Dear RCC Members & Friends,
Welcome to the August edition of the Romanian Info Centre (RIC) e-bulletin. As usual, we present in this e-bulletin information on Romanian culture in UK, information for the Romanian community, as well as on the latest Romanian or Romania-related matters: books and DVDs, exhibitions and concerts, research and courses. This e-bulletin also contains the latest Ratiu Foundation news, and news items from our friends.
Some of the events listed below are organised or supported by us at Ratiu Foundation / Romanian Cultural Centre in London. As the purpose of our publications is to disseminate news about events happening all over Britain, we always include information about things which are not directly connected to the RCC/RF, but which we think might be of interest to you, our readership. I hope that you will find RIC August 2008 useful.
As you can see from the photo above, there will be a great concert of Enescu and Brahms, performed by two of the most talented and charismatic Romanian musicians of the moment: Remus Azoitei on violin and Eduard Stan on piano – see more details below. Besides this, there are many other music events, from Balkan swing to Rachmaninov, via the Romanian-Ghanaian hip-hopper Wanlov. For the most operatic- and theatre-minded of you, you can try to get some tickets for Glyndebourne Opera, where internationally acclaimed director Silviu Purcarete left his mark on the staging of ‘Love and Other Demons’, an opera by Peter Eotvos.
Romanian contemporary arts are also present in Britain, with Dan Perjovschi in Edinburgh, and Mircea Cantor and Adrian Ghenie arriving soon in Bristol and Liverpool respectively.
Speaking of all these places outside London, I have to mention that this past July I visited the city of Leeds, on the occasion of the conferring of a honorary doctorate to the great Romanian actor and theatre manager Constantin Chiriac. Constantin was awarded for his achievements in the development and promotion of theatre and the arts, and for the successes of the Sibiu International Theatre Festival, whose director he is. See pictures from the 25 July, 2 pm ceremony clicking here, here, and here.
I also travelled on cultural business to Liverpool, where the events within the European Capital of Culture 2008 are in full swing. It was very exciting to be there, indeed, to discuss future Romanian events in Liverpool – watch this space for more details soon!
But the most exciting event of the summer was, by far, my participation in the visit to Edinburgh and Glasgow for cultural operators, organised by Visiting Arts and the Scottish Arts Council. I had the chance to meet a host of very interesting people, decision makers and big players in the field of cultural promotion in Scotland. I left Scotland with the distinct feeling that Romanian culture might just have found a new outlet in its promotion in the UK.
The good British Summer has descended upon us all. We might wonder at its instability (some of us, at least), but I think we should think twice beforehand: Romania has been melting slowly with temperatures as high as 42 centigrade from June onwards. I shall go and experience the specific warmth of our country myself, and, as such, I will be away from the office until 2 September.
If you are on holiday, or planning to take off to Romania for a hot summer break, we have a flight recommendation from Blue Air and some book recommendations. See details below. Not all the books are ‘Summer reading’ material, but I am sure you will find them exciting: from a rediscovered gem of pre-WW2 Romanian writing (Scarred Hearts) to a book on Romania written by an Englishman living in Bucharest (Never Mind the Balkans…) – see below.
If you would like your Romanian or Romanian-related cultural events publicised in our newsletters, please send us the details at least two weeks prior to the event. We shall try to include them in the next edition(s) of the Diary and of RIC e-bulletin, time and editorial space permitting.
Best wishes,
Ramona Mitrica
Edited by: Ramona Mitrica & Mihai Risnoveanu
Special thanks to: Remus Azoitei, Mike Phillips, Nicolae Ratiu, Eduard Stan
Fly to Romania with BLUE AIR
ROMANIAN CULTURE IN THE UK
Remus Azoitei (violin) and Eduard Stan (piano) Concert at Wigmore Hall 15 September 2008
Director Silviu Purcarete’s Glyndebourne Opera Debut
Dan Perjovschi at the Collective Gallery, Edinburgh
‘Mircea Cantor: The Need for Uncertainty’ at Arnolfini, Bristol
Adrian Ghenie within the Liverpool Biennial
ROMANIAN COMMUNITY IN THE UK
First Book Exchange (Schimb de Carti) Meeting in London
‘Diaspora Romaneasca’ Romanian Newspaper
WWW.ROMANI-ONLINE.CO.UK
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Books and DVDs
New Book: ‘Scarred Hearts’ by Marcel Blecher
New Book: ‘Never Mind the Balkans, Here’s Romania’ by Mike Ormsby
New (Romanian) Book: Olimpia in exil (Olympia in exile) by Traian Ungureanu
New (Romanian) Book: ‘Aliatul uitat al lui Hitler’ (Hitler’s Forgotten Ally) by Dennis Deletant
New DVD: California Dreamin’ (Endless), released 8 September 2008
New DVD: ‘Gypsy Caravan: When the Road Bends’ by Jasmine Dellal
Exhibitions and Concerts
Romanian Artist Flavia Pitis within the BP Portrait Award
Romanian Artist Silviu Pascalin within Illumini Show
Vlad Hirlav-Maistorovici (violin) in Concert
Madalina Rusu (piano) at the Barbican
Belcea Quartet Bartok Day at Wigmore Hall
Ghanaian-Romanian Hip-Hopper Wanlov the Kubolor in Concert
Paprika Balkanicus with Bogdan Vacarescu (violin)
Hai la Drum, with Baz Stanescu (violin)
Palinka – Transylvanian Village Music Live
Research and Courses
Incotro (Where to?) – Romanian Visual Survey 2008
SALLEE survey 2008
Romanian Classes at the School of Slavonic and Eastern European Studies (SSEES)
Art and the Cold War: Course and Study Days
Our Friends’ Events
2nd Russian Film Festival in London
RATIU FOUNDATION NEWS
In UK
Ratiu Scholarships – Deadline 1 September 2008
STEPdoc 2008 – a mobility grant of GBP 1,500 for a young Romanian film-maker
In Romania
Preparations for Turda Fest 2008
Marcel Janco Buildings Map
Fly to Romania with BLUE AIR
Fly to Romania with BLUE AIR, the Romanian low-cost airline, from London Stansted to Bucharest Baneasa. Flights to and from Romania depart two times a week, Monday and Friday. You can buy tickets on-line on www.blueair-web.com. For more details, call the Blue Air Call Centre on +4021 208 8686 or e-mail info@blue-air.ro or sales@blue-air.ro.
