Centenary Celebration: `Scores against the Dictatorship' (1947-1989)

07/06/2018 @ Romanian Cultural Institute, 1 Belgrave Square, London SW1X8PH

As part of the special programme celebrating the Romanian Centenary (1918-2018), our popular 'Enescu Concerts' Series looks back, after two exceptional soirées covering the interval 1916-1947, to the amazing musical creativity that miraculously managed to flourish despite censorship and repression during the communist regime. Cellist Andrei Kivu and pianist Mara Dobresco, two internationally renowned performers, will present no less than six British premiers by Romanian composers Christian Alexandru Petrescu, Doru Popovici, Dinu Ghezzo, Aurel Stroe, Anatol Vieru, and Sigismund Todu??. Musicologist Ioan Dobrinescu will explain how great music was still possible in a most difficult time.

Programme:

Christian Alexandru Petrescu: “Rapsodina”

Doru Popovici: “Colind” (“Carol”)

Dinu Ghezzo: “Alba”

Aurel Stroe: Sonata no. 1 for piano, “Morphogenetics” (2nd part)

Anatol Vieru: “Dar” (“Present”)

Sigismund Todu??: “Adagio”

Dmitri Shostakovich: Sonata op. 40 (2nd and 3rd parts)

Mara Dobresco graduated from the George Enescu Music Academy in Bucharest, the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris and the Geneva Conservatory and was invited to play with most of the Philharmonic Orchestras in Romania but also in Europe, South America, Asia, Australia and the United States. Mara Dobresco played in venues such as Salle Cortot, Théâtre Mogador, Cité de la Musique (Paris), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), La Monnaie and Bozart (Bruxelles), Auditorio Nacional (Madrid), Théâtre de Vevey, Am Stram Gram (Genève) and was invited to numerous prestigious festivals such as Festival d’Aix en Provence, Festival Chopin, Lille Piano(s) Festival or Festival de Nohant. Throughout her career she worked with leading musical figures such as Martha Argerich, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Dominique Merlet, Jean-Claude Pennetier and Theodor Paraskivesco and was supported by the Yamaha, Meyer, Tarazzi as well as Nadia and Lili Boulanger Foundations. The pianist is the recipient of important international awards such as those of the Sydney International Piano Competition, Maria Canals International Competition in Barcelona, Concours International d’Epinal, Cantù International Competition and  S. Rachmaninov International Competition. Mara Dobresco is also an active chamber music player and has a special interest in interdisciplinary projects. Mara Dobresco is also a champion of new music, composer Oscar Strasnoy dedicated her one of his Piano pieces (Piano 4) and she collaborated with composers such as Philippe Hersant, Luciano Berio, György Kurtág, Philippe Leroux and Frank Villard. Her CD recordings received unanimous praises and she worked with Radio France, Radio Suisse Romande and the Romanian National Radio and Television.

Andrei Kivu studied cello with Anca Vartolomei in Bucharest, musical analysis with Aurel Stroe, phenomenology with Iancu Dumitrescu, improvisation and electronic music with George Lewis (professor at the Columbia University) and harmonic singing with David Hykes. He performed as a soloist with orchestras such as Orchestre Royal de Wallonie (Mons, Belgium), New York University Orchestra, Romanian Radio Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, Philarmonia Orchestra, New European Philharmonic Orchestra and Silvestri Orchestra and played in prestigious concert halls such as Royal Festival Hall (London), Lincoln Center - Merkin Hall (New York), Wiener Konzerthaus or the Onassis Cultural Centre (Athens). His concerts were broadcast live on various radio and TV stations. Andrei Kivu has been several times a guest lecturer at the New York University, “Givat Ram” Academy of Music in Jerusalem, the University of Minnesota and The Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid. He has also been invited to teach at the Cal Arts (California, U.S.A., 2014) and at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. Throughout his career he received numerous prizes and distinctions such as the "2003 International New Music Consortium Award for Outstanding Activities as a Performer, Teacher and Researcher on New Music”, the 2002 UNESCO “Uchimura Prize” and the “Excellency Award” by the Romanian Composers’ Association in 2003. Andrei Kivu is the first Romanian cellist to play all the 6 Bach’s Suites for unaccompanied cello in one concert as well as the first Romanian cellist to make and play transcriptions from Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas for violin.

When: Thursday, 7 June 2018, 19:00

Where: Romanian Cultural Institute, 1 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8PH

Entrance is free but we kindly request you to book your ticket HERE. 

Please note that seating is unreserved.