Transylvanian Village Music

Okros Ensemble | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 26, 1999)
• Original Release Date: October 12, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rounder Select
• ASIN: B00001SI95
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #400,357 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #90 in Music > World Music > Europe > Eastern Europe > Hungary

Track Listings

1. Legenyes & Friss (Hungarian Men's Dance And Fast Csardas)

2. Komos Hallgatoja & Legenyes (Lament From Ture And Men's Dance)

3. Shepherd Song (When The Shepherd Lost His Sheep)

4. Cigany Keserves (Gypsy Lament From Bonchida)

5. Invirtita (Romanian Turning Couple Dance From Bonchida)

6. Ritka Magyar, Cigany Csardas & Csingeralas (Slow Hungarian Men's Dance And Gypsy Slow And Fast...

7. Doina, Purtata, Invirtita & De Sarit (Romanian Dances)

8. Szaloki Agi Keservese (Agi Szaloki's Lamenting Song)

9. Hajnali, Csardas & Friss (Blues, Slow & Fast Csardas)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For dancing - not eating, January 1, 2000

By 

santacruztacean (Monterey Bay area) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Transylvanian Village Music (Audio CD)

If you're into Hungarian folkdance, you probably already own this CD. For others, this is dance (tanchaz) music at it's finest, featuring the legendary Gypsy violinist Sandor Fodor "Neti" (recently deceased master of the genre), and Okros Ensemble, one of Hungary's finest revivalist bands. This well-recorded CD includes Hungarian, Romanian and Gypsy dance music from and near the Kalotaszeg area of Transylvania (including the mesmerizing music of Bonchida), interspersed with slow laments and "morning songs". This CD is an xlnt example of very listenable authentic Transylvanian village music - not to be confused with restaurant Gypsy music.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars outstanding, April 14, 2002

By 

Pen Name? "fluxus" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Transylvanian Village Music (Audio CD)

Let it be known that I am no expert on gypsy or hungarian music, I'm not a "musicologist" or whatever, but I am simply amazed with this album. I have always wanted an authentic gypsy, hungarian, romanian style fiddling dance album and finally I've found it. I've recently discovered the Rounder records selection and have been very pleased with what I've found. I've always had that European traditional dance fiddling sound in my head, whether Eastern European or Irish, but have never been able to find albums which really came through on what I was looking for. This is great. I hope to learn more about these styles and perhaps find more great artists. For now, I am happy that my search has payed off.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars My first but not last, April 29, 2003

By 

Pharoah S. Wail (Inner Space) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Transylvanian Village Music (Audio CD)

I just got this cd about a week ago and have since listened to it around 10 times. This is my first exposure to Transylvanian music (although this is also mixed in with other Eastern European influences in places) and I must say I enjoy it. I can't give any sort of highly technical review, comparing and contrasting with other Hungarian musical forms, but so far I am really enjoying this cd and plan on getting the other Okros Ensemble disc in the future.

In some respects, this music reminds me a bit of the music on the Fire In The Mountains Volume 1 cd of Polish fiddle music from the Tatra Mountain region. Not so much in terms of melody, but in the way the rhythm section cycles. I must let it be known that this cd is infinitely better than that one, though. The vocals on that cd make it all but unlistenable for me, while this cd only has 3 vocal tracks but the girl (Agi Szaloki) has an outstanding voice, especially on her first and third tracks.

Also, again in terms of the rhythm cycling, the Fiddlers 4 cd has a track or two that I thought of when I first heard this disc, although I haven't listened to Fiddlers 4 in quite a while so I don't remember which tracks. I'd have to say I enjoy this disc more than that one also.

I'd say I give this cd 3.8 stars and rounded up to 4. If I were about to be shipped off to a deserted island and could only take a generator, cd player, and 30 cd's this cd wouldn't be one of the 30, but still. A cd doesn't have to be in the top 1% of my collection for me to enjoy it greatly. What it comes down to for me is that I am really enjoying this cd so far and am trying to learn from it. It has definitely sparked my interest and my appreciation of it will probably only grow with time, and cause me to delve more deeply into Hungarian and Transylvanian folk musics.

It is also a very good quality recording, rich and full sound.