Blue Air also provides flights from Bucharest to a series of European destinations, as varied as Cyprus, Malaga, and Berlin. More details on www.blueair-web.com
Blue Air offers, as well, a corporate programme through which you can save up to 50% for advance tickets. For further details, please contact Blue Air on Tel. +4021 208 8618 or e-mail corporate@blue-air.ro
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ROMANIAN CULTURE IN THE UK
Remus Azoitei (violin) and Eduard Stan (piano) Concert at Wigmore Hall – 15 September 2008!
Works for violin and piano by Enescu and Brahms
Monday 15 September 2008, 19.30. Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street, London W1U 2BP, Tel. 020 7935 2141
“Azoitei is an uninhibited virtuoso, with soul and fabulous technique” The Strad
“An enormously sensitive pianist with an extraordinary flexible culture of touch” Weserkurier
“Incandescent reading that positively bursts forth with energy from this genuine musical partnership” Fanfare
Programme:
George Enescu – Impressions d’enfance, op. 28 (Impressions of Childhood)
Johannes Brahms – Sonata in D minor, op. 108
George Enescu – Impromptu Concertant
Johannes Brahms – Scherzo from “FAE Sonata”
George Enescu – Sonata No. 3 “in Romanian Folk Character”, op. 25
Remus Azoitei has performed extensively across Europe, as well as North America, Japan and New Zealand. In 2001, Remus Azoitei became the youngest-ever violin professor in the history of the Royal Academy of Music.
Eduard Stan is hailed by The Strad as a “pianist who reveals a fine gift of restraint and an instinctive feel for balance”. Born in Romania, he emigrated to Germany in 1978, and has since performed across Europe and the US in venues such as Berlin Philharmonie, Musikhalle Hamburg and Salt Lake City Temple Square.
The artists have just completed the world’s first recording of the entire repertoire for violin and piano by Enescu. The first volume of this 2 CD collection has already attracted critical acclaim.
More details on www.romanianculturalcentre.org.uk
Tickets: £15.00 £13.00 £10.00 £8.00
Call the Wigmore Hall Box Office on Tel. 020 7935 2141 or book on-line at www.wigmore-hall.org.uk
Organised by The Ratiu Foundation / The Romanian Cultural Centre in London
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Director Silviu Purcarete’s Glyndebourne Opera Debut: ‘Love and Other Demons’ by Peter Eotvos – World Premiere
2008 promises to be another ambitious year for Glyndebourne with a new work commissioned jointly by Glyndebourne and the BBC.
The Festival will feature a major new work commissioned jointly by Glyndebourne and the BBC from the Hungarian composer Peter Eotvos entitled ‘Love and Other Demons’. This is the first time an opera by Peter Eotvos has been premiered in the UK and also the first time maestro Silviu Purcarete directs for Glyndebourne.
‘Love and Other Demons’
Glyndebourne Opera, Glyndebourne, Lewes, East Sussex BN8 5UU; Box Office: 01273 813813, www.glyndebourne.com
Performances on 19, 22, 24, 27, 30 August 2008, at 19.20.
Conductor: Vladimir Jurowski; Director: Silviu Purcarete; Designer: Helmut Stürmer
Composer: Peter Eotvos; Libretto: Kornel Hamvai.
Performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and The Glyndebourne Chorus. Cast includes: Marisol Montalvo as Sierva Maria; Robert Brubaker as Don Ygnacio; Nathan Gunn as Father Delaura. Sung in English with supertitles.
‘Love and Other Demons’ is based on the novel of the same name by celebrated author Gabriel García Márquez – a tragic love story set in 18th-century Spanish Columbia, the catholic miracle drama is set against a backdrop of slavery and decaying colonialism.
Silviu Purcarete has worked in Romanian and European theatre for more than twenty years, most notably for the National Theatre of Craiova and Theatre Bulandra in Bucharest. His productions have won many awards and great critical acclaim both in Romania and abroad.
Composer Peter Eotvos is one of the best known interpreters of 20th century music and is amongst the most widely commissioned opera composers in Europe.
Details on www.glyndebourne.com
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Dan Perjovschi at the Collective Gallery, Edinburgh
Internationally-renowned Romanian artist Dan Perjovschi is part of the Edinburgh Festival, within ‘The Golden Record – Sounds of the Earth’ exhibition organised by the Collective Gallery.
‘The Golden Record – Sounds of Earth’ is a unique cross-platform/cross-festival project which is part of both the Edinburgh Art Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Comedians, artists and film-makers come together for a contemporary remake of the original Golden Record – a phonograph record launched into space in 1997, containing sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth.
More on Dan Perjovschi at www.perjovschi.ro
• ‘The Golden Record – Sounds of the Earth’ is open until 31 August 2008
The Collective Gallery, 22-28 Cockburn Street, Edinburgh EH1 1NY; Tel. 0131 220 1260. Opening hours: 12.00 to 17.00, Tuesday to Saturday.
Details on www.collectivegallery.net
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‘Mircea Cantor: The Need for Uncertainty’ at Arnolfini, Bristol
A new installation by Mircea Cantor will be presented at Arnolfini, elaborating on the theme of uncertainty, and addressing the notions of displacement and co-existent communities.
