Most of the Maramures Jews were deported at the beginning of the 1940s. Most of those who survived left the country after World War II. With his instinctive curiosity, Popicu studied their music; he learned a lot from older ceterasi who had performed at Jewish weddings. One of these ceterasi is Ionu’ lu’ Grigore; he is one of Popicu’s frequent collaborators and appears on this CD.) Thus, little by little, Popicu’s concerts have incorporated foreign music which is associated with Maramures.
What Ioan Pop wants
What does Ioan Pop want? He wants the Maramures peasants’ music to withstand the destructive pressure exerted by folklorism, on the one hand, and World Music, on the other. He wants this music to be performed with dignity. The former endeavour is problematic. Life in Maramures is changing fast, and its music is changing with it. But Popicu believes that the peasants can find ways to blend the old and the new, just as he managed to renew his museum-house. He needs to show that rural tourism can profit from a similar blend of old and new.
