No pipe dream

Romanian pan flutist Gheorghe Zamfir is here in Israel to perform some of his greatest hits

By SHAWN RODGERS
RENOWNED ROMANIAN pan pipe player Gheorghe Zamfir. (photo credit: Courtesy)
RENOWNED ROMANIAN pan pipe player Gheorghe Zamfir.
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Known as “The Master of the Pan Flute,” Gheorghe Zamfir is a leading figure within the history of Romanian folk music since the 1960s.
The famed flutist is here in Israel and will be performing concerts in Kibbutz Gan Shmuel, Rishon Lezion, Ashdod and Haifa.
Zamfir is known for playing an expanded version of the traditional Romanian-style pan flute of 20 pipes, with 22, 25, 28 or 30 pipes, to increase its range, and obtaining as many as eight overtones from each pipe by changing the embouchure.
Some of his biggest albums include Solitude (1973), The Romance of the Panflute (1982) and The Lonely Shepherd (1984). Additionally, he has scored several films – most notably 1975’s Picnic at Hanging Rock, directed by Australia’s Peter Weir. He played on much of Bill Conti’s score for The Karate Kid in 1984, and that year also performed the theme for Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America. His popular piece “The Lonely Shepherd,” recorded with the James Last Orchestra, is featured in Quentin Tarantino’s film Kill Bill Vol. 1.
From March 17 through March 21, Zamfir will perform four concerts around the country. For tickets: http://kartis.cupatbravo.co.il or *2396.