Image courtesy of Alexandra Dariescu website

Join Vasily Petrenko and pianist Alexandra Dariescu for this evening of stirring Russian classics as the summer days lengthen! Shostakovich’s exuberant Second Piano Concerto shows the composer’s more cheerful side. And one of Rachmaninov’s earliest symphonic works, Prince Rostislav, based upon a ballad written by A.K. Tolstoy, complements Tchaikovsky’s tuneful Capriccio Italien, written after a trip the composer took to Rome, and reflective of the Italian folk songs and dances he studied while there.

Programme:

Rachmaninov Prince Rostislav

Tchaikovsky Capriccio Italien

Shostakovich Piano Concerto No.2

Shostakovich Suite, Cheryomushki

Vasily Petrenko conductor

Alexandra Dariescu piano

For more information please click HERE.

Image courtesy of Paprika website

This electrifying sextet—hailing from Romania, Serbia and the UK—fuse together Eastern European, Balkan, Gypsy and Classical music in a whirlwind performance of frenzied virtuosity. Foot-tapping rhythms and fiery melodies infuse two fast-paced, high-energy sets from this exciting young group. Specialising in bringing rare or lost traditional Balkan music back to life, both the curious listener and the well-versed aficionado are sure to enjoy a host of surprises and fast-paced entertainment.

Recently, the band has developed both its line-up and repertoire, focusing on bringing rare and lost traditional Balkan music back to life. In 2012 the band appeared on BBC World on 3 and Radio 5 Live and was also featured in Channel 4′s ‘Come Dine With Me’.

Bogdan Vacarescu – Violin
Milos Milivojevic – Accordion
Zivorad Nikolic – Accordion
Vladimir Strkalj – Guitar
James Opstad – Bass
Rastko Rasic – Percussion

For more information please click HERE.

Image courtesy of Opera Online website

Nelly Miricioiu will be joining other colleagues for a 25th Anniversary Gala Concert at Royal College of Music.

Born in Adjud, Romania, Nelly started singing at 5 and was hailed as a child prodigy. At 18 she sung in Pergolesi’s La serva padrona and joined the Conservatory in Iasi where she continued her studies with Tibi Popovici. In 1972 she was the youngest contestant in the Francisco Vinas Musical Competition in Barcelona and in 1975 she won the first prize at the very first Maria Callas Grand Prix in Athens. In 1985 she began a famous series of Vara Matinee Concerts at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and over the two decades years continued to expand her repertoire to include the great bel canto heroines. In these roles she could advance her own unique artistry in the way for which she has today become so highly acclaimed. Her Armenaide (Tancredi) at the 1992 Salzburg festival was greatly admired and she continues to sing other Rossinian roles such as Armida, Semiramide and Ermione to similar acclaim.

Nelly Miricioiu Soprano
Rosalind Plowright Mezzo-Soprano
Sergei Leiferkus Baritone
Norma Fisher Piano
Gyorgy Pauk Violin
Ralph Kirshbaum Cello

For more information please click HERE.

Image courtesy of Rich Mix website

Alin is a former rebel without a cause still eluded by dreams of a conventional life. His conceited, heroin addict stepson dreams of making it with his band The Iguanas, whilst Alin does everything – including score – for him. However, all that is about to change at The Iguanas’ first big gig, in this beautiful evocation of life stuck in a rut.

Director: Marian Crisan
Year: 2012
Length: 93 Mins
Genre: Drama

For more information please click HERE

Image courtesy of Interenational Film Festival Rotterdam website

Cristi Puiu’s latest movie, ‘Trois Exercises d’Interpretation’, will have its UK premiere at East End Film Festival. This trilogy, consisting of the films ‘The Cat is On the Chair’, ‘The Mouse is Under the Table’ and ‘The Monkey is On the Branch’, is the result of a workshop at the French artists’ studio Chantiers Nomades.

Puiu was inspired by ‘Three Conversations’, the masterpiece by 19th-century Russian philosopher Vladimir Solovyov. The treatise, subtitled ‘About War, Morality and Religion’, is embedded in refined character studies. In his subdued cinematography, Puiu always puts the acting first. In ‘The Cat is On the Chair’, Anne-Marie and her daughter Ludivine receive their old friends Diana and Bernabé for lunch. In  ‘The Mouse is Under the Table’ the academic Ugo takes his childhood friend Jean-Benoit, a soldier, out to lunch with Patrick and his wife Marion. In ‘The Monkey is On the Branch’ we see the girlfriends Hillary, Perrine, Anne and Nathalie talk as they have lunch. All discuss life, friendship, war and faith. In the evening, all the groups meet in a light-footed scene in which they hold a séance.

Text Film Festival Rotterdam.

For more information please click HERE.

Image courtesy of Angela Gheorghiu website

Angela Gheorghiu will interpret the role of Magda in Nicolas Joël’s production of Puccini’s ‘La Rondine’ at Royal Opera House.

Angela Gheorghiu pointed out in an interview with Chris Shipman that ‘La rondine parallels with Verdi’s ‘La traviata’: ‘I enjoy singing Magda because it’s the opposite to traviata. Puccini and Verdi wrote in a similar way – she’s the same girl – but Puccini saves her so I don’t have to die at the end!’

