Romanian gypsy music offers zing and swing
Kathy Petite, Contributor, Singapore
A spontaneous blast of excitement emanated from the audience at a performance by Taraf de Haidouks at Jubilee Hall, Singapore, on June 22.
Originating from the small Romanian village of Clejani near Bucharest, this group, whose name means "band of honorable brigands", provided a rich feast of music, dance and theater at the 30th Singapore Arts Festival, which ran from May 25 through June 24 this year.
Singapore Arts Festival director Goh Ching Lee said they were the "true blue" of Romanian Gypsy bands that still have purity and originality. "I've been trying to contact them for four years but since they travel a lot, it's been a challenge to get them here."
The effort was truly worth it. The show lasted for 110 minutes with an intermission -- but never could one sense any decrease in energy that radiated from the eight colorful, warm, eccentric characters who created invigorating tunes from violins, accordions, cimbalom (a stringed instrument struck by two light hammers), bass and vocals.
The audience was transported by and immersed in intense medieval ballads -- Turkish-flavored tunes from the Balkans.
It was not easy to comprehend the complexity of the tunes as they darted and zigzagged with trills and precisely articulated repeated notes. But there were quieter parts, too, that created a more sentimental mood.
In the second part, the audience was treated to music with a stronger Turkish and Arabic flavor that was both exotic and fascinating.