Jazz, Macedonian Folk Dances And Classical Music

Ognenovski's blend of art music, folk and jazz exemplifies the conundrum of genre in latter 20th-century Central Europe. A virtuoso of the clarinet as well as the reed pipe, bagpipes and the zurla, an oboe double-reed brought to Macedonia by the Turks, he sounds most delightful on the six Oros here. The complicated, slowly climaxing dance "Nevenino Oro" moves often in a 2+2+3 rhythm that changes with each theme's development. His "Concert for Clarinet No. 1" develops single lines over multiple voices with less verve, but allows for greater contemplation as he plays with each instrument's timbre.