LIONSTAGE / CONCERTS

FANFARE CIOCĂRLIA – THE LEGENDARY BALKAN BRASS ORCHESTRA

FANFARE CIOCĂRLIA, one of the most important brass orchestras and a band who made the world fall in love with wild Balkan rhythms, celebrate their 25th anniversary with “It Wasn't Hard To Love You!” Ethno Jazz Festival invites you to the anniversary concert at Stary Klasztor on 15 October.

IT WASN’T HARD TO LOVE YOU

15 October 2024

25 YEARS AGO:

A winding, bumpy road threads through hills that refuse to be called mountains, somewhere in north-eastern Romania near the Moldovan border. It passes houses that Chagall seems to have scattered randomly across the landscape, standing crooked and boldly colourful in the mud, their windows gaping at passers-by. Finally, the traveller turns sharply left and, following another gravel road, reaches the birthplace of one of brass music’s most extraordinary phenomena: Zece Prăjini, where the story of Fanfare Ciocărlia began. Here, in 1997, 12 musicians set out to conquer the world with the deep tones of tubas and tenor horns, interwoven with wild cacophonies of trumpets and saxophones.

To unleash the joyful power of Eastern European brass music upon the world — that was the idea! The seriousness of their mission was recorded on their very first album in 1998, with elder trumpeter Radulescu's words: “… just wait, you'll see — one day we'll play on Mars.” Since that momentous declaration, the band have travelled millions of kilometres on countless tours, trying to reach the red planet.

NOW:

Nothing needs rewriting about their music. Fanfare Ciocărlia's unrivalled gift for combining Balkan brass with touches of jazz, pop and rock, performed with wild precision at dizzying speeds, has given them cult status and made them a fixture across the musical landscape, from punk to classical.

Twenty-five years, thousands of concerts and 9 studio albums later, Fanfare Ciocărlia were at their career’s peak when the pandemic shook the world. This unprecedented event meant the same thing for them as for millions of artists worldwide: an abrupt halt to all work. While the world seemed to stand still, however, many fans took action, helping them complete their long-planned 25th-anniversary album through financial support and encouraging words. Now the results can be heard: “It Wasn't Hard To Love You” is a musical ode to Fanfare Ciocărlia’s thousands of fans.

This is the latest chapter in the story of a great band from a small village, a band that wants to put smiles on people's faces, and a band hoping for a long future full of exciting concerts lasting deep into the night.

TICKETS

Event details

Fanfare Ciocărlia

Date

15 October 2024

19:30

Venue

STARY KLASZTORul. Purkyniego 1Wrocław