National Tour „A Storied Harp” in Bucharest, Deva and Râmnicu Vâlcea, from June 28th to 30th, 2023
National Tour „A Storied Harp” in Bucharest, Deva and Râmnicu Vâlcea, from June 28th to 30th, 2023
4th Edition – Dance and Fantasy with Adriana Cazacu on harp and Mihai Vaida on flute
At the end of June, harpist Adriana Cazacu, along with flutist Mihai Vaida, will perform concerts in Bucharest (June 28th), Deva (June 29th), and Râmnicu Vâlcea (June 30th) in a new edition of the National Tour „A Storied Harp”, entitled „Dance and Fantasy.”
„For this year’s edition of the „A Storied Harp” tour, I propose a musical journey alongside a very close friend of the harp, namely the flute. The combination of these two instruments is natural, as they have an unbeatable sonorous complementarity. The choice of repertoire unfolded smoothly, almost spontaneously. The flute presents itself as a cheerful, playful, and dance-like character, while the harp envelops the audience with diaphanous, sometimes mysterious sounds, creating a dreamlike and poetic atmosphere. Thus, the leitmotif of this tour was born, titled ‘Dance and Fantasy.’ The selected pieces either belong to these genres or were chosen because they have a story worth hearing.” (Harpist Adriana Cazacu)
The program includes Prelude from Suite in Old Style for piano, Op. 3 by George Enescu, Fantasy for flute and harp by C. Saint-Saëns, or Syrinx by C. Debussy, among other selected pieces. Just like the works, the harp has its own story: „The harp with which we started this tour in previous years is a historic gem, with which I have always had great pleasure in contributing to the development of the narrative thread,” says harpist Adriana Cazacu.
The tour started in 2020 with the idea of highlighting a nearly 200-year-old harp, built by the famous instrument maker Erard. Throughout these years, the tour has brought this instrument, preserved in an exceptional condition, to the forefront. It belongs to a family with deep musical roots in Romania, the Iuşceanu-Corjos family. The harp of the story began its journey in Romania almost a century ago. The instrument bears the inscription of the first harps built by the Erard brothers’ workshop in London, suppