Having extensively toured their shows in the UK and around the world, Karen is wooing audiences not only with her natural theatricality and life affirming playful energy, but also with her “seriously impressive, mezzo-soprano voice: one that would not be out of place on the opera stage.” (The Living Tradition). Karen Pfeiffer burst on the British folk scene only four years ago as one half of the Anglo-German duo Paul Walker & Karen Pfeiffer. Odette has since appeared at Celtic Connections, has headlined two solo UK tours and was winner of the 'Female Artist of The Year' at the 2019 FATEA Awards. Her 2019 debut album 'The Wildest Rose' was met with critical acclaim, making several of the end of year best-of lists. Odette Michell is an award-winning British folk singer and songwriter who's sound is deeply rooted in the English folk tradition. Jason Emberton (production) and Phil Beer (recording fiddle) lend their talents to the single. The haunting, moody arrangement of the song frames its stinging and relevant commentary on lad culture, toxic masculinity and violence against women. Odette, Karen and Daria aim to carry on this legacy, giving Stenka's victim a voice. The celebrated Polish singer Anna German was the first to challenge this, recording a version drenched in sadness and resentment on behalf of all women. Male interpretations of the song invariably glamourise its legendary antihero, making him either an almost tragic figure whose hand was forced by the duty to lead his men, or a reckless, wicked, but charismatic daredevil. The original ballad recounts a shocking episode from the life of the rebel Cossack leader Stepan (Stenka) Razin, documented by the Dutch traveller Jan Struis - when taunted by his merry men about 'going soft' over a captive Persian princess, drunken Stenka responds by callously throwing her overboard, into the Volga River, in a display of his 'masculinity'. It's a striking twist on the well-known Russian murder ballad Stenka Razin - a song usually sung with a macho flair by operatic male voices, and also popular in its harmless guise as The Seekers' sentimental rewrite (The Carnival Is Over). Their debut single, The Cossack's Bride, aims to showcase the uniqueness of this cross-cultural, multilingual collaboration, turning familiar folk tunes into something fresh and powerful. Michell, Pfeiffer & Kulesh is a new all-female close harmony trio bringing together the exciting talents of Odette Michell, Karen Pfeiffer and Daria Kulesh. *debut single available to pre-order now*
The Cossack's Bride by Michell, Pfeiffer & Kulesh
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