Carpathian Tales is a project of the artist's heart that has been formed over two years. It represents a musical dedication to her second home Romania - full of personal stories and compositions that capture the spirit of the country and paint a multi-faceted picture of the Carpathians. Each piece is accompanied by it's own story. All works combine the unmistakable energy of folk themes, pure emotionality and show a varied spectrum from melancholy to dancing virtuosity. These are special arrangements and first recordings that come together on this album. For this album, Lelie Cristea also went in search of works that would be equal in beauty and character to the pieces by Enescu and Porumbescu. She herself was surprised by the musical treasures she found and her expectations were far exceeded. All the works are united by their expressive character, which is characterised by folk themes and a wide spectrum of colours. Sensual ballads give way to virtuoso character pieces that joyfully invite you to dance. What always attracts one almost magically is the emotional depth of the compositions. It is up to the performer and, of course, the listener to allow this completely and to immerse themselves in the respective work. Then the pulse of the works begins to connect with your own, and the journey begins. With Carpathian Tales and further planned concept albums, Lelie Cristea fulfils her wish to record and capture special works from classical, film and salon music in exclusive arrangements.

Are 'hits' exclusively associated with modern pop music? Popular successes have roots much deeper in the history of music, spanning various genres and contexts, including music created and shared in private settings, such as homes, as well as in street performances. Certain compositions' extraordinary popularity is attested by widely distributed, copied, and repeatedly republished scores. The innumerable arrangements for other instruments also attest to the extent of the phenomenon. Following the success of their 2002 album Dvorak (LDV101), and once again in association with the Czech instrumental arranger Jiri Kabat, the Talich Quartet invites us to explore Mitteleuropa's folk repertoire. An invitation to dance. Irresistible!

A brilliant violinist with virtuoso flair, effortless technique and wonderful artistry. Bronislaw Gimpel has made many recordings and his legacy is also preserved on many radio broadcasts, such as those in this album. Born in Lvov, Poland, in 1911, Gimpel began the violin at 5. His first public appearance came in 1919, when he played the Mendelssohn Concerto. His international performances began at 14, when he performed the Goldmark Concerto with the Vienna Philharmonic. He immigrated to the United States in 1937 and Otto Klemperer invited him to be the concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, which he also occasionally conducted. He remained there until 1942. In the latter half of the 1940s he was a frequent soloist and conductor of the ABC Radio Orchestra in New York. In 1950 he formed the Mannes-Gimpel-Silva Piano Trio which had a great success. In 1956 he returned to Europe where he re-established a substantial concert career and his engagements included guest soloist with the Berlin Philharmonic. He returned to the United States in 1967 to take up a position on the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Connecticut and returned once again to Europe in 1973 to teach at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. Gimpel passed away in 1979, at the age of 68.