Discover Moldova with #MOLDPRES: Most interesting tourist places in country discovered in musical expedition

The history, nature, tradition, emotion, the people of the place and the music are the words which best of all describe the sixth edition of the musical expedition, La La Play. Organized by the Moldovan National Youth Orchestra each year, in 2022, the team covered a record distance of 1,800 km in only seven days and registered 700 hours of live music in over 30 splendid locations of Moldova.      

Titled, Gladly for Home, the La La Play expedition reached 11 partner settlements of the Migration and Local Development project of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), financed by the government of Switzerland. The most interesting tourist places, hospitable boarding houses and success stories from Cioresti, Micleuseni, Vorniceni, Valeni, Slobozia Mare, Manta, Palanca, Sipoteni, Rogojeni, Cobalea and Cotiujenii Mari became stages of instrumentalists from the Moldovan National Youth Orchestra for several minutes, hours or even for all evening.     

„The combination between music and nature is as organic as possible. The classical music most often was inspired by nature, authentic landscapes, which impressed composers. We appear namely in these locations. The music sung in nature or in open air has a special visual and auditory effect. A completely other atmosphere emerges,’’ the conductor and manager of the aforementioned orchestra, Andriano Marian, said.     

DISCOVERING LOCATIONS, AFTER 6 YEARS OF MUSICAL EXPEDITIONS  

Even if the musical expedition has been organized during six years, Andriano Marian is sure that new and magic places to be visited in can always be discovered in Moldova. Its message is that one can make an interesting vacation at home as well, with qualitative services and unforgettable experiences. The important thing is for one should have time and courage to go beyond the capital, Chisinau.     

AT THE END OF THE EXPEDITION, THE ORCHESTRA’S TEAM COMPILED A RANKING OF TOURIST DISCOVERIES:

Place III

Lower Prut and namely the Manolescu Brook ‘’Ostrov’’ (Island) from the Valeni village, Cahul district.  

Place II LOCUL II

Moldova’s Forests, especially the villages of Vorniceni, Micleuseni, Cioresti 

Place I

Rogojenii Vechi: „I didn’t know about this superb place, but now I realize that it is one of most undiscovered locations from our country, which has a great tourist potential,’’ Andriano Marian also said.   

The 2022 edition brought a tribute also to a ‘’quartet’’ of rivers: Prut, Dniester, Raut and Bic. Also, the places and heroes who make nice business at home were promoted and the team made up of those seven musicians consolidated the community spirit through music. Over 2,000 spectators participated in the events of the expedition and another 10,000 people watched the live broadcastings of the concerts.   

CLASSICAL MUSIC, IN YARD OF RURAL BOARDING HOUSES

This was the first experience of involvement in the hosting of the La La Play expedition for Angela Comendant, the owner of the boarding house and traditional restaurant from Cotiujenii Mari, Soldanesti district. „I was quite lucky to listen to qualitative music just in our settlement and yard. Those about 50 people who took part in the concert in the restaurant’s yard were contented with the possibility to spend a week-end so pleasantly,’’ Comendant said.  

In her capacity of host for tourists who come to this region, Angela Comendant says that their interest in the local tourists grows. „We were pleasantly surprised by the impressions of our visitors. We organized them excursions to Rogojeni and Cobalea. They visited people’s craftsmen from Cotiujenii Mari and admired the landscape of the region by climbing the hillocks left since the times of Stephen the Great,’’ the host also said.        

At the same time, the musical expedition is practically a tradition for the mayor of the Sipoteni commune, Calarasi district, Vasile Rata. In 2022, the orchestra was here for the third time already. „Even if there was not the first experience of La La Play, the impressions were equally  strong. Such concerts in open air are only welcome. I believe in the tourist future of Sipoteni, as we have enough places which can interest visitors,’’ Vasile Rata says.   

These evenings with music in open air represent an innovative and interesting form of promoting the tourist potential of rural settlements.

Moldovan National Youth Orchestra is one of the most popular musical projects in Moldova. Founded by Andriano Marian in 2011, the project brings together young instrumentalists who study at top musical universities from the USA, the United Kingdom, Austria, Belgium, Finland, Switzerland, Russia, Ukraine and Romania. For more than 10 years, the orchestra’s team has been getting involved in projects on social and cultural development, using the music as promoter end key element which unites people around it.   

The musical edition, La La Play, was organized with the support of UNDP’s Migration and Local Development project, financed by the government of Switzerland.   

(According to UNDP)