Instead of Whom Does the Flower Bloom

Vlado Kreslin -  Foto: Nejc Hötzl

Kreslin was born in the village of Beltinci in the Prekmurje region of Slovenia, then part of Yugoslavia.  He began his musical career in his student years, first coming to acclaim as the lead singer with the rock group Martin Krpan.  He later continued playing a mixture of Slovene folk and rock music with the Beltinška Banda, a folk group from his native village, whose other members were all over 70 years old, and the group Mali Bogovi. Both groups (with him) often perform together, mixing several generations onstage together.

Under our sun this can't be done

It is not the way of things

That a tree should blossom

And grow strong into the sky

"Kreslin's poetry is a beautiful aesthetic experience, evocative and subtle, particularly rich in natural imagery. There are clear themes that run like veins throughout it: the Mura River (which winds through Prekmurje), the ubiquitous storks of Prekmurje and other avian images, an appreciation for gypsy culture (particularly their musical traditions), trans-generational and trans-cultural inspiration, mist and stars. One might imagine the poems best read in the early morning hours, on the mist-spread banks of the Mura."  

One of the Balkan's most beloved folk rock musicians and a national institution in Slovenia, Vlado Kreslin's 30-year career has spanned performances with Bob Dylan and R.E.M. in concerts around the world. But his greatest legacy is the unification of disparate and often warring factions within former Yugoslavia, by bringing together their regional music and combining it within his own impassioned compositions. Kreslin is a unifying artist, beloved and iconic not only among Slovenes but throughout the Balkans. Kreslin's is a poetry of political healing, binding the wounds suffered in the Balkans after the end of Socialism. He has been variously compared to other musician/poets, 20th century troubadours, including Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Woody Guthrie.

Interview with Vlado Kreslin