In 1951 Bulgarian composer Philip Koutev, established the Ensemble of the Bulgarian Republic in an attempt to preserve unique polyphonic singing of the Bulgarian countryside. A year later, the Communist authorities founded the Bulgarian State Radio and Television Female Vocal Choir in a similar vein. But it took Swiss producer Marcel Cellier to combine these communist-era "folkloric choirs," and bring them to the world's attention, with a series of albums released under the Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares title.
The first release came in 1975, and attracted some interest to this haunting sound. But the world wasn't quite ready for the Bulgarians just yet, and it wasn't until 1989 – coinciding with the end of the Cold War – that they finally got their due. That year's Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares II piqued international attention, with it's harrowing harmonies and epic laments. The album was a surprise international hit, and won a GRAMMY in 1990 – a year before the Academy introduced the World Music category. In 1994, the choir was nominated for a second GRAMMY for the album Rituals.
Today, the combined, multigenerational choir continues to record and tour under the guidance of choirmaster Dora Hristova. – Tom Pryor