Rustico

This album is quietly radical. It features three skilled Hungarian folk musicians in unusual arrangements of tunes from different parts of the Carpathian Basin. Singer Júlia Kubinyi is accompanied by Ferenc Zimber on cimbalom and Balázs Szokolay Dongó on various flutes and bagpipe. This is not a traditional ensemble, which is why it sounds so fresh.

The disc opens with a tune on shepherd's flute, which is then backed by virtuoso scales and rhythmic chords on the cimbalom. There's a helter-skelter of notes before the pace slows for the beautiful opening melody ‘Napom, Napom’ three minutes in. The arrangements are kept pretty sparse, often with just one instrument accompanying the voice. The melodies come from various regions including southern Hungary, Transylvania and Romanian Moldavia, although they're given a new identity through the distinctive instrumental textures they're wrapped in.