A few days back, a shattering piece of news darkened our souls and filled our eyes with tears: the heart of the great Romanian musician Ionel Perlea has stopped. Unable to contain this terrible pain, our memory revisited in one instant the unique days he gave us in that unforgettable month of May 1969.Perlea's concerts, which were moments of intense and ardent experiences, have remained engraved for ever in our sensitivity, and brought us closer to the deep comprehension of the meanings of Music. Serving the art of sounds, its incandescent aura, with the calm of the great sages, he led us to the loftiest peaks. On the threshold of those sturdy heights, where words cannot climb and even the wings of poetry fall in lassitude, the vast spaces, the eternal beauties of Music stretch out; we knew of their existence, but we had never been so close. Ionel Perlea opened a gate toward them for us.His great vocation made his gesture natural, and a warm generosity vibrated in his nobility and elegance. Nobody will again be able to call like him the inspiring voice of music, identical to those heights, from the depths of our beings. Nobody will again serve it as modestly and grandly.Now that Ionel Perlea has passed, we have the feeling that a page in the Book of Humanity has been turned, as his name is becoming a legend. The white pages of that book are waiting to be written by Romanian musicians, according to his brilliant artistic and human example.
by Theodor Grigoriu