Following his exhibition at Modern Art Oxford earlier this year, the exhibition at Arnolfini will be a second stage to this project, with significant new components, including a large-scale Romanian traditional wooden gate. Coated in gold leaf, the gate has been imposed with a DNA-strand motif symbolising life, yet paradoxically certainty and control. Mircea Cantor lives and works in Paris and Cluj, Romania.
A fully illustrated catalogue featuring views of Cantor’s new work and an essay by Suzanne Cotter, Senior Curator at Modern Art Oxford, accompanies the exhibition. This show will be presented Camden Arts Centre, London, 13 February to 12 April 2009, and was presented at Modern Art Oxford 2 April to 1 June 2008.
Supported by The Ratiu Foundation / The Romanian Cultural Centre in London
• ‘Mircea Cantor: The Need for Uncertainty’, 13 September – 9 November 2008
Arnolfini, 16 Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA; Tel. 0117 917 2300 / 01. Gallery opening hours: 10.00-18.00, Tuesday to Sunday.
Details on www.arnolfini.org.uk
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Adrian Ghenie within the Liverpool Biennial
Adrian Ghenie is a young Romanian painter whose works demonstrate his fascination with history and the trauma of dictatorship. The sources for his images are derived from a combination of his own personal memories and from historical books, archives and both documentary and fictional film. Adrian’s work is presented in Liverpool as part of ‘MADE UP’, the International Exhibition of the Biennial.
The weaving together of personal histories with collective memories makes for a psychologically disturbing encounter on the part of the viewer, who may experience a sense of unease or an uncanny jolt of recognition as they survey the paintings. While Ghenie may have derived inspiration from the dark times of the history of Europe in the 20th century, his attention to detail and ability to create convincingly real interiors for his protagonists finds its roots in Northern European Renaissance painting.
Liverpool Biennial, the International Festival of Contemporary Art is open from 20 September to 30 November 2008.
Details on www.biennial.com
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ROMANIAN COMMUNITY IN THE UK
First Book Exchange (Schimb de Carti) Meeting in London
‘Schimb de Carti’ is a series of monthly meetings which take place simultaneously in several cities in Romania (and not only there). This is a project initiated by bookblog.ro (the best culture blog in Romania), and the London meetings are supported and promoted by ROMANi-ONLiNE UK. The purpose of the meetings is to exchange books and discuss, in an open manner (and in places with special atmosphere), about books, authors, and whatever pops in our minds. Entrance is free, and everybody is welcome. The location will be announced in advance on SchimbDeCarti.ro, and ROMANi-ONLiNE.co.uk
The participants’ opinions, posts from personal blogs or websites will be re-posted on SchimbDeCarti.ro, and the best book reviews will be published by ROMANi-ONLiNE UK.
Meetings will be monthly, and will take place in special venues: pubs where Dickens used to have a pint, or are mentioned in his books, the place that served as a model for Orwell, where Chaucer started the Canterbury Tales and Shakespeare played in the courtyard, a former arena for cockfights where Shakespeare’s house used to stand in Blackfriars. Also, there is the smallest pub in Britain, Hemingway and Graham Greene’s favourites boozer, etc. There will also be modern venues, there will be various types of books, and plenty of good humour with every meeting.
The proposal list is open, and the organisers hope to make the meetings interesting for the participants and for those who read about them as well.
The first meeting is scheduled to take place in London, on 7 September, at Freud Café in Covent Garden, 198 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8JL. Freud Café is the first café-bar in England, a place chosen for permanent art shows, for the bohemian air, because it’s one of London’s best kept secrets, and for the wonderful cocktails! Read more about it (Romanian) on the Forum.
We are looking forward to meeting you in September, no matter if you are an avid reader, haven’t read a book in a while, with or without books!
Schimb de Carti London is coordinated by Diana Varbanescu.
Details (Romanian only) on www.romani-online.co.uk
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‘Diaspora Romaneasca’, Romanian newspaper
’Diaspora Romaneasca’, a weekly Romanian newspaper, was established in 2002, making it the first Romanian ethnic newspaper in the UK. ‘Diaspora Romaneasca’ is a newspaper for Romanians living in the UK, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Available in selected shops and by means of subscription. It is currently distributed in Britain and abroad. Contact details: e-mail: editor@diasporaro.com
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WWW.ROMANI-ONLINE.CO.UK
Romani-Online.co.uk was re-launched with a brand new design, new sections, and improved user facilities. Click on the links below to visit the website and convince yourselves.
– Do you have something for sale?
– Do you want to buy something?
– Are you looking for a room or a flat to rent?
– Do you want to advertise your services?
It’s simple! Click on www.Romani-Online.co.uk, register with the site, and then publish your announcement directly! No need to wait until somebody will publish it for you. And everything is FREE and really easy to set-up!
– Do you want to know what’s been happening in Romania lately?
– Do you want to learn the latest news of interest for Romanians living in the UK?
– Would you like to go to Romanian parties or concerts?
It’s simple! Click on www.Romani-Online.co.uk, and you’ll find out! Don’t forget to enter the Forum and the Live Chat!
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
Books and DVDs
New Book: ‘Scarred Hearts’ by Marcel Blecher
• ‘Scarred Hearts’
Translated by Henry Howard. Introduction by Paul Bailey
Old Street Publishing, 15 August 2008. Paperback, 240 pages ISBN: 9781905847181
Price: £14.99
You can order this book on www.amazon.co.uk
“Scarred Hearts is a masterpiece, and all the more poignant for being so beadily accurate about human behaviour in extremis. It is a book to live with, to read again and again, as only great literature demands us to.” Paul Bailey
Scarred Hearts, set and written in the 1930s, tells the story of 21-year-old Emanuel, a Romanian student of chemistry in Paris, who becomes ill with Pott’s disease (tuberculosis of the spine) and spends a year in a sanatorium, his body wrapped in a plaster body cast. In spite of their failing bodies, the patients continue to fall in love and have sex, experiencing life with heightened intensity. Blecher captures brilliantly the process of physical decay and erosion, a ‘scarring’ both of the body and the soul.
Hailed by Ionesco as a master, Blecher’s writing combines the stark lucidity of Kafka’s prose with the literary sensibility of Proust and the atmosphere and setting of Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain.
This is a rediscovered classic of modern European literature translated into English for the first time, and an important addition to the canon of twentieth century Jewish writing.
Marcel ‘Max’ Blecher was born in 1909 into a Jewish family in Botosani , Romania . At the age of 19 he contracted tuberculosis of the spine and spent the rest of his life in hospitals and sanatoria. He published his first book of poetry in 1934, and his first novel in 1936. Scarred Hearts, his second and last novel, appeared in 1937, a year before his death at the age of 29. In spite of his limited output, Blecher had already become a member of the French and Romanian literary avant-garde. His work was forgotten for many decades, and rediscovered in the West only in recent years. The German edition has led to rave reviews and a number one position among “Notable books” in the leading weekly Die Zeit.
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New Book: ‘Never Mind the Balkans, Here’s Romania’ by Mike Ormsby
• ‘Never Mind the Balkans, Here’s Romania’
ISBN: 978-973-7841-56-8, Compania Publishing House. Price: RON 32, EUR 11
So, how does it feel… to survive a nightmare but wake up with a headache?
When your country is transformed, but not really?
When a student drives a Mercedes, but your blind grandma’s pension is 7 euros per month?
When Transylvania can be heaven on earth, but scary as hell?
When you can go anywhere you want, but you can’t sneak under the tape?
When you buy the perfect home in the wrong place?
When the front door is for VIPs and the back door is for you?
When politicians drive down the pavement because traffic lights are for suckers?
When you mix Thracians, Dacians, Romans, Saxons, Turks, Hungarians, French, Russians… and a Brit?
Never mind the Balkans, here’s Romania. Close your guide book, meet the people.
The book was published simultaneously with its Romanian version: ‘Grand Bazar Romania sau Calator strain updated’. Translated from the English by Vlad A. Arghir.
ISBN: 978-973-7841-54-4. Compania Publishing House 2008. Price: 29 RON, €10
You can order these books via the internet at www.compania.ro/shop/
More info on how to order can be found here: www.compania.ro/informatii-strainatate.htm (scroll for English)
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New (Romanian) Book: Olimpia in exil (Olympia in exile) by Traian Ungureanu
• ‘Olimpia in exil’
ISBN 978-973-50-2107-8, Humanitas Publishing House. Price 23 RON.
A book on noblesse and dishonour in sport. This is a book which rehabilitates the true stakes of sports, and paints a picture of those who want to falsify them: trainers with bad intentions, corrupt leaders, and brutes with the right to take decisions.
What are the shady interests and complicities that govern modern Olympics? When shall we be able to tell stories on sporting heroes who illumined our youth and have passed away? What was the fire burning in the mind, genius and being of Bobby Fischer? How much has English football suffered after the aeroplane catastrophe of 1958 and how much did it win after Arsene Wenger’s arrival in London? What does political correctness do to South African rugby? These are just some of the questions that Traian Ungureanu offers an answer with the charm and talent of the high quality chronicler.
You can order this book from Humanitas publishing house at cpp@humanitas.ro
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New (Romanian) Book: ‘Aliatul uitat al lui Hitler’ (Hitler’s Forgotten Ally) by Dennis Deletant
• ‘Aliatul uitat al lui Hitler. Ion Antonescu si regimul sau 1940-1944’
Translated from the English by Delia Razdolescu
ISBN 978-973-50-1936-5, Humanitas Publishing House. Price 45 RON
This is a study which tries to find the true historical profile of Ion Antonescu, the marshal demonised by the Legionari (the Romanian fascists) and by the Stalinist regime, “recovered” by the nationalist communism of Nicolae Ceausescu, and transformed after 1990 in an emblematic figure of the anti-communism.
Dennis Deletant’s book brings a new perspective on Ion Antonescu and his times: the point of view of a non-Romanian researcher, foreign to the Romania-born passions on the subject, bringing discord sometimes among the historians themselves. It’s the point of view of a researcher who reads through all archive materials thinking about their deep significance, a researcher who knows that historical personalities and times must be judged, but without hatred and bias.
You can order this book from Humanitas publishing house at cpp@humanitas.ro
The English edition of the book, ‘Hitler’s Forgotten Ally. Ion Antonescu and His Regime, Romania 1940–1944’ was published by Palgrave Macmillan, April 2006, ISBN: 1403993416.
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New DVD: California Dreamin’ (Endless) released 8 September 2008
California Dreamin’ (Endless)
Directed by Cristian Nemescu
Romania / 2007 / Fiction / colour /155 mins / Romanian and English dialogues, with English subtitles
With: Armand Assante, Razvan Vasilescu, Jamie Elman; Maria Dinulescu, Ion Sapdaru, Alex Margineanu, Andi Vasluianu
DVD released through Artificial Eye
Synopsis:
A stubborn station master confronts a NATO mission.
In 1999, a NATO train transporting military equipment is stopped in the middle of nowhere by the overzealous and overtly anti-American chief of a train station in Romania. The transport, supervised by American soldiers, is crossing Romania without official documents, based only on the verbal approval of the Romanian government. Set against the backdrop of the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, the film explores the impact that the arrival of the American soldiers has on the tiny village community: historical experience, corruption, bureaucratic inefficiency and romantic interest concur in a mayhem battle of wills with tragic consequences for the village but not for the Americans. At the end of five intense days, the train resumes its journey leaving behind broken hearts, shattered dreams and a civil war.
