MARIA TANASE - the Magic Bird
All the songs on this CD were cut between 1936 and 1939, mostly in the summer and autumn of 1939.
The first studio recordings by the Lifa Company were mainly composed of folk-songs which until that moment Maria Tanase, standing on the threshold of a great career at that time, had only sung in the company of her closest friends.
Later in the Columbia studio on the Strada Udricani, Maria Tanase, together with Mitica Matsa's ensemble, cut recordings of the "Mahala" song about a gypsy wedding, "Nunta Tiganeasca" and a version of "Cine iubeste si lasa". Likewise, in 1936 she recorded a first version of "Invirtita de pe Tirnava".
Maria Tanase recorded her next works, which also included a romantic song and two tangos (see "Tango alla Romanesque" Oriente RIENCD40), in the autumn of 1936 with Heinz Sandauer's orchestra at the Columbia studio in Vienna.
After great success in sales Maria Tanase, together with Costica Tandin's ensemble, incorporated other works from her repertoire including "Ia uite-o, zau" and "Nu vine mindru, nu vine" for the globally active Columbia record company,
On her radio debut in February 1938 she brought Ion Matache's ensemble with her into the studio. The formation of the violinist, Ion Matache, at that time included two violists, a double-bassist, a cymbalist and a cobza player.
On later recordings she was accompanied by Constantin Bugeanu's ensemble on accordion and clarinet, e.g. on "Si-ar fi batut Dumnezeu". At that time Maria Tanase did not have a fixed ensemble. According to the occasion and venue, in addition to the ensembles already mentioned, those of the violinists Petrica Motoi, Ilie Radulescu, Victor Predescu and Costica Tandin were engaged. Ilie Radulescu's band originated from the south Romanian town of Pitesti which, together with Arges, was one of the centres of Romanian "Lautari" music at that time. Maria Tanase also had her first successes with Ilie Radulescu's troop on the stage of the Alhambra revue theatre as an interpreter of folk-songs and couplets written in the spirit of Romanian songs. In 1938 Maria Tanase could be heard singing with Petrica Motoi's ensemble in the Luxandra restaurant, where she appeared every evening to perform folk and gypsy songs after completing her other concert obligations.