From the treasury chamber of Electrecord, Romania (Part 1).
The ‘Iron Curtain’ was still hanging when people could still sometimes find records on the label ELECTRECORD in second-hand stores or at flea markets. How did they get there? They had not been imported into the Netherlands. Maybe brought back by a tourist who was lucky enough to take a look behind the “Curtain” or maybe from France where records from the Eastern bloc were sometimes released on a French label? Anyway… the buyer of those records, sometimes bought for next to nothing, did well because in 9 out of 10 cases he came into the possession of music by one of the most virtuoso soloists in Europe. On the cover you could often see the young faces of those who would later also become famous in the West. We only have to mention the name of Gheorghe Zamfir, who doesn’t know him? Or Nicolai Pirvu, who now lives in the Netherlands. There were more, and they would play the most diverse instruments such as the denaï (panpipe), the cymbalum (cimbalom) and the vioara (violin). Accordions, trumpets, saxophones and all kinds of flutes could also be heard on those records, and often played at a high tempo. The compiler of this programme has collected some of those records over the last few years. In this episode we will play a random selection of songs from these records. To be on the safe side we have given this episode a number (part 1) because we will undoubtedly come back to this subject. By the way you can speed things up by sending a letter or e-mail to the Concertzender with: “More of that stuff please!”
1. Jocuri Muntenesci – Benone Damian,
vioara and Nicolaï Pirvu, nai
2. Hora fortuna – Benone Damian, accordeon
3. Coborii din Deal in Vale – Nicolai Pirvu, naï
4. Briul Oltenesc – Gheorghe Zamfir, naï
5. Doina de Jale – Gheorghe Zamfir, naï
6. Anna – Gheorghe Zamfir, naï and Nicolae
Licaret, orga
7. Rustemul – Marin Chisar, cornemuse
8. a-Puim si Doina Oltului, b-Au plecat
Oltenila Coasa, c-Hora ca din Caval –
Catalin Tircolea, naï
9. a-Hora de la Galbeni, b-Sirba si Batuta de
la Izvoare – Ion Dragoï, vioara
10. Hora de mina de Batai – Ion Dragoï, vioara
11. Briul pe Sase ca la Muscel – Toni Iordache,
cymbalum
12. Pasania de Sub Nori – Toni Iordache
13. Hora de la Craciunai – Paul Stinga,
cymbalum
14. Banatana – Paul Stinga, cymbalum 