A cinematic tour de force, as well as a poignant and hilarious comment on parochialism, intercultural clashes, and Romania’s long-term fascination with America.
“California Dreamin’ is an epic satire, with both modern-day Romania and US foreign policy firmly in its sights”. (Nick Roddick, London Film Festival)
Awards: ‘Un Certain Regard’ Award, Cannes 2007; Satyajit Ray Prize, 51st Times London Film Festival 2007
‘California Dreamin’ (Endless)’ is still shown in selected cinemas. For full list of dates and cinemas, go to www.artificial-eye.com/californiadreamin/where.php
Pre-order the DVD from Movie Mail, Amazon.co.uk, Play.com, Hmv.com. Prices start at £11.99
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New DVD: ‘Gypsy Caravan: When the Road Bends’
• ‘Gypsy Caravan: When the Road Bends’
Directed by Jasmine Dellal
US, UK, Netherlands / 2006 / Documentary / colour /111 mins / English, Romani, Spanish, Romanian, Macedonian, Hindi and Marwari (with English subtitles)
A dazzling display of the musical world of the Roma, juxtaposed to the real world they live in. This rich feature documentary celebrates the luscious music of top international Gypsy performers and interweaves stirring real life tales of their home life and social background.
Shot by documentary icon Albert Maysles, the film takes place on location in Spain, Macedonia, Romania and India, as well as in Europe and in the USA during the Gypsy Caravan concert tour created by World Music Institute. Starring musicians from Fanfare Ciocarlia, Taraf de Haidouks, Maharaja, Antonio El Pipa, Esma Redzepova. Film directed and produced by Jasmine Dellal whose recent feature, ‘American Gypsy’, won international acclaim for its portrait of an American Roma family battling a decade of drama.
The film opened in selected UK cinemas on in September 2007.
Available Amazon.co.uk, Play.com, Hmv.com. Prices start at £8.99
Also available: ‘Gypsy Caravan’ Audio CD, from Amazon.co.uk, Hmv.com. Prices start at £9.99
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Exhibitions and Concerts
Romanian Artist Flavia Pitis within the BP Portrait Award
Once again, the prestigious BP Portrait Award has selected in the long-list a Romanian artist. This year, Flavia Pitis has an entry with the portrait ‘Buti’.
The BP Portrait Award is the most prestigious portrait competition in the world, promoting the very best in contemporary portrait painting. An annual competition aimed at encouraging artists to focus upon and develop the theme of portraiture in their work, the Award is open to everyone aged 18 and over in recognition of the outstanding and innovative work currently being produced by artists of all ages. With a first-prize of £25,000 the exhibition has proved the launch pad for the careers of a number of successful portrait artists.
The previous Romanian entries in the competition were both by Ana-Maria Micu, in 2006 and 2007.
The BP Portrait Award is open until 14 September 2008.
The National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Place, London WC2H 0HE; Tel. 020 7312 2463.
Details on www.npg.org.uk/live/bpmenu.asp
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Romanian Artist Silviu Pascalin within Illumini Show
Romanian Artist Silviu Pascalin will take part in the Illumini Show curated by Jane Webb, which will be on show at the Crypt Gallery in London.
An electrifying new exhibition with a difference, starting with a opening night on the 4 September, which is complimented with a full evening of free live entertainment from fire performers, stilt walkers, jugglers, light shows, and performance artists, working with illumination taking place through out the crypt. This is no PV night, this is an evening where everybody is welcome. Illumini will not just showcase art it will entertain, introducing all communities that may not normally visit the arts to a different approach.
Illumini brings together a variety of artists, all sharing a passion for the subject of light. Set in the famous St Pancras crypt, these impressive pieces of artwork come to life in this unusual building. Come along to experience the illuminatory and dazzling effect this diverse collection of artwork has on the crypt’s dark environment.
Travel down abandoned corridors and venture into secret recesses to explore a wide variety of artwork. The pieces range from photographs and paintings depicting light, to sculptural works that literally glow; at once transforming the crypt’s murky and shadowy atmosphere like never before.
Illumini was supported through a grant of the Ratiu Foundation.
• 4 -17 September 2008: Illumini
Crypt Gallery, St Pancras Church, Euston Road, London NW1 2BA
Opening times: daily 11.00-19.00. Opening Night: Thursday 4 September, 18.00-21.00. Free Admission, all welcome
Details on www.stpancraschurch.org
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Vlad Hirlav-Maistorovici (violin) in Concert
Romanian Violinist Vlad Hirlav-Maistorovici will perform, as part of the Mercury 4tet, a quartet newly formed by four students of the Royal College of Music, London, within the Chelsea Schubert Festival. The quartet’s members are Vlad Hirlav-Maistorovici (violin), Corentin Chassard (cello), Harry Cameron-Penny (clarinet), Antoine Francoise (piano)
Basically formed to play the well renowned ‘Quartet for the end of time’ by Olivier Messiaen, the quartet is now dedicated to the interpretation of the masterworks of the 20th century as well as any new expression of the contemporary music. Determined to give a new vision of the contemporary repertoire, the quartet is open to any interdisciplinary work with visual artists and comedians or dancers. Their next projects include the mercury plugged quartet, playing on electric instruments, Takemitsu’s quadruple concerto with orchestra: ‘Quatrain’ or Schoenberg’s ‘Pierrot Lunaire’.
Since Winter 2008, the Mercury 4tet was accepted to be part of Concordia Foundation International ensemble, which will lead them to perform in famous London venues such as St Martin in the Fields.
