Concert by Raphael Rogiński and Serbian Musicians as part of the Guitar Art Festival

BURA – Album Presentation and Concert Tour by Raphael Rogiński and Serbian Musicians

“Bura” is derived from the Greek boréas and appears in many European languages as a term for a gusty wind. The Serbian bura, Slovenian burja, and Italian bora all correspond to the Polish burza, meaning "storm." In every version, it's a violent phenomenon born of the meeting of elemental forces. That’s exactly what this music embodies – raw power, unrestrained and unconventional. It was created by four virtuosos from Poland and Serbia: guitarist and composer Raphael Rogiński, pianist Marina Džukljev, violinist Tijana Golubović, and vocalist Svetlana Spajić.

BURA is conceived as a tribute to the shared yet often unconscious or suppressed cultural elements and codes that form the archaic cultural fabric of Central and Eastern Europe. The album features both deconstructed and reinterpreted traditional Serbian songs as well as original compositions set to the texts of Sufi masters, which had already been translated into Serbian two centuries ago. Another equally important intention behind the project is to reclaim traditional motifs for contemporary music – motifs that have been co-opted by nationalist cultural narratives.

Born from a deep engagement with musical and poetic heritage, the album was recorded in Serbia in November 2024 with the support of the Polish Institute in Belgrade. It will be released in the second quarter of 2025 by the Polish label Instant Classic. The concert tour promoting this collaboration is planned for June 2025, starting with the opening concert at the National Theatre in Belgrade as part of the Guitar Art Festival. The tour will also include four performances in Serbia’s key cultural centers: Subotica, Novi Sad, Pančevo and Sombor.

Raphael Rogiński is a guitarist, composer, performer, improviser, cultural animator, and music folklore researcher. Trained in both jazz and classical music, he also studied musicology and ethnomusicology. This combination defines both the compositional and performance style of his work. He is the co-founder of the trio Shofar, leader of the bands Cukunft, Alte Zachen, and Wovoka, and participant in many other music projects. Rogiński works to revive Jewish culture and music in Poland while promoting multiculturalism and openness to difference. He has collaborated with artists such as Noël Akchoté, Mikołaj Trzaska, Macio Moretti, and Wacław Zimpel, as well as with a host of musicians and performers from Ukraine, the Balkans, the Caucasus, and Central Asia.