Svjata Vatra

Svjata Vatra is an Estonian-Ukrainian folkband.
The musicians themselves call their style „firefolk“. The band’s composition is unique: the temperamental trombone together with the Estonian bagpipes produce amazing sound patterns. Duduk’s deep southern tones bring in more distant melodies and the dialogue with the northern horn sweeps away even the last shadows of cultural barriers. The melancholy accordion balances and ties the wind and percussion instruments (djembe, tarbuka and buhalo) together. This results in fiery non-Nordic masculine energy that cannot but impress everyone.The Estonian and Ukrainian folk songs and tunes have new arrangements, whereas the authors‘ pieces have sprung from personal experiences.
Svjata Vatra is like a sizzling campfire, giving light and warmth yet burning no one.
Ruslan graduated from the Ukrainian National Conservatoire as a trombone player. He has played five years in Ukrainian folk rock band Haydamaky. It was Ruslan who initiated Svjata Vatra and is the leader of the band. He combines his very special charismatic trombone playing style with intense vocals and Georgian duduki, using scythe for rhythm.
Kulno studies accordion in the folk music department in Tartu University Viljandi Culture Academy and is an expert in Estonian traditional dances. He also plays The Estonian bagpipes and karmoshka. Kulno is the harmony of the band. There is a melancholy note in even the most passionate pieces…
Juss is a graduate of the Tartu University Viljandi Culture Academy’s folk music department, specializing in national wind instruments. Having acquired his M.A. degree in Norway, he now works as a lecturer in Viljandi Culture Academy. Juss plays folk wind instruments – Estonian bagpipes, jew’s harps, whistles, horns etc.
Silver has graduated from the jazz music department of Tartu University Viljandi Culture Academy as a singer but has also become interested in estonian and finno-ugrian traditional music. Silver is looking for ways to express himself on various percussion instruments and is delighted to connect with old songs as well as new ones.
Kalle studies drums and percussion instruments in the jazz music department of Tartu University Viljandi Culture Academy. In addition to present day jazz, pop & rock music he is also interested in the traditional music of different countries and various musical streams. In Svjata Vatra Kalle plays a West-African djembe which, together with Silver's darbuka, forms the rhythmical foundation and driving force of the band’s music.
In 2006 the band released its first CD „Svjata Vatra“ . Folk World CD Review
The first thing that I notice about this cd is the beautiful cardboard packing it has. Nice print and really taken care of. If the music is as nice as the sleeve... Svjata Vatra is founded by the Ukrainian musician Ruslan Trochynskyi, who was a member of the Haydamaky group, a once legendary band. He started to play with students of the Viljandi culture academy in Estonia. The result is this group Svjata Vatra in which Trochynskyi, together with three other musicians, bring both the Estonian and Ukrainian tradition alive. The basics are the Ukraine oral tradition and the Estonian runo songs and bagpipe tradition. They mix these styles in a very effective and creative way. The cd starts with a beautiful song called Esimene mida ma. A sad accordion, a mystical flute and intense vocals make this a very melancholic song. Followed by the dance tune Tantsulugu which has a nice brass sound with some Celtic touches. Great is also the Estonian Ma olin enne nuori miesi, which is so typical for the Estonian area that it will not easy be mixed up with any other style. This song contains some nice, very earthy male harmony vocals and has a strong drive. On the Ukrainian traditional piece, Kelle hobune seal seisab, you can hear the same typical Ukrainian melancholic as in the opening tune. This song is very nice and brought right out of the heart. Voortants is a dance out of the Estonian bagpipe tradition with uplifting percussion. Almost at the end of the cd the group makes a short trip to Armenia with the Armenian traditional song Armeenialugu. A very nice tune with more oriental influences, clearly from another part of the world than Ukraine and Estonia, but a strong addition to the cd. So I can conclude that it’s not only the sleeve that is beautiful. Svjata Vatra recorded an intriguing cd of high quality. I think they found a perfect balance between Ukrainian sadness and Estonian down to earth mentality. (Eelco Schilder)

March, 28-29 at Viljandi, opening of Estonian Traditional Music Centr, Estonia
April, 17-18 at Moskva (European Day), Russian Federation
July 26-27 at Viljandi Folk Music Fest, Estonia
August, 2 at Urkult fest, Sweden