Programme: Alban Berg: adagio from Chamber Concerto, Sieben Fruhe Lieder; Toru Takemitsu: Quatrain II; Franz Schubert: Song selection, Arpeggione Sonata.
While studying in London, Vlad Hirlav-Maistorovici was supported by the Ratiu Foundation.
• Tuesday 16 September 2008: Mercury 4tet with Vlad Hirlav-Maistorovici (violin)
19.30, Holy Trinity Sloane Square, Sloane Street, London SW1X 9BZ; Tel. 020 7730 7270.
Details on www.chelseaschubertfest.co.uk
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Madalina Rusu (piano) at the Barbican
Romanian pianist Madalina Rusu will perform on Saturday 20 September at the Barbican concert hall as part of the Rachmaninov Festival.
Born in Romania, Madalina Rusu’s early piano education was at the Music High School in Constanta and later at the University of Music in Bucharest. Since 2004, Madalina has been studying the piano with Professor Joan Havill at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
• Saturday 20 September 2008: Madalina Rusu (piano)
18.00, Barbican Hall, Level G, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS; Box office 020 7638 8891. Free entrance.
While studying at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Madalina Rusu is supported by the Ratiu Foundation.
Details on www.barbican.org.uk
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Belcea Quartet Bartok Day at Wigmore Hall
This programme of the Belcea Quartet presents three special concerts in a day dedicated to the great Hungarian composer.
Timed to coincide with the release of their recording of these works on EMI and following the acclaimed Bartok readings that concluded their Wigmore Hall residency in 2006, the Belcea Quartet again performs what many regard as the most significant string quartet canon of the last century. Bartok’s quartets spanned 40 years and reflected the onset of two world wars. With the first pair of richly post-Romantic quartets leading to the bold innovations of Nos. 3 and 4 and a final mellowing in the last pair, the cycle combines folk material within complex frameworks and presents diverse new sounds and playing techniques, with poignancy and tragedy held in sometimes disturbing balance.
Programme:
11.30 – String Quartet No. 1; String Quartet No. 2
15.00 – String Quartet No. 3; String Quartet No. 4
19.30 – String Quartet No. 5; String Quartet No. 6
• Saturday 20 September 2008: Belcea Quartet Bartok Day
Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street, London W1U 2BP; Tel. 020 7935 2141.
Details on www.wigmore-hall.org.uk
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Ghanaian-Romanian Hip-Hopper Wanlov the Kubolor in Concert
A man with a message, super-conscious Accra-based and Romanian-born hip-hopper Wanlov sings of ending war and stopping climate change, taking the road less travelled and being true to yourself; he also makes you dance, and he puts his money where his mouth is (for one thing, much of his work supports young musicians in Ghana and Romania, the two countries where he was raised). We have been bouncing about to the new album, Green Card, and will be bouncing even more at the live show. This is catchy, uplifting music with its heart and brain in the right place. More on Wanlov on www.wanlov.com
• Friday 12 September 2008: Wanlov the Kubolor
19.30, ICA (Institute for Contemporary Arts) London, The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH; Box Office: 020 7930 3647. Tickets: £9 / £8 ICA Members in advance + £1 per ticket booking fee.
Details on www.ica.org.uk
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Paprika Balkanicus with Bogdan Vacarescu (violin)
Paprika Balkanicus is well known to lovers of world music as the groups that is ‘the master of good atmosphere’. This band brings together a Romanian violinist, a Slovene bass player, a guitarist and two accordionists from Serbia, and nobody can bring about a toe tapping, foot stomping, hand clapping madness faster than they.
Papirka Balkanicus, aka the Balkan storm, are: Bogdan Vacarescu (violin), Jozef Secnik (bass), Vlad Jocic (guitar), and special guests Milos Milivojevic and Zivorad Nikolic (accordion).
The Balkan storm will pass first through Hornchurch, Essex, at the Havering Show, and then will go to Scotland bringing a whirlwind of good time at the Scottish Mela in Edinburgh, as part of the Gypsy Arts Festival.
• Monday 25 August 2008
14.00, Harrow Lodge Park, Hornchurch, Essex RM11
Admission: £4 for adults, £2 for juniors and concessions; free admission for veterans.
• Saturday 30 August 2008
20.00, Ocean Terminal in Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6JJ
There is a small fee to access the Mela site. No ticket necessary for the performance.
Details on www.gypsyartsfestival.co.uk
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Hai la Drum, with Baz Stanescu (violin)
‘Hai la Drum’ (Hit the Road) is an international collaboration of four versatile musicians with a unique blend of influences. Impeccably led by violin virtuoso Baz Stanescu, this gipsy jazz quartet plays traditional Romanian, Russian and other Balkan forms, mixing in some improvisation and unusual arrangements. Featuring Baz Stanescu on violin, Jonny Hepbir on guitar, Pete Watson on accordion and Dan Sheppard on double bass.
Part of ignite, the Royal Albert Hall’s free lunchtime music series in the Café Consort from 12 noon.
• Friday 5 September 2008: Hai la Drum
12.00, Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AP; Box Office: 020 7589 8212
Free entrance
For more details on the band, and to see a schedule of their performances, please go to www.myspace.com/hailadrum
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Palinka – Transylvanian Village Music Live
Ashanta Csergo, Katalin Tamas and Melinda McCarthy formed the band, Palinka, in London, after studying music in various villages of Romania and Hungary. They have been brought together by their shared passion: Hungarian, Romanian and Gypsy music from the remote villages of Transylvania.
