The Banatian music...

… has entered the public's consciousness starting to the `80s of the last century, especially because of some intense polemics, in the middle of which were the Serbian influences, which had become quite strong at that time. Above those aspects, which we shall call aesthetic, the Banatian folk music impresses especially through its vitality and, last but not least, through its pregnant, unmistakably and impressing Balkanic heterophony, which is born by the simultaneous overlapping of two distinctive versions of the same melody, during the interpretation of the soloistic instruments of the folk music bands and fanfares of that region. The melodies of the Banatian dances have generic names such as Sorocul, De doi and Pe picior, but also general ones, such as, Brâul and Ardeleana, which they first reveal their diversity and richness.

The dance music from Transylvania …

… is so complex that it can't be fully comprehended unless it is fathomed gradually, concentrically and systematic, by successive comebacks, auditions and (especially that!) witnessing the traditional dances, which are still performed in that Romanian multicultural land. The folk music bands specific to the Transylvanian Plain and the areas adjacent to it is the Transylvanian String Trio, a band which encompasses the violin, the viola and the contrabass. Each instrument of this ensemble has a well-established and determinant role in its sonorous activity: melodic, harmonic and rhythmic. The Transylvanian dances are numerous and express that unity in the stylistic diversity specific to the Romanian oral culture from that area. There are match and maidenly dances, which have generic names such as Ardeleana and Învârtita, but also individualized dances, present only in this region, such as Românește, Purtata, Țarina, Bărbuncul and Feciorește. The asymmetric rhythm and the inequality of the succession of durations and the unusual modal harmonies are only a few of the elements which concur with the definition of a unique style for the dances in the Transylvanian Plane.

Crisana …

… is the largest traditional land in western Romanian, comprising ethnographic areas with defining particularities, from south to north, such as Zarandul, Aradului Plain, Crișul and Codru Rivers. Situated in perimeters of stylistic interference, the representative music of this land often has various shapes of kaleidoscopic expression, with obvious influences from the neighboring lands. Less usual instruments, such as, the horn-violin (in Bihor county) or special configurations of it, using the principle of progressive activation of the rhythms and of the movements (in the Codru county) in suites are just two examples from the large number which catches the listener's interest through these traditional music styles from Crișana.

Thus, I invite you to discover together the fascinating universe of the Romanian oral culture on Sunday, 1^st February, 2015, starting at 19:00, during the Traditional Music programme.