PLAYLIST : Maria Tănase, For ever and Today.

Called the Nightingale of Bucharest in her time, Maria Tănase (1934-1963) was the greatest interpreter of Romanian traditional music, the folkloristic Doina, in her time and to this day.

Maria Tănase in traditional garb. Uncredited photo in the public domain.

Maria Tănase’s unique deep resonant voice gives her songs a haunting, authoritative power. In addition, her absolute understanding of the popular tradition along with her own personal flourishes, elevate her interpretations of traditional melodies to the level of musical art. She was also an inspired interpreter of contemporary popular music, and many of her most famous songs were new material written for her, making them instant additions to the folklore repertoire of Romania. When she puts a curse on faithless lovers in Cine iubeşte şi lasă, (To those who abandon love), you know it will stick just from the sound of her voice. Her traditional and popular songs are called Doina, which is a musical style associated with Romanian peasant culture. It is distinct from the Rom style of music which is also indigenous to Romania. However, the two styles have influenced each other inevitably over the years, giving both a wonderful depth and versatility. Doina also shares similarities with other Eastern European traditions, such as Klezmer and to Middle Eastern music, given Romania’s position at the crossroads of cultures.

This playlist centers around a select number of Maria Tănase’s best known songs, both in her own original version and also as they have been reworked, remixed and covered by other musicians, especially in the recent past. She continues to inspire and to cast a powerful spell on traditional musicians in today’s Romania and beyond.

Do you see You Tube? Watch this beguiling version of Până când nu te iubeam by Storm Large and Pink Martini:

There are many wonderful interpreters of Doina in Romania’s music archives, and the listener is invited to explore them all, but the place to start is with the greatest of them all, Maria Tănase.

The songs featured on this Ferrandina Press playlist:

• Lume, lume

• Doină din Maramureş

• Ciuleandra

• Până când nu te iubeam

• Cine iubeşte şi lasă

• Marie şi Mărioara

• Lung e drumul gorjului

• Trenule, maşină mică

• Agurida, Agurida

The entries in this playlist fall into three types: Original recordings, which includes Tanăse’s commercial release of Lung E Drumul Gorjului and Până când nu te iubeam. Samplings, in which Maria Tanăse’s voice is incorporated into new musical arrangements, including several arrangements of some of her most iconic songs, Lume, lume; Ciuleandra and others. They range from sumptuous orchestration of the Balanescu Quartet to the raucous electronic remix of Cine iubeşte şi lasă, a rave dancehall hit by DJ Evgrand. The third type are the reinterpretations. A few of them are devoted covers of her style, such as Sanda Weigl’s beautiful Lume, Lume and others that are free reintepretations, like the melodious version of Cine iubeşte şi lasă by the pop star Mihai Trăistariu from an album of Doinas. Some of these bring an element of complementary musical styles that inform the music in unexpected and delightful ways, such as Lume, Lume played by the well known Roma brass orchestra Fanfare Ciocarlia with a merry Roma flare, the Yiddish influence of Mazzeltov performing the same song, and the fascinating arabesques and sonorities of Roots Revival’s Pănă când nu te iubeam. The playlist opens with Maria Tănase’s haunting Doină din Maramureş, in which her lyrical abilities are on full display, with her voice eventually evoking the fluttering of a traditional Romanian flute (or in this recording, the clarinet). The Balanescu Quartet is included further down the list reprising her vocalizings with a minimal modern orchestration, in Mountain Call.

Find the playlist on Spotify. Note that this will allow you to sample the tracks, but to hear the full songs, you will have to open the app. Click here: Maria Tănase, For ever and Today.

Or search on Spotify for Maria Tănase, For Ever and Today, or for the playlists of Ferrandina Press.

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