I became aware of the folk quintet Merema (meaning “Legend”) when they were included on a sampler called “Great Tunes from the World Music Charts Europe.”  A rising talent of the Russian folk music scene, they released Kezeren Koiht (Old Custom) in 2020 as part of their work to save the dying languages of their homeland, the Republic of Mordovia, located between Moscow and the Volga.

In their second album Eryamon’ Kottneva (Spiral of Life), the ensemble’s photo shows five women and two men in the band. The album’s credits, however, only list five musicians – Ekaterina Modina, Natalia Dvoryantseva, Anastasia Startseva, Polina Lobanova, and Max im Ariskin. Despite a nice booklet with lyrics for each song, we’re left wondering about the band’s instruments which appear to be hurdy-gurdy, zither, flutes and others.

Eryamon ́ Koytneva (Spiral of Life) continues Merema’s approach of incorporating Mordovian folkloric tradition and language into artistic contemporary settings. The ensemble’s electronic sounds fit perfectly with traditional folk songs of Mordovia. Formed in Saransk in 2010, Merema refers to themselves as an "ethnographic folklore studio" that conducts field studies in Mordovian villages to preserve the traditions of their home region. And their mission may be timely because these villages are threatened. Recently, only about 40 percent of the inhabitants professed Mordovian nationality while Russians make up the majority of the population. To complicate matters further, the Mordovian population consists of two ethnographic groups (Ersja and Moksch), each with its own written language.

Traveling across their homeland in search of old folk tunes, folk art and costumes, Merema feels compelled to pay respect to their ancestors, ancient languages and Mordovian pride. Merema also uses commercially available Russian kitchen utensils as musical instruments, and traditional drums of the region are no longer produced in the country itself.

On Eryamon Koytneva ́ there are numerous traditional folk tunes from Mordovia. Newly arranged by Merama, they celebrate family, friends and enjoy life. The rousing "Come Kin, Meet Us" celebrates the arrival of the bride and two families uniting through marriage. The spirited "Come My Friends, Come" is about a successfully arranged wedding in the countryside and the celebration that follows. In the cheerful, flute-sounding "Let's Go Steal Some Turnips, My Daughter-in-Law", two female family members are out for jokes and set off to steal beets.

We don’t hear too much about Russian musicians on the world music scene, but some research shows that Merema is a past winner of an “Authentic Award” from the Russian World Music Association, voted on by a Russian and international jury. It certainly seems that Merema’s music will help enhance Russia’s image in the modern world by popularizing its rich culture, music and diversity. Merema’s music may come from Russia with love, and their folk songs may call for building relationships, gatherings, tolerance and unity. However, until the war in Ukraine ends, music from Russia, despite its excellence and quality, may largely fall on deaf ears. In the meantime, I can only say, “Супер! Молодцы!” which means “Super! Molodtsy! Well Done!”  (Joe Ross, Roots Music Report)