Romanian rhapsody

A festival of art and music brings Romanian culture to St. Petersburg.

By Viktoria Koltsova

The St. Petersburg Times

Published: September 19, 2012 (Issue # 1727)

FOR SPT The festival will feature a photo exhibit at the Museum of Ethnography.

St. Petersburg is one of three Russian cities welcoming Romanian culture as a part of a cultural exchange festival this week. 

The show “Mozart Rocks” will officially open the Days of Romanian Culture festival on Sept. 24 at the city’s Music Hall.

“Mozart Rocks,” created by producer Constantin Teodorescu in 2006, sees the works of Mozart played on electric guitars together with a philharmonic orchestra, and famous rock songs by bands such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Pink Floyd arranged in a classical style.

The Days of Romanian Culture in Russia festival, which encompasses musical and dance concerts, galas and exhibits, master classes and folk performances, follows on the heels of the Days of Russian Culture held in Romania from 2010-2011.

“Romanian culture attracts people with its original, unique and diverse forms. I am pleased to see that the program of the festival reflects this diversity and gives the Russian public the opportunity to experience life-affirming Romanian folklore, art, folk dance and classical music,” said Russian Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky.

After the original arrangements of “Mozart Rocks,” a more conventional concert will take place in the main hall of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic. On Oct. 7, soloists of the National Bucharest Opera will perform in an opera gala. Sopranos Silvia Sorina Munteanu and Irina Iordachescu, baritone Ionut Pascu and tenor Ionut Hotea will perform with the Mikhailovsky Theater’s orchestra, conducted by Mikhail Tatarnikov.

The highlight of the folk part of the festival will be a concert by the Basilica ensemble on Nov. 12 at the Teatr na Liteinom. Organizers promise a colorful show with traditional costumes, dancing and old songs of love and despair. The concert will be part of an international tour by the award-winning ensemble, which is more than 40 years old, has won different awards and is touring the world.

The festival’s program in St. Petersburg concludes with a photo exhibit at the Museum of Ethnography in October featuring a selection of works from the second Romanian Art Wave.

The artwork will include “portraits of local people in colorful Romanian blouses that inspired Henri Matisse, pictures of landscapes, scenes of peasant life, and much more,” according to the festival’s organizers.

The Days of Romanian Culture festival runs through Nov. 12.