‘La rondine’ was commissioned by the Karltheater, Vienna in 1913, but its 1917 premiere was moved to neutral Monte Carlo after the outbreak of World War I. Although an initial success, La rondine was denounced as an ‘enemy opera’ by the French press and declined in popularity. Only recently has the opera been performed regularly in opera houses worldwide.

Nicolas Joël’s production draws on the glamour and glitter of 1920s France. In the chic surroundings of her Parisian salon, Magda celebrates passionate love in the memorable song ‘Doretta’s Dream’ and in an Art Nouveau-inspired café, the lovers chat to a leisurely foxtrot. Giacomo Puccini’s score is influenced by Viennese operetta and infused with popular dance rhythms, from two interwoven waltz themes in Act II to lively polkas and tangos. The final act moves to a hotel on the French Riviera where the lovers bid a heart-breaking farewell in soaring melodies, before Magda – the ‘swallow’ of the title – flies away.

For more information please click HERE.

Image courtesy of Mercury Quartet website

After a very successful first year of the RADAR series, the Mercury Quartet return, presenting new commissions alongside the great masterworks of the 20th and 21st century. The award-winning Mercury Quartet comprises four rising stars: Vlad Maistorovici (violin/viola), Corentin Chassard (cello), Antoine Francoise (piano/saxes), Harry Cameron-Penny (clarinets). Performing either as a quartet or alongside internationally renowned guest artists, they perform classic works of the 20th century alongside improvisations, live compositions, new commissions and unknown masterpieces

The Mercury Quartet was formed at the Royal College of Music (RCM) to realise a shared passion for Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time. Performing either as a quartet or alongside internationally renowned guest artists, they perform classic works of the 20th century alongside improvisations, live compositions, new commissions and unknown masterpieces.

Recent projects have included the recording of their Debut CD on the Non-Classical label, and performances of Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire with Julian Jacobson (London/O ford) and Linda Hirst (Dartington) and Elliot Carter’s Triple Duo in London, Dartington, Oxford and France. Recently they worked with Israeli composer Nimrod Katzir; premiering his recent composition ‘AZZA’ in Switzerland. They have also recorded for and broadcast on the Swiss station ‘Radio de la Suisse Romande’ and were invited to appear and perform on BBC Radio 3′s ‘In Tune’ show.

Programme:
Niculescu – Echos II (UK premiere)
Diana Rotaru – new commission
Oliver Weeks – new commission
Julian Anderson – Bearded Lady
Dan Dediu – Concert Gotic (UK premiere)

For more details please click HERE.

Image courtesy of ‘Of Snails and Man’ website

Tudor Gourgiu’s movie ‘Of Snails and Man’(Despre Oameni si Melici) has it’s UK premiere  at  the Edinburgh International Film Festival.  Set against the background of Michael Jackson’s visit to Romania in 1992, the film tells the story of a small town confronting the realities of post-Communist life. Threatened with the closure of the local factory, the men who work there decide to buy it themselves. How to raise the money? By selling their sperm to a fertility clinic. A hilarious social satire filled with rueful insight into a recent historical transition.

Audiences will have the chance to enjoy performances by well-loved Romanian actors such as Andi Vasluianu, Dorel Vişan, Monica Bîrlădeanu, Andreea Bibiri, Valeria Seciu, Ovidiu Crişan, Ion Grosu, Clara Vodă and Alina Berzunţeanu, as well as the renowned French actor Jean François Stevenin and his son, Robinson Stevenin. Jean François Stevenin played important parts in films by filmmakers such as François Truffaut, Jacques Rivette, Bertrand Blier, Jacques Demy and Jean-Luc Godard, this being his first role in a Romanian movie.

For more information please click HERE.

6:00 – 8:00 pm at The Raţiu Foundation / Romanian Cultural Centre
Manchester Square, 18 Fitzhardinge Street, London, W1H 6EQ

Image courtesy of CERE website

You are invited to meet two civic organisations: Ratiu Center for Democracy (CRD) and the Resource Center for Public Participation (CeRe). Both are engaged in transforming Romania into a consolidated democracy by supporting citizens to defend their rights, assume their responsibilities, and hold their representatives accountable. Dedicated to building active citizenship, we know it requires dedication, passion, patience and knowledge – Like making wine! Active citizens have the power to structure a fair and equal society. We believe that citizens are like wines, they become better with time, provided the context is favorable.
Come to learn more about Romanian civic activism initiatives, taste Romanian food with a twist, drink from a selection of Romanian wines, and participate in a toasting competition, all of which will make a wonderful evening for you and your friends. The “most memorable toast” will be awarded with a dinner at Brooks´s on St. James. “Press” for Romanian citizenship initiatives and visit Romania: we invite you to bid for a weekend with your friends at one of the beautiful villas in Satul Prunilor (Plum Village).

We need your support in increasing our outreach and engaging more citizens!

Please confirm your attendance by the 21st of June 2013 to either oana.marchis@ratiucenter.ro or sinziana@ce-re.ro.
For further information, please contact Oana Machis and Sanziana Dobre at the above email addresses or visit the event’s Facebook page.