An introduction to “orthodox celts”

Ott 24, 2010 Attualità, World Wide

mauspray's Picture from Flickr.com

Along with its numerous characteristics, Celtic music can definitely claim the role of being one of the most cosmopolitan music genres. Wether it is due to its reaching the deepest emotions by recalling ancient roots, or simply to its unquestionably mysterious fascination, I’ve tried to understand more about it by chatting with one of the most important celt-bands in Europe. Orthodox Celts, originally from Belgrad, Serbia, thanks to a peculiar attitude combined with professional and thought out musical skills and features, have become through the years an “eminence” within an artistic scene which seems to be gaining more and more relevance as the time goes by. But how does Serbian culture fit into Celtic music? Perhaps we’re not getting deep enough into the issue, so let’s see if Orthodox Celts’s leader Aleksandar Petrović can enlight us out.

Orthodox Celts are nowadays a band with a long and very respectable career
behind them. The idea of a Serbian band performing celtic music has always appeared
to be more than just an eye blinking to the listeners: it rather seems that the work
of the group points to create some sort of connection between different ethnicities,
dragging its strength out of the differences. Is this view upon the band’s work correct,
in your opinion?

Surely it is, but I suppose that every band needs their own impulse or motivation to do so in the very first step. When I say this, I like to force anybody to look at the mirror and ask himself or herself one simple question: „Why are you doing this?“. And, of course, to recognize the answer and admit it. My primary motivation was to express myself through Celtic music as I felt that this sound is a part of me. It can sound strange, but the way I feel Celtic music is exactly the same as when some Napolitan says that „O Sole Mio“ is the part of him. I suppose that Celtic music was MY Music stored somewhere in metaphysical dimension inside me or my memory and just went out when the time was right. The same thing happened to the others in the band and when I look back I can easily say that it was a kind of miracle. Just because in those years when we started the band, in former Yugoslavia only a few number of people knew some facts about Celts, Ireland, Bretagne or their culture, and less than that was listening this kind of music. Throughout the years we found some real musical connections between Serbian and other Celtic and folk music in Europe, as there are some similarities in melodies, rhythms and especially feeling for them in different nowadays nations. And that is the key proof that we surely share the same root, just the time divided us somewhere back in history and made those differencies that we now try to connect. If we have in any way contributed to the opinion that Serbs have some percent of Celtic heritage in their blood than I’m more than proud of it.

Orthodox Celts’ covers of Irish songs are clearly not simple reproductions, but musics
played awarely and with deeply thought out arrangements. So, talking once again about
ethnic roots, how important is the musical construction and personal elaboration in your
work?

Very important. I’d say that it’s the most important point. As I told similarities in different folk music exist, but you have to find them. And everybody carries their own musical personality with them even when playing in the band. Combination of courage to subordinate yourself to a band, skill to subjoin the band to yourself, tenaciousness in following your innerself and listening to music, some different music and more music, and after that even more music, made the Orthodox Celts of us. Not just copy of some other band but true band who have something to say in their own words. We are doing it our way. Everyone of us came with different musical background. Some brought classical music with them, some brought Rock’n’Roll, some came with Brit-pop, Country, Folk, Punk, Heavy Metal. And we’ve never thrown off good things, no matter which source they came from. We used all the good things we’ve picked up along the road and built them into our own style. Seven extremely different personalities in the same band doing perfectly together. Sounds impossible? I wouldn’t say so.

Celtic music in 2010: nothing but fun or, more than that, rather a value to carry on?

When I started singing in the Orthodox Celts 18 years ago I told to the rest of the band something like this: „When I find myself not feeling fun and joy on the stage, I’ll stop doin’ this and go home“ and I still have that attitude. If you loose that feeling when it’s fun for you it’s senseless and absurd to carry on. It’s only business then, it leaves less then M of music, and I want to avoid that. Luckily, I love this so much, maybe even more then at the bigining if it’s possible, and the chance of finishing this story is less then none. I am the Orthodox Celt! We are the Orthodox Celts!

Enrico De Zottis

• ORTHODOX CELTS