Toloka

When I first visited Poland in 1990 it was a real thrill to discover some of the beautiful wooden Boyko churches with domes like overturned cups in the south-east of the country. The Boyko, like the Hutsul and Lemko, are a Ukrainian minority in Poland and their architecture and culture is now much more visible and accessible than it was then, thanks to groups like the Saint Nicholas Orchestra.

Wernyhora are a new group, based in Sanok, who won first prize in Polish Radio’s New Tradition competition in 2021 and recorded this debut album in March this year. The striking vocals are sung by Daria Kosiek accompanied by Anna Oklejewicz on fiddle (and other bowed strings) and Maciej Harna on hurdy-gurdy and bagpipe, with guests on percussion and bass guitar. The 11 tracks here are earthy arrangements of traditional Boyko and Lemko songs. Some like ‘When the Mother of God Walked the World’ and ‘Oi, Sobosiu, Soboseiko’ have a haunting beauty. The final song, ‘Zurba’ (Sorrow) sounds like the sort of melody that might have been sung by the Red Army Choir, but Wernyhora’s arrangement is spare and tragic and notes the current fighting in Ukraine.