Hanna Tsepesh: Hello Claudiu, how are you? Thanks so much for the interest to accepting to this interview and to talk a little bit about medieval music for me and our readers to know it and understand that a little bit!
Claudiu: Hello, dear Hanna, and thank you for your kind invitation!
Hanna Tsepesh: you are very welcome! For the first question can you tell us the AETERNUM history and also introduce yourself and the others members (what instrument they play)? When did you start to play this kind of music and why?
Claudiu: there would be a lot to be said about AETERNUM's history, but I think it would be very easy to invite the readers to visit us at : www.aeternum.ro, www.myspace.com/aeternumtransylvania, www.myspace.com/claudiusaeternum ... along the years we had 26 musicians in AETERNUM, there are 2 generations the actual second generation is now the following one:
Claudiu Cont - guitars, recorder, Aeternum's leader, and...
Ioana Lomnasan – recorders, percussions, Alexandru Kocsis – percussions, drums, vocals Andrei Androniciuc – cello, bass guitar, Iulia Baltes – flute, Iulia Kocsis - keyboards, percussions, Britta Seidner – lead vocals, Ioana Coma – violin, percussions.
In 1997, I began to adapt Medieval music for the guitar in 1999 I had the first Aeternum's official concert, it was such a long way until till today, this year AETERNUM will be 10 years of existence in 4th November 2009.
Hanna Tsepesh: It was hard to find these musicians? How you discovered these guys? You and the rest of the band have some kind of music classes or some kind of preparation?
Claudiu: I was lucky to find them one after another in the town near I live – I live Orlat - a village near the town Sibiu - Transylvania, Romania all of them live in Sibiu, there we also rehearse all of them are students now since the last year and all of them were rewarded with gold and silver medals in musical contests here in Romania and they were brillliant pupils in the highshool music. now we are able to play a lot of music, but especially a medieval one and also classical and rock medieval music.
Hanna Tsepesh: that is great! Can you tell to us the bands or musicians that you like the most? You like metal bands?Claudiu: wow , there are a lot from different musical genres: old master's music: John Dowland, Tielman Susato, Adrian Le Roy, Antonio Vivaldi and ....Blackmore's Night, Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Eddie Van Hallen, Annihilator, Vangelis, Al Di Meola, Paco de Lucia, John McLaughlin, Trio Rosenberg, Atrocity – Germany, Sepultura, Accept, Dio, Haggard, Iron Maiden....and many, many others.
Hanna Tsepesh: You play guitar right? Any of those musicians inspired you to start?
Claudiu: I am more an electric guitar player, although playing old music I use the classical guitar a lot. I began studying the Yngwie Malmsteen technique and also some classical guitar even now, playing at the electric guitar I can't play slow, I play very fast, like flying, I am sick of speed but to also know classical guitar is a blessed thing and Malmsteen, Vai, Van Hallen, Satriani and many others always inspired me a lot.
Claudiu: It's the Middle Ages' music starting around the 1000th year untill 1500 AD and from 1500 until the 1600th year is the Renaissance's era period of time.
Hanna Tsepesh: When you create music’s what are your inspirations?
Claudiu: speaking of creation, I am inspired from all my musical influences...until now, here in Aeternum I played almost only 99% old music, composed by the old masters musicians from the Middle Age and Renaissance times... in the future I will compose rock medieval music, I already began. In time, once I will have enough new songs, I will release a cd with my new medieval rock music, somewhere at the boarders of medieval, rock and what some call, ghotic music.
Hanna Tsepesh: About your first album “Ancient Beauty”, you guys have a lot of talent I am very surprised it this album and I also like a lot the voice! My congratulations for you and all the members for this amazing work! For me this is so fresh to my ears and I am very happy to show different music to our readers! Can you tell to us about this album for people who don’t know the album yet? You have music’s in here very old right? Some songs of the year1552! What you want to accomplish with this album?
Claudiu: it's about only of old music from Middle Ages and Renaissance. What is new is the vision in which the instrumental dialogue brings this music in a new light, with other words AETERNUM is not an “othodox” medieval music band, because the guitar is the heart of this band, making a lot of solos and “speaking” each second with the other instruments in the old times the lute played mostly alone and “the bands” of minstrells were made by percussions and recorders or whistles and another old instruments.Hanna Tsepesh: It was difficult to record this on studio? Exist one music that for you was more difficult to make?
Claudiu: I made all by myself, the whole huge work of recording and mixing, using my personal computer and a M-Audio card and Ableton Live 7 software as you see, the sound is very clear and warm, this in spite of not having a very expensive studio or very professional microphones. It was a 7 months very hard work, I am proud of it! I am also a Romanian official producer.
Claudiu: I love all music on the album, each song is very special for me, for all of us! I am sure that the audience will love all songs, for those who are made to love this music, each song is like a pure light from Heaven!
Hanna Tsepesh: You guys play in a lot of festivals like:
- Expo Hannover 2000, "Cetati Transilvane" Sibiu 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006.
- Festival of Medieval Arts in Sighisoara 2001, 2004, 2008.
- Medieval Festival from Bistrita 2007,Caransebes 2007,Zagreb 2007.
- Medieval Festival - Brasov 2008
To name a few! So it was a good experience for the band? What was your favorite concert and why? You guys like to come to Portugal to play?
Claudiu: yes, we had a lot of concerts along the years and especially those performed at Sighisoara, in the heart of Transylvania, at the greatest Medieval Festival in Romania, are our favorites! To play in Portugal would be a great honor and a great joy! time will tell, but we have this hope!
Hanna Tsepesh: For people who want to buy your album in Portugal or in another country what they need to do?Claudiu: not far aways since the last week, the fresh Aeternum's “Ancient Beauty 2008 – I - “ is already to be found and ordered at CDBaby now it's easier to spread our music with CDBaby and we hope that people will love this special music!
Hanna Tsepesh: Last question, you want to send any message for our readers about AETERNUM band and for your fans?
Claudiu: we love you all and we hope to meet you at AETERNUM's new concerts in the future, as we hope that once with the album's sales our concerts abroad to be as many as possible! God bless you all of you!
Hanna Tsepesh: Thanks so much for your answers and your time!THE GATES OF METAL wish you and all the band members a great 2009 full of success and good luck for your future concerts! Hope to see AETERNUM very soon in here…
Claudiu: thank very much, dear Hanna! We wish THE GATES OF METAL a lot of success and good luck with all your interviews; you are always doing a great job, promoting so much good quality music! I also hope to have the great joy and honor to invite you as soon as possible at one of Aeternum's concerts when we will come to Portugal, in the near future!
Hanna Tsepesh: Thanks so much Claudiu for your nice words, I really hope the same! All the best.
By: Hanna Tsepesh
To listen to some AETERNUM songs and for future information go at:
www.myspace.com/aeternumtransylvania
