INTRODUCTION

“He who wants to touch the folklore must work with great care so as not to wear off its unique scent.” – George Enescu

Hear the Grass Grow
- Harmony and Counterpoint –

A lot of soul, emotion, and the virtues of musical technique. Inside this sacred melting pot lies the preservation of the purity of Romanian folklore, chiseled to the point of becoming today’s sonorous jewels. The sound of the bow caressing the instrument the way a blade of grass caresses a dewdrop is one of the memories cherished by school founder Harry Brauner who, towards the end of a lifetime dedicated with deep feelings of love to folklore, wrote the book that bears this title, “Hear the Grass Grow”. There is nothing gentler and closer to the soul of an ethnic artist than nature with its wonderful creations. There has always been such a deep profound connection between the soul of the Romanian peasant and the tremble of the leaves than it is very hard, if not impossible, to tear them apart. Very few of us have actually heard a skylark sing, but many of us know its song as rendered by the lutes and flutes of the rhapsods. Or is it that the skylark learned to sing by listening to the panpipe of Cornelia Tihon’s ancestors? In its archetypal form, the song hummed by the shepherds in the sheep barn or whispered by the lips of mothers putting their babies to sleep would not please our ears the same way the modern orchestrations do.

The National Folklore Orchestra is the faithful and gifted keeper of the integrity of the Romanian folklore. The suites and the “horas” orchestrated by maestro Constantin Arvinte are performed by professional instrument players. Through their uniqueness and magic, the musical pieces thus become shining suns in the European musical universe.  

Erecting this outstanding edifice of Romanian folklore, as well as valorifying young talents represent a honorable challenge for the Human Valences Foundation. After many concerts that ended with standing ovations, we are prepared for a new project which will promote an innovating show concept that will serve the cause of the Romanian musical folklore. We hope we will not stand alone in this endeavor, and that we will succeed in attracting important, courageous partners who share our love for folklore. Artist Constantin Brâncuşi has sensibly assessed such an attempt when he said, “Things are not difficult to realize. What is difficult is setting ourselves into the mood of realizing them.”