Porumbescu

The Work

apbusinessweb — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 14:47:31 +0000

Ciprian Porumbescu used a libretto by Vasile Alecsandri, one of the most important Romanian poets, based on a popular myth: The New Moon is to be prayed and chanted three times by peasant girls in order to meet the love of their life and marry a young man. The libretto has its roots in a poem by the same Alecsandri, written in 1842/43.

The plot is set in a mountain village and tells the conquering love story of an orphaned girl, Anica and master Leonaș despite all their tribulations: Leonaș is accused of robbery by the high steward Corbu and abducts Anica into the woods, being chased by the gendarmes captain Bujor. After many twists and turns, the real thief is caught and with the help of an old man (Moș Corbu), the two lovers can marry, while the steward admits his wrong judgement.

While Alexandru Flechtenmacher (Baba Hârca – 1848, Coana Chirița – 1850 and Scara mâței – 1850), Eduard Wachmann (Păunașul codrilor – 1858, Spoielile Bucureștilor – 1963) or Eduard Caudella (Harță Răzeșul – 1872, Olteanca – 1880, Fata răzeșului – 1881) wrote the first Romanian operettas, it was Porumbescu’s attempt on this genre which would last to our days.

“The text between the musical parts is written in prose and the lyrics of the songs are rhymed, as the composer used the sounds and rhythms of the national language with the aim of creating melodic structures that lead to a genuinely Romanian profile. There are many pearls of wisdom specific of the local folklore; among them, there are a few patriotic, inspirational messages, supported musically by patriotic songs.

The setting creates a rustic atmosphere, which is complemented by the protagonistsʼ traditional Romanian costumes, thus described by the composerʼs sister, Maria” (Rosina Caterina Filimon: Ciprian Porumbescu, creator and protagonist of the Romanian operetta in Sciendo – Arts. Journal of Musicology)

Maria, the composer’s sister and and two choir girls in Crai Nou

The World Premiere

apbusinessweb — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 14:47:30 +0000

Crai Nou premiered on 11 March 1882 in the Festive Hall Of The Romanian High School in Brașov. The first ever performance was given by a group of 60 amateur singers and was produced by the Romanian Society for Gymnastics and Chant and the income was donated to charity.

Crai Nou‘s billboard of the world premiere

Ciprian Porumbescu conducted the Orchestra of Brașov Philharmonic Society and the following cast: Carolina Lengher (Anica), Cornelia Roman (Dochiţa), Andrei Bârseanu (Bujor), Vasile Voinea (Leonaş), Gheorghe Strâmbu (Ispravnicul), Zosim Butnaru. (Moş Corbu).

The performance was a success, the folk inspiration of the music being highly appreciated.

“The two performances of the operetta Crai Nou by Vasile Alecsandri, music by Ciprian Porumbescu met with unexpected success. The music of Crai Nou is vivid, pleasant to the ear and proves that the composer has diligently studied the works of modern composers: Offenbach, Genée, Strauss, Lecocq, a.s.o.”
Aurel Mureșianu’s review in Gazeta Transilvaniei, no. 31, 1882, p. 3

Porumbescu was irritated for being compared with Offenbach and other composers, and replied that:

“And if there is a composer whose work I have been diligently studying, let me say then that creator is the Romanian people itself, whose work is above those by Offenbach, Genée, Suppé etc.”
Ciprian Porumbescu

Carolina Lengher, the first Anica

Crai Nou at Bucharest National Opera House

apbusinessweb — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 14:47:29 +0000

In 2018, Romania celebrated 100 years since the unification of all its provinces into one state. In quest for relevant musical works Opera Brașov and the Operetta Theatre Galați scheduled performances of Crai Nou, while The Bucharest National Opera had Enescu’s Œdipe in the repertoire.

In 2022, with the occasion of the ITU international congress held in Bucharest, at the initiative of ANCOM (Romania’s Agency for Communications), The Bucharest National Opera premiered Crai Nou for the congress participants.

Crai Nou at Bucharest National Opera.

Regizor: Răzvan Ioan Dincă
Regizor secund: Raluca Popa
Scenograf decor: Adrian Damian
Scenograf costume: Iolanda Mutu
Coregraf: Violeta Dincă
Light design: Daniel Klinger
Video design: Dimitris Palade
Asistent coregrafie: Florin Tănase

Dirijor: Daniel Jinga
Orchestrații: Dan Dediu, John Walton, Cristian Lolea, Alexandru Butnaru
Inginer de sunet: Andrei Kerestely
Producător muzical: Vlad Vedeș

Distribuție:
Moș Corbu: Ion Dimieru
Ispravnicul: Radu Ion
Dochiţa: Oana Şerban
Bujor: Alexandru Constantin
Leonaş: Andrei Petre
Anica: Daniela Cârstea

Cu participarea Orchestrei, a Corului și a Baletului Operei Naționale București

[…] The first large-scale musical manifestation of the Romanians, in a montage made with reverence for the composer, to whom we apologize rhetorically for sometimes using some quotes in contexts that, at the time he composed, he would not have imagined could ever happen.

Romania…the country where myth and reality coexist in the spirit and actions of Romanians, even today.
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IOAN RĂZVAN DINCĂ
DIRECTOR OF CRAI NOU

[… I would] place Ciprian Porumbescu among the greatest artists of the world.

[…]I believe it has become our duty to keep him flying higher and higher, where he belongs.
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DANIEL JINGA
DIRECTOR, ROMANIAN NATIONAL OPERA BUCHAREST

[…]It’s a wonderful event, I congratulate the Romanian Opera, I congratulate Daniel Jinga […]
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LUCIAN ROMAȘCANU
CULTURE MINISTER

[…] I can’t wait to see how the aesthetic proposal I made will be received, because it’s nothing that people would expect to see at an opera performance in general in Romania and especially at a staging of Crai Nou […]
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ADRIAN DAMIAN
SCENOGRAPHER, CRAI NOU

[…] It can be said with conviction that, in the whole musical creation of Ciprian Porumbescu, the operetta “Crai Nou” represents his most important work, his great achievement, a true crowning of his compositional activity. […]
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OLTEA ȘERBAN-PÂRÂU
MUSICOLOGIST

[…] the production of the operetta Crai nou [is] a culturally, socially and even politically important event of the year and which must be seen by as many people as possible. […]
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TUDOR-COSTIN SICOMAS
THEATRICAL JOURNALIST

[…] Ciprian Porumbescu’s music remains forever alive in the souls of listeners allover the world. […]
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ADA MILITARU
JOURNALIST

[…] In his works, Porumbescu inserts patriotic themes, elements of expressiveness that define his style, of a special musicality, in which he displays a series of personal experiences, thoughts and ideas, which can only be heard in this way. […]
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IRINA ȘTEFĂNESCU
JOURNALIST

[…] The year 2023 will mean a lot to us, as we will celebrate the 170th anniversary of the birth of Ciprian Porumbescu and commemorate the 140th anniversary of his death. Again a reason to be happy and to find countless opportunities to make his music known.

„Don’t let my music die!”
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CLAUDIA ROBU
JOURNALIST