Search - Alexander Fadoriouk :: Art of the Cimbalom

The cimbalom is a hammered dulcimer consisting of metal strings set on bridges over a trapezoid-shaped sound box. The concert version of the instrument, which is heard here, encompasses 4 and a half octaves and can mimic a piano, harpsichord, balalaika, or harp. The instrument has existed for a millennium, spreading West from Byzantium with itinerant Roma (Gypsy) bands, where it became a favorite with klezmer (Jewish) musicians, and Eastern European cafe orchestras. It is fiendishly difficult to play but in the hands a great technician, it offers breathless rhythms, rib-shaking resonances, and an affinity for transmitting impassioned melody. Alexander Fedoriouk is conservatory trained but grew up steeped in the frenzied dances and wild, primal laments of the Carpathian Mountains. Accompanied by fiddle, percussion, plus panpipes and other woodwinds, he performs an inspired set of instrumentals from Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Ukraine. All are beautifully rendered and seemingly improvised on the spot. -- Christina Roden