Costel Busuioc - Ave Maria (live) video free download

Costel Busuioc sings Ave Maria at the Philarmonic Hall in Timisoara

(live recording with a handheld Canon Ixus 75)

- Background

Starting as a poor Romanian worker and shepherd, Busuioc settled down in Madrid, Spain in 2006, where he started working as a bricklayer in order to support his family back home. Busuioc has sung opera arias and Christian music since he was a teenager; he used to be a cantor in several Transylvanian churches.

- Winner of "Hijos de Babel" contest

While in Spain, a friend insisted that he take part in an audition for the local immigrant-oriented talent contest called Hijos de Babel (sp. "Babel's children"). Of the 4,000 people who had initially signed up for the contest, Busuioc was pronounced the winner on 13 March 2008, after passing a tie-break stage the same day -- he first sang the air Libiamo ne' lieti calici from Traviata by Verdi and then Puccini's Nessun dorma (from the opera Turandot), which won him the contest. The offered prize brought Busuioc a contract with Sony BMG; it was stated that the record label is currently arranging that Busuioc's family move to Madrid, as they could not afford so by their own means.

- Instruction and capabilities

The story of Busuioc had a large impact back in Romania -- for years, he had struggled to obtain support in order to develop his vocal capabilities, but poverty and lack of musical training forestalled any success. However, Busuioc actually had musical lessons in Timişoara for three years, but the quality of the lessons was rather modest and his schedule was so tiresome that he could hardly he find the time to practice.

Busuioc was nicknamed the "Pavarotti of the Carpathians" for his vocal capabilities, given that his formal training is minimal. The songs and arias he chose to sing during the Hijos de Babel contest demanded a tenor B (only a semitone below the tenor C) several times.

(quoted from wikipedia)