Catalin Vlad played like a hurricane in Romania got talent

As a 15-year-old Catalin Vlad dreamed about participating in a talent show on the Romanian television. Almost 15 years later, his dream came true when he stepped up on stage with his guitar and performed a breathtaking version of the song O Fortuna (Carmina Burana) by Carl Orff in Romania got talent (Romanii au talent) 

Catalin Vlad from Romania has studied at various music schools and has recently graduated in classical guitar at the University of Bucharest. He works as a music teacher and plays guitar in the band Trupa The Jacks. When I heard Catalin Vlads and the cellist Stefanica Gheorghes excellent instrumental interpretation of the song Ederlezi by Goran Bregovic, I asked them if I could use it as background music to a slideshow about Roma people in Romania that I was working on. After they had seen my photos they accepted. You can watch the slideshow and listen to some really good music at the end of the article. 



When Catalin was interviewed before his performance in Romanii au talent he was convinced that he would succeed in winning both the jury and the audience appreciation. But the jury and the audience not only liked his performance, they became completely enchanted by his beautiful, poignant and powerful guitar playing, Catalins performance was a huge success and the jury and the audience was noticeably taken by his performance and he received a standing ovation. Andi Moisescu who sat in the jury said.
- You came in and played like a hurricane and made us breathless.

You can see the clip with Catalin from Romanii au talent here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95ss52K1_Z8



Text and Photo: Mikael Good

Life in Roma Villages in Romania

I traveled to Romania in September 2014 and visited Roma villages, the hometowns of some economic migrants who beg for money or collect cans and bottles in my hometown. My goal was to capture photos for a slideshow and write articles about the situation of Roma people in Romania.

There are numerous false rumors about Roma people that have been disseminated in Sweden and other North European countries by nationalist groups. These rumors claim that Roma people from Romania are wealthy, owning nice cars and houses, and leading a life of luxury funded by money obtained through theft and begging. The intention behind the slideshow is to reveal the actual living conditions in the villages from which the migrants originate, dispelling the misconception that their living standards are luxurious.

Music is an important component of the slideshow, and upon hearing the Roma musicians Catalin Vlad and Stefanica Gheorges' interpretation of Goran Bregović's song "Ederlezi," I decided to contact them and inquire about using their song. They agreed after reviewing my pictures.

Text and photo: Mikael Good

Följ med hem till de utsatta EU-medborgarnas hembyar

Det är många som frågar sig hur det ser ut i de utsatta EU-medborgarnas hembyar? I bildspelet som du hittar längre ned i artikeln kan du följa med och se hur det ser ut i några av de byarna i Rumänien varifrån en del av de utsatta EU-medborgare som tigger på gatorna i Jönköping, Linköping och Stockholm kommer.

Tanken med bildspelet är att visa hur det ser ut hemma hos de utsatta EU-medborgarna som tigger och låta det bli en motvikt mot alla de felaktiga rykten om romer som sprids i Sverige. Rykten som säger att de lever lyxliv, har fina bilar och bor i fina hus hemma i Rumänien och Bulgarien som de har bekostat med pengar som de tiggt ihop. Bilderna i bildspelet har jag tagit i några romska byar i Rumänien. En del av människorna i byarna har tidigare varit i Sverige och Österrike där de har försörjt sig på att panta burkar eller tigga. 

När jag fick höra de romska musikerna Catalin Vlads och Stefanica Gheorges tolkning av Goran Bregovićs sång Ederlezi kontaktade jag dem och bad att få används sången i ett bildspel som jag höll på att arbeta med. Catalin Vlad är en klassisk gitarrist av yppersta klass. Stefanica Gheorge är en mycket skicklig cellist som går på en masterutbildning i Bukarest, Rumänien. Efter att de sett mina bilder tackade de genast ja.




Bildspelet har tidigare visats på Rysk TV och många av bilderna har visats på SVT och publicerats i olika svenska tidningar och magasin. Det är inte omöjligt att jag inom en nära framtid kommer att lägga upp en längre variant av bildspelet i svartvitt där jag i så fall kommer att samarbeta med en grupp som spelar traditionell romsk folkmusik.

Text och foto: Mikael Good