
The shepherd asked the lamb, “Why do you cry and make the whole field cry?”
The baby lamb answers, “I’ve searched everywhere for my mother and cannot find her.”
The shepherd replies, “Yesterday, three treasurers passed by and gave me a palm of gold 
for her. I sold your mother.”
The baby lamb cries, “Don’t you remember? My mother was the one who 
saved your entire heard of sheep from the flood. She was the one that led them to dry land. 
You promised my mother horns of gold and hooves of silver and to never be slain.”
The shepherd remembers his promises. He picks up his kaval, begins to play and cries.


03 Zablejalo mi agance

STRUMICA
Music and arrangement: Sonja Drakulich
Lyrics and partial melody: traditional Bulgarian 

“Master builder Manole, are you the one who built this bridge
 over the raging river Struma? Are you the one who built such a
 strong bridge over Strumica’s Shadow?”
This song dates far back into Balkan lore, referring to the belief that the soul of the deceased could be captured into a building or bridge, making it strong for future generations.  


Stellamara

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