Palinka, incidentally, is the most famous spirit drunk in Transylvania and the band spent most of July in Transylvania and Hungary to learn amazing new songs to bring back to you to London. Palinka can be seen playing outside Inn on the Green, in April, at www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJV6JyxSIeQ
More details on the band at www.palinka.co.uk
• Saturday 13 September 2008: Palinka
21.00, Inn on the Green, 3 – 5 Thorpe Close, London W10 5XL
Doors open 8.30 pm. DJ playing music from Romania and the Balkans until 01.00. Entrance £7/£5 concessions.
More info/advance reservations on Tel. 020 8962 5757, www.iotg.co.uk
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Research and Courses
Incotro (Where To?) – Romanian Visual Survey 2008
‘Incotro’ is an independent project which aims to bring together the best visual artworks made in 2007 and 2008 by Romanian authors, irrespective of the country they live in.
‘Incotro’ wants to be a benchmark, a launching ramp, a source of dialogue and an interface between the Romanian and international visual art worlds.
There are no restrictions as to the medium in which the works are done. ‘Incotro’ receives photographs, illustration work, posters, web sites, visual ID, graffiti, installation, video works, paintings, etc.
The selected works will be included on a web site and a PDF magazine which are going to be launched in the last quarter of 2008.
The deadline for sending the works is 1 September 2008.
For the full rules and more information, visit www.incotro.org (Romanian only)
‘Incotro’ is an initiative of Tudor Prisacariu, realised with the support of The Ratiu Foundation.
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SALLEE survey 2008
Our friends from University College London have asked to us post a link to their latest survey: “SALLEE is a survey of sexual attitudes and lifestyles among London’s Eastern Europeans. This questionnaire is for men and women aged 18 years and over. It will take about 10 minutes to complete. Your answers are anonymous and completely confidential – there is no way they can be traced back to you. If you would like to take part in this survey, please visit www.ucl.ac.uk/sallee/”.
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Romanian Classes at the School of Slavonic and Eastern European Studies (SSEES)
The evening Course Programme covers four levels and is designed to teach participants how to communicate effectively in a foreign language. All four skill s are taught – reading, writing, listening and speaking – with particular emphasis being placed in oral communication.
Romanian is among the language courses offered for various levels: Beginners, Lower Intermediate, Upper Intermediate, Advanced, and Post-Advanced.
Term dates are: Term 1 – October-December 2008, Term 2 – January-March 2009, Term 3 – April-June 2009.
All classes are held once a week from 18.30 to 20.30.
Enrolment period: 18 August-18 September 2008.
For details on registration and fees, please go to www.ssees.ac.uk/languageunit/evening.htm or contact the SSEES Language Unit on e-mail languageunit@ssees.ucl.ac.uk
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Art and the Cold War: Course and Study Days
Art and the Cold War: Course and Study Days take place at Birkbeck College, from October 2008 to January 2009, under the supervision of Lecturer Christine Lindey, the author of Art in the Cold War: From Vladivostok to Kalamazoo (Herbert Press 1990).
Almost thirty years after the end of the Cold War, its origins and outcomes are still a matter of hot debate. Even if identified with the political struggle between Communism and Capitalism, the Cold War was also a period of a fierce cultural contest, in which art had a huge part to play. Learn more about the arts in the divided world post-1945, contest the myth of totalitarianism in Eastern Europe, and discuss the political neutrality of western modernism.
Art and the Cold War course includes:
Study Days: lectures and discussions on four Saturdays; Seminars on two Tuesday evenings: face-to-face tuition and feedback on your coursework from the tutor; Visits to Cold War Modern at the Victoria and Albert Museum and to Tate Modern.
The course counts towards Birkbeck’s Certificate of Higher Education in History of Art. You can enrol either for the whole course, or, separately, for any number of the Study Days.
For a full programme of the course and Study Days, and further details, contact John Lugo on Tel. 020 7679 1008, email: j.lugo@bbk.ac.uk
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Our Friends’ Events
2nd Russian Film Festival in London
Following the success of the First Russian Film Festival last year, our friends from the Academia Rossica are proud to announce the Russian Film Festival 2008, which will take place from 18 to 28 September 2008.
10 award-winning films produced in 2007-2008 will be premiered in London, giving the capital an opportunity to see and judge the very best of new Russian cinema. The programme promises a variety of styles, genres and themes, presenting the multifaceted nature of Russian culture today. The main programme, ‘New Russian Cinema’ will present works by a new generation of film-makers. It will also be enriched with special screenings of ‘New Classics’, showcasing the most recent works of well-established directors. These will be accompanied by a selection of documentary and animation films as well shorts.
What’s more, audiences will have the chance to meet and share their thoughts with some of the most prominent figures of contemporary Russian cinema and culture during numerous special events: talks, panel discussions and master classes.
The Official Programme of the RFF 2008 will be announced on 20 August.
Details on www.academia-rossica.org
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RATIU FOUNDATION NEWS
In UK
Ratiu Scholarships – Deadline 1 September
If you are considering studying in the UK or if you represent an organisation or business, which is interested in The Ratiu Foundation and the opportunities it offers, you can find out more on www.ratiufamilyfoundation.com The site gives details about who is eligible for scholarships and how to apply. You can download the application form directly from the web, fill it in and send it by post.
The Ratiu Scholarships, funded by The Ratiu Foundation, are awarded to Romanian students to study a wide range of subjects in the UK. The scholarships enable talented postgraduates and young professionals to become familiar with the UK and gain skills, which will benefit Romania. The Ratiu Foundation offers 50 new annual scholarships principally for postgraduate, summer school and other short term courses including academic research. The Ratiu Foundation also offers annual seed funding for innovative projects, principally in Romania, which foster Romanian arts and civilisation, heritage, civil society, democracy, and environmental protection. Application Procedure: in writing to the Trustees of the Foundation for the attention of Mr Nicolae Ratiu, Chairman (mail@ratiufamilyfoundation.com).
