Romanian Pan Pipes

A nice album showcasing the panpipe tradition of Romania, stemming from before there was a country proper called Romania. The most important player of the tradition, Fanica Luca, is missing from this album. He was the bearer of the torch for the panpipe genre between the world wars, and the one who brought the tradition back into vogue to some degree. His first pupil is present however, Damian Luca. Here, he's playing with the accompaniment of a small orchestra of Romanian instruments, which helps give a backing and rhythm to his otherwise delicate tone. The panpipes are constantly played with a very light touch in Luca's hands, laying out a high pitched melody over the top of his instrumental backing. Another of Fanica's pupils featured on the album is Radu Simion, playing an even higher range of music but on his pipes, but with a fuller tone than Luca. The third player here is a former bandmate of Simion, Nicolae Pirvu. His method is more decisive in its style, with a larger range of octaves available to use. The tone is rather less ornate than the previous two players, but he makes up for that easily with power and the ability to move across registers. In Pirvu's pieces, the backing group gets rather less attention, leaving the panpipes to take center stage whenever he's playing. For someone who's curious about panpipe traditions outside of the Andes and Greece, this album would make an excellent introduction. ~ Adam Greenberg|