Collection of Traditional Musics 31: Peasant Brass Bands From Moldavia

This is the 31st disc in the remarkable collection of recordings of traditional Romanian music started by the late Speranța Rădulescu with the Museum of the Romanian Peasant around the turn of the millennium. This 13-piece band come from Valea Mare, a village about 30km from Zece Prăjini where internationally famous Fanfare Ciocărlia are based.

The album's 28-page booklet in Romanian and English outlines how, since the revolution of 1989 and wide availability of electric keyboards, the number of local bands has shrunk from a dozen to three. One requirement specific to the region is knowing the favourite marches of each of the guests at a wedding and playing them as they arrive – quite a challenge for the leader, Costel ‘Şarambel’ Alexandru. This disc deliberately selects the older-style traditional dances heard at weddings like the hora, sărba and bătută, played pretty fast. There's also the imitation of a bagpipe tune, three pieces usually played for the Roma communities – most of these musicians are Gypsies – and three ‘field recordings’ from a wedding in 2017. Although the tradition may be diminished, there's still fiery music to be heard in eastern Romania, although the recording sounds rather compressed.