Toni Iordache
Encyclopedia
Toni Iordache was a Romani-Romania
n lăutar
and one of the most famous cimbalom (Romanian
: ţambal) players in the world. He was nicknamed the God of the Cimbalom and Paganini of the cimbalom.
an countries, the USA
and also Asia
n countries. In between tours, he would play at weddings, being the most sought after lăutar of his days. Often, after landing at the airport he would drove directly to a wedding where the other musicians were waiting for him.
He won two gold medals: in Vienna(1959) and Sofia (1966) and appeared as guest soloist in Zoltan Kodaly's 'Hary János Suite' performed by the NHK Symphony Orchestra, in Tokyo, in 1973.
Among others, he played with Romica Puceanu, Gabi Luncă
, Ion Onoriu, Ionică Minune
and also with the well-known pan flute
(nai
) player Gheorghe Zamfir
.
. The doctors recommended to have his leg amputated, but the operation did not save his life. He died in February 1988. His friend and fellow musician Costel Vasilescu (also known as Costel Trompetistu') took care of the funeral.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n lăutar
Lautari
The Romanian word Lăutar denotes a class of traditional musicians. Most often, and by tradition, Lăutari are members of a professional clan of Romani musicians , also called Ţigani lăutari. The term is derived from Lăută the name of a string instrument...
and one of the most famous cimbalom (Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
: ţambal) players in the world. He was nicknamed the God of the Cimbalom and Paganini of the cimbalom.
Early life
Toni was born in the Bâldana village, near Bucharest, and began learning the instrument from his father when he was four. Some years later his family would move to Bucharest in the Herăstrău neighborhood, where many famous lăutari lived. There, Toni continued to learn from Mitică Ciuciu, who was a famous cimbalom player in his days.Career
At 12, he was employed at the National Radio Orchestra of Popular Music. Later, he would become a member of the Ciocârlia National Ensemble, the primary popular ensemble in the country. With the Ciocârlia Ensemble, Toni Iordache would tour the world: many EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an countries, the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and also Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n countries. In between tours, he would play at weddings, being the most sought after lăutar of his days. Often, after landing at the airport he would drove directly to a wedding where the other musicians were waiting for him.
He won two gold medals: in Vienna(1959) and Sofia (1966) and appeared as guest soloist in Zoltan Kodaly's 'Hary János Suite' performed by the NHK Symphony Orchestra, in Tokyo, in 1973.
Among others, he played with Romica Puceanu, Gabi Luncă
Gabi Lunca
Gabi Luncă is a Romani singer of urban lăutarească music from Romania, born in Vărbilău, Prahova County.Her father was also a lăutar, a violinist very respected among lăutari because he was a "notist"...
, Ion Onoriu, Ionică Minune
Ionică Minune
Ionică Minune is a Romani-Romanian accordionist. He is one of the most respected accordionists in the world and is widely considered the greatest accordionist by fellow lăutari.-Life and career:...
and also with the well-known pan flute
Pan flute
The pan flute or pan pipe is an ancient musical instrument based on the principle of the closed tube, consisting usually of five or more pipes of gradually increasing length...
(nai
Nai (pan flute)
The nai is a Romanian and also Moldavian diatonic pan flute used since the 17th century and used in lăutari bands.-Structure:...
) player Gheorghe Zamfir
Gheorghe Zamfir
Gheorghe Zamfir is a Romanian pan flute musician.Zamfir is known for playing an expanded version of the traditional Romanian-style pan flute of 20 pipes to 22, 25, 28 and 30 pipes to increase its range, and obtaining as many as eight overtones from each pipe by changing the embouchure.He is...
.
Imprisonment
In early seventies Toni Iordache was arrested for possession of foreign currency, which was strictly forbidden in communist Romania. He reportedly wanted to buy a fur coat for his wife with it. Despite his high popularity and interventions in his favor he was sentenced to three years in jail. His imprisonment was kept undisclosed to the press, only his friends knew. During his time in jail he lost greatly in weight, but he recovered fast after his release and was able to resume his musical activity. His time in jail was made easier by both his fellow inmates and guards that were very fond of him.Death
Toni Iordache became seriously ill with diabetesDiabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus, often simply referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced...
. The doctors recommended to have his leg amputated, but the operation did not save his life. He died in February 1988. His friend and fellow musician Costel Vasilescu (also known as Costel Trompetistu') took care of the funeral.
Style
Although he played a lot of the "popular" music that was promoted by the communist regime, Toni Iordache remained known among aficionados especially for his work as a lăutar. His solos were very complex, but also clear and beautiful and his improvisations were full of imagination. He was not only a very virtuoso player (he was measured in Paris to be able to play 25 notes per second), but also a very sophisticated one, with a high emphasis on touché, playing the slow pieces with great sensibility. He was able to play two melodic lines simultaneous at high tempos and knew how to use the full capacities of the cimbalom.Trivia
- The great conductor Sergiu CelibidacheSergiu Celibidache- Biography :Celibidache was born in Roman, Romania, and began his studies in music with the piano, after which he studied music, philosophy and mathematics in Bucharest, Romania and then in Paris...
embraced him with tears in his eyes after he attend one of his shows. - Toni Iordache was the one that nicknamed the great Romanian accordionist Ionică Minune (Johnny, The Wonder).
- The great singer Gabi Luncă recounted that they were in a concert during the major 1977 earthquake. Toni Iordache was so concentrated on his solo that he didn't even notice the earthquake.
- He was described as "pure genius" by Chris Nickson in his review from Allmusic.
- His son Leonard is also an accomplished cimbalom player. His grandson Bogdan (Bidi) was also studying the cimbalom but died in a highway car accident in July 2011 aged was 23.