Hear some frenzied Romanian gypsy punk from the New York-based Luminescent Orchestrii on this edition of New Sounds.  Not willing to stop there, they can also rock the klezmer, bust out hip-hop beats and call upon Appalachian fiddle as well. 

We'll also listen to music from that "band of brigands," Taraf de Haïdouks, who come from the small Romanian Village Of Clejani, southwest of the capital city of Bucharest.  They mix up Romanian folk tradition, both soul and speed, ranging from haunting heartland ballads to dizzying fiddle dances. Plus, there's Osvaldo Golijov's “Night of the Flying Horses," a slow dark viola lullaby that erupts into a fast gallop, boasting a theme that the composer proudly claims to have stolen from Taraf de Haïdouks.  Throw in the globe-spanning music from the Kronos Quartet release Caravan, and that's a show.  But there's probably even more!

PROGRAM #2691, The Romanian Connection (First aired on Thursday, 6/21/07)