<<  -- 2 --  Howard Smith    MESMERIZING STUFF

Tanase played a part in The Living Dead by Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoi (1945), Horia by Mihai Davidoglu (1956), Edmond Audran's operetta Mascota (The Mascot -- 1944) and a starring role in the musical comedy The Hollywood Sphinx, by Ralph Benatzky (1946). She had over forty tours in the last fifteen years of her life -- including those abroad : in New York -- at the International Exhibition in 1937 where she sang with Grigoras Dinicu's Orchestra and in Istanbul (1941) among the chorus line directed by Nicolae Kiritescu and Aurel Maican. There, during about sixty shows, she presented Romanian folk music and Turkish folk songs learnt on the spot from a strolling player who was also offered the chance to accompany her in the luxurious hall of Taxim.

Tanase [listen -- track 5, 6:56-7:56] recorded her first album a year before at the Columbia Recording Studios in 1936. She continued her cooperation with the same studios and then went on working with the Electrecord Recording Studios. Many of her songs were recorded on tape in the studios of the Romanian Radio and Television Society.

In 1952, Maria was offered a post in the newly created folk song department at the Music School No 1 in Bucharest and ten years later she championed Taraful Gorjului (The Gorj Folk Music Band) in Targu Jiu. Tanase was honored with the medals Ordinul Muncii (The Order for Activity), Premiul de Stat (The State Award) and the title Artista Emerita (Honoured Artist of the Republic) in 1957.

Continue >>

For help listening to the sound extracts here, please refer to our questions & answers page.