Eastern European folk group Harmonia releases new CD: Global Village

The Plain Dealer By Michael O'Malley

Harmonia, a local Eastern European folk music ensemble of national acclaim, has just released "Hidden Legacy," a CD featuring vintage sounds from Old World Europe tinged with New World influences.

The CD includes mournful mountain music, rustic dance tunes and fiery violin numbers with titles such as "Ukrainian Mountain Music," "Romanian Ritual Dances" and "Moldavian Stomp."

The ensemble includes violins, accordion, flutes, a 125-string hammered dulcimer, string bass and vocal harmonies. One New York reviewer described Harmonia's work as "blue-collar party music from a community that still celebrates its roots."

That community includes the rich Eastern European ethnic enclaves of Cleveland, Youngstown, Pittsburgh and other Rust Belt cities.

Harmonia was scheduled to perform Saturday in New York City and Monday in Washington, D.C.

The group will return to the area this Saturday for a performance at the Primavara Festival at the Presentation of Our Lord Romanian Orthodox Church, 3365 Ridgewood Road, Fairlawn.

Other scheduled performances include Nighttown in Cleveland Heights on June 15 and the Simply Slavic Festival in downtown Youngstown on June 16.

To order the group's new CD, visit Harmonia's website at www.harmoniaband.com. It will also be available later this week at the Cleveland Hungarian Heritage Museum in the Galleria at Erieview, 1309 East Ninth St., Cleveland. The phone number for the museum is 216-523-3900.