”Trei parale” Band

Bucharest, Romania

Trei parale is a revivalist group from Bucharest, unique in the Romanian musical landscape, which makes use of a thorough documentation in the field of traditional musical culture. By taking a serious, ethnomusicological approach to music that has been largely forgotten or transformed over the centuries into something else entirely, the group manages to place itself in an area that attracts a varied audience, from professionals to amateurs of exotic curiosities.

Trei parale is a revivalist group from Bucharest, unique in the Romanian musical landscape, which makes use of a thorough documentation in the field of traditional musical culture. By taking a serious, ethnomusicological approach to music that has been largely forgotten or transformed over the centuries into something else entirely, the group manages to place itself in an area that attracts a varied audience, from professionals to amateurs of exotic curiosities. Florin Iordan, ethnomusicologist at the Romanian Peasant Museum in Bucharest and leader of the band, plays an important role in this. Also, in composing the repertoire or shaping the interpretative style, the members of the band rely on the use of various methods of knowledge such as expeditions through villages and working with various old musicians, listening to old field recordings made by Constantin Brăiloiu or Bela Bartok, documentation from various volumes of musical folklore, study of 19th century transcriptions (A. Pann, G. Ucenescu, D. Vulpian, etc.).

The group uses old instruments that have almost disappeared from the traditional environment and are little-used in the contemporary urban world: various flutes (shepherd's whistle, horse whistle, corkless whistle, whistle with a twang, tilinca), cobza, viela, drâmba, various percussion instruments (drum, vuva, dairea).

The band's music is featured on the soundtrack of films such as Aferim! (2015) and Chira Chiralina (2014). The band is also working on several different musical reconstruction projects.

The group has participated in several medieval festivals (Sighisoara, Mediaș, Brașov, Iași, Suceava), early music festivals (Bucharest, Miercurea Ciuc), jazz festivals (Green Hours International Jazz Fest) and world music festivals (Sibiu) and classical music festivals (Romanian Music Festival, Iasi Philharmonic).

The band has also participated in several festivals abroad: Hradne Huky Banska Bystrica, Slovakia 2016 and 2017, Intercultural Art Dialogues Days, (Istanbul-Turkey, 2018 and 2011), London Book Fair 2014, Europe in Langenfeld (Germany, 2013), The Culture of Peace Festival (Tel Aviv, Israel 2012), Kocsonya Fesztival (Miskolc-Hungary 2012), DUNA PARTY (Budapest-Hungary 2011), "Mikołajki Folkowe" International Folk Festival Lublin-Poland 2010.

Discography

- Bazar, Green Records, Bucharest, 2008
- Bazar. Cântece din veacul al XIX-lea (2nd part), Ethnophonie, Bucharest, 2012
- Ciobanul care și-a pierdut oile, “Pe-un picior de plai” Association, Bucharest, 2015
- Forthcoming: România. 100 de minute, double CD.