Grigore Lese - Song from Lapus is the title of the most recent album released in October 2009 in the prestigious traditional music collection Ocora, issued by Radio France and distributed by Harmonia Mundi Records. As a part of the partnership with the European Broadcasting Union, Radio Romania has presented with the help of Radio Romania Music (Department of International Musical Exchanges) remarkable audio recordings with Grigore Lese, selected from the audio library of the Romanian public radio. It is the third album in the Ocora collection which has Romania as main theme but it is the first record based exclusively on the recordings provided by Radio Romania.

Grigore Lese, a well-known name in the Romanian culture, was born in Lapus County-Maramures, a region whose traditions have been taken over by Grigore Lese, who passes them on, as he is a skilful folklore performer. He is one of the few people who know the vocal technique of the "hora with gutural inflections". Grigore Lese considers that the return to origins means performing music in an archaic manner and singing forgotten ceremonial songs which still keep the memory of the myth alive. Being fascinating for people belonging to all categories and age groups and provoking for the young due to their force of expression, the concerts of Grigore Lese represent real events in the Romanian cultural life.

For this album Radio Romania Music has selected representative songs, carols, doinas from Lapus County and Gruia Stoia, a famous specialist in the domain of traditional music, has written a presentation text .

Radio France is the initiator and the issuer of the Ocora traditional music collection, a project that benefits from the partnership concluded with the European Broadcasting Union. In 2009, Radio France issued two albums of traditional music in Ocora series - one is dedicated to Romania, the second to Portugal.

Radio Romania Music offers everyone the opportunity to listen to this special album via a stream on demand (an alternative online station), which can be accessed on its website muzical.radioromania.ro



Translated by Claudia Haralambie and Valentina Tache
MA students, MTTLC, Bucharest University