ROMANIA
Area : 237 500 km² - Population: 21.7 million - Capital: Bucharest
Official Language: Romanian - Date of joining the EU: 2007
A FEW INDICATIONS
Painting on glass and on wood, a traditional peasant art going back to the 17th century, is still popular throughout the country.
Romanian literature is inspired both by abundant folklore and by the stormy history of a country occupied on many occasions. Epic oral folklore, rich in terms of stories and lengends anchored in pastoral life, appeared in the 15th century, while the first writings in Romanian, initially religious, came into being toward the year 1420. Eugène Ionesco (1912-1994), of Romanian origin, but who settled definitively in Franc as of 1938, brought his philosophic vision of the absurdity of the human condition to the stage (Theatre of the Absurd).
Folkloric music and dancing have always had a special place in Romania. Modern Gypsy music (rome) has been fed by numerous influences, and professional Gypsy musicians criss-cross the countryside, livening up village events.
Romania also has to bear the reputation of one of its inhabitants, Count Dracula, who, even if inspired by the figure of Vlad Tepes, known as « the Impaler », a Valachian ruler of the 15th century, is a creation by Irish writer Bram Stoker, who made him the hero of his book that appeared in 1897, The Legend of Count Dracula.
ORGANIZATION OF CULTURAL POLICIES
The Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs is an organ that specializes in central administration, enjoying legal personality and depending on the government, which develops strategy and policies in the fields of the arts, culture, religious affaires and the cinema and which sees to their application. The Ministry of Culture and of Religious Affairs lays down the strategy to be followed in the audiovisual domain, in collaboration with National Audiovisual Council.
Numerous cultural institutions depend on the the Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs: national theatres (5), the national library, the national museum and the museum complexes (10, operas (4), cultural centers (4), the national center of cinematography, and the CIMEC institute for cultural memory.
The ministry coordinates the activities and programs of the Romanian cultural centers abroad with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Romanian Cultural Institute and the Romanian Academy, with the Ministry of Research and Education, and with the other institutions that are involved.
EVENTS CONNECTED WITH THE COUNTRY
Franco-Romanian Tandem
12 July, Festival de Saint-Guilhem le désert
15 July, L’Eté du grand Jardin, Joinville
17 August, Festival international de musique sacrée de l’Abbaye de Sylvanès (International Festival of Sacred Music at Sylvanès Abbey)
22 August, Festival Sinfonia in Périgord
25 August, Festival de la Chaise-Dieu
12 October, Iasi (Romania)
14 October, Cluj-Napoca (Romania)
16 October, Bucarest (Romania)
24 November, La Comète, SN Châlons-en-Champagne
26 November, AMIA, Strasbourg
2 December, Salle Gaveau, Paris
Concert / Creation
Codex Caioni
Le Baroque nomade (Roving Baroque)
Directed by: Jean-Christophe Frisch
Spatial creation: Olivier Balazuc
Concert of Baroque music from Transylvania by the “Le baroque nomade” ensemble, with Romanian musicians and dancers.
And also...
22 September in Paris, Salle de concert des Invalides
Concert
Homage to Anatol Vieru
Three young Romanian musicians interpret pieces by the Romanian composer: Laura Buruiana (cello), Andrei Vieru (piano), and Andrei Licaret (piano).
29 September in Paris, Institut culturel roumain (Romanian Cultural Institute)
Concert
Sufi music
A concert of Sufi music created by the Grand Prince and composer Dimitri Cantemir, at the start of the 18th century. Organized by the Romanian Cultural Institute, in collaboration with the Embassy of Turkey.
10-18 October in Toulouse, Théâtre du Capitole
Opéra
Œdipe
, by George Enescu (1881-1955)
Musical direction: Pinchas Steinberg
Staging: Nicolas Joel.
5 November in Paris, Romanian Cultural Institute
Theatre
MEMO
A play by Mona Chirila. Romanian avant-garde theatre of the interwar period. In collaboration with the National Theatre of
Cluj-Napoca in Transylvania.
17 November in Paris, Salle de concert des Invalides (Invalides Concert Hall)
Concert
Contempo Ensemble
A concert by the Contempo Chamber music group, playing classical and modern compositions. Organized in cooperation with the Musée des Invalides and the Forum Autrichien (Austrian Forum), within the framework of Mitteleuropa Platform.
24 November, in Paris, Salon d’or at theHôtel de Béhague (Romanian Embassy)
25 November, in Paris, Romanian Cultural Institute
Concert
Spectrum XXI (International Festival of Spectral Music)
With the Hyperion Ensemble and the soloists: Chris Cutler, Tim Hodgkinson, Ian Pace, Robert Reigle, Gustavo Aguilar, Kornelia Bruggmann, Peter Ehrnrooth, Marie Schwab, Jean Rochat, Hervé Provini and Claude Delangle.
For more information :
The Romanian Cultural Institute of Paris
1 rue de l’Exposition - 75007 Paris
Tel. : 0033 (0) 1 47 05 15 31
Fax : 0033 (0) 1 47 05 15 50
www.institut-roumain.org
institut@institut-roumain.org
- Updated: 25.11.2008
