50 Lei Stefan Petrache - 75th birth anniversary

Ștefan Petrache was one of Moldova's most beloved pop and folk singers, whose career spanned from the 1960s until his death in 2008. Born in 1949 in Cojușna, he became closely identified with the lyrical strain of Soviet-era Moldovan popular music — recordings that circulated widely across the USSR despite, or perhaps because of, their distinctly local character. The National Bank of Moldova has issued a modest but consistent commemorative program honoring cultural figures, and Petrache joins a short list of musicians deemed significant enough for silver.