Esma Redzepova was known throughout Eastern Europe and the Balkans as “the queen of the Gypsies”. She was exuberant like her music. She sang and danced with a special feeling and had a vibrant voice that fascinated everyone.
She was born in a small town near Skopje, the capital of Macedonia, where director Emile Kusturica filmed The Time of the Gypsies. His music was only available on cassettes.
Esma Redzepova has been performing since the age of twelve and was discovered by the famous musician, composer and conductor Stevo Teodosievski, who became her mentor, musical partner and later husband.
Their ensemble has become one of the most popular groups in the Balkan region. They made hundreds of recordings together, many of which went “gold.” They have toured extensively, filling concert halls and stadiums in Europe, Australia, China, Pakistan, Africa and the Middle East.
During their life together, Stevo and Esma adopted 47 orphans and street children into their home, which became a folk music school. Esma continued her career after Stevo’s death in 1997, continuing to perform with the Teodosievski Ensemble.
Consisting of members of Stevo and Esma’s music school, Esma’s band consisted of Simeon Atanasov (accordion), Elvis Huna (bass accordion), Tasko Grujovski (double bass), Zekiroski Sami (clarinet), Zahir Ramadanov (trumpet) and Elama Rasidov (darbouka).
Esma Redzepova’s songs were the musical expression of her love for Macedonia and her Gypsy roots. His music sounded like typical melodies from the Balkan mountains with a particular protagonist of violin, clarinet and accordion and with influences from India, Persia and Spain, creating an exciting, joyful atmosphere and sensual.
Esma was a real star in the Balkan countries. For more than twenty-five years, she has performed on the most important stages in the world. She also starred in several films and was a great ambassador of Macedonian gypsy culture around the world.
Esma Redzepova died on December 11, 2016 in Skopje, Macedonia.
Partial discography
Esma Redzepova has made numerous recordings on cassette, LP and CD on different labels: Jugoton, Balkanton, IFIS “Glas”, Melos, Sportska knjiga, RTB, Monitor and Studio B. Below you will find some of her current albums available.
* Songs of a Macedonian Gypsy (Monitor MON71496, 1994/World Connection, 1998)
* Chaje Shukarije (Europe: World Connection/United States: Times Square Records)
* Pomedju dva zivota / Between two lives (Kaliopi Music)
* Romske pesme (PGP-RTS, 2000)
* My story, My story (Cross Chords, 2007)
* Gypsy Rug (Network, 2007)
Videos
Gypsy caravan (2007) features Esma as one of five Roma musical groups on their tour across the United States of America.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. Additionally, Angel is the co-founder of Transglobal table of world music, a panel of world music DJs and writers celebrating global sounds. Additionally, he entered the recording business, producing albums and compilations of world music in the studio. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.