Next deadline for applications: 1 September 2008
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STEPdoc 2008 – a mobility grant of GBP 1,500 for a young Romanian film-maker
The new funding session for STEPdoc is now open, with applications being accepted until 1 September 2008 (postal mark).
STEPdoc is a Ratiu Foundation programme which aims to reinvigorate Romanian documentary film, stimulating contemporary relevance and artistic innovation.
STEPdoc consists of two mobility grants per year (worth £1,500 each) which will allow two Romanian film makers, at an early stage of their career, one month of immersion in the UK documentary culture, towards the development of a documentary project with international potential.
The mobility grant is to be used for the individual research of a specific project set in the UK and / or for networking with a UK-based company in view of the development of a common film project. On a broader level, STEPdoc would provide an opportunity to gain inspiration and to take part in the vibrant British documentary culture.
The first round of applications for STEPdoc was open between May and October 2007. The Foundation decided to support two applicants with one mobility grant each, which are to be used at any time between November 2007 and November 2008.
The first two STEPdoc recipients are Adina Pintilie and Corina Radu.
In both cases, the board was impressed both by the film-makers’ recently completed documentaries (Don’t Get Me Wrong by Adina Pintilie, and Bar de Zi and Other Stories by Corina Radu), and by their projects in development: namely, a project on metropolitan loneliness by Adina Pintilie, and respectively a biographical documentary on Queen Mary of Romania by Corina Radu.
Continuing the research for her film, Corina Radu has already taken advantage of the possibilities offered by STEPdoc, visiting the UK during this spring. We are looking forward to welcoming Adina Pintilie later on this year.
For application details please go to www.romanianculturalcentre.org.uk/ratiu-foundation-news/
For information about STEPdoc 2008 send an e-mail to mail@ratiufamilyfoundation.com
or go to www.ratiufamilyfoundation.com
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In Romania
Preparations for Turda Fest 2008
Turda Fest is an agricultural celebration that honours the history of the greater Turda region, and promotes options for a sustainable future. This year, the festival will take place from 27 to 28 September. It is organised by Turda Fest Association, and is supported by the Ratiu Foundation. In pervious editions, Guinness World Records has homologated two new world records, in 2006 and 2007 during the agricultural fair.
Villagers from localities near Turda have plaited the longest strings of onions in the world. The record of 2007 was a string of onions of 176.2 metres long. It was plaited on 29 September 2007, during 3 hours and 45 minutes. The string weighed in at 650 kilograms of local red onion, a traditional crop around Turda and in the villages in the Aries Valley.
This year’s edition would see the record kept intact, and further the promotion of traditional skills and crafts, as well as that of local produce.
Details about Turda Fest at www.turdafest.ro
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Marcel Janco Buildings Map
The map ‘Urban Tour Marcel Janco – the Beginnings of Modern Architecture in Bucharest. Houses and buildings built between 1929-1938’ was launched in Bucharest on 16 July 2008 at the Carturesti bookstore.
This project of the e-cart.ro Association was created to raise the awareness on Bucharest’s patrimony of modernist architecture by highlighting the contribution of artist and architect Marcel Janco (1895-1984). The map contains two main areas of pre-WW2 Bucharest, the residential north side, and the central part – known at the time as Sector I Yellow and Sector II Black respectively.
The selection includes 18 buildings, models for the modernist architecture of Bucharest, planned by Marcel Janco and his brother Iulian. The se buildings are essential in order to understand the architectural history of Bucharest. The map comes with a collection of drawings and cuttings from the press of the time.
One of the brightest members of Romanian Avant-garde, Marcel Janco (Marcel Iancu) took part in an array of activities: worked with Tristan Tzara in Zurich for the Dada movement, entered the Romanian Avant-garde group ‘Contimporanul’ (the Contemporary) and from 1941, when he left Romania for Palestine, worked tirelessly for the artistic life in the State of Israel. Painter, graphic designer, theoretician, and architect, Marcel Janco was a dynamo of every artistic activity in interwar Romania.
This project was supported through a grant of the Ratiu Foundation.
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Should you require further information, please do not hesitate to contact us on 020 7439 4052 or mail@romanianculturalcentre.org.uk
If you would like to place an announcement in the RIC e-bulletin, free of charge, please e-mail the details to mail@romanianculturalcentre.org.uk.
The information in this e-bulletin is correct at time of sending, however we reserve the right to alter the information where necessary. The information contained in this e-bulletin does not necessarily express the views of RCC.
You are on our e-mail list because you signed up to it by phone or e-mail, or you opted in the RCC membership form to receive information from us or you were recommended by RCC members & friends. To unsubscribe from this e-mail list, please reply inserting the word ‘REMOVE’ in the subject line of the e-mail.
RCC is an independent association that promotes Romanian cultural programs, maintains connections within the Romanian community in Britain, facilitates cultural exchanges between Britain and Romania and maintains an information and data base service. Details on www.romanianculturalcentre.org.uk
JOIN RCC TODAY!
If you would like to become a member of RCC, please send us your details (name, surname, mail address, telephone number, e-mail address)
Membership fees are £10 per annum for individuals and £15 for family.
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You will receive a one year membership card that will enable you to benefit from either free or reduced entry fees to most of our events. Your name and address will be stored in our mailing database and we will inform you of our new events by post regularly. Your details will not be passed on to any party without your prior consent.
The Romanian Cultural Centre offers a reward for introducing new members! Bring a friend and win a great RCC Prize!
If you already are a member of the Romanian Cultural Centre and recommend a friend to become a member of the RCC (annual or family membership), you will be entered in our prize-draw and you could win a fantastic RCC prize that could include Romanian films, wine, and other products! The procedure is simple: just ask your friends to quote your name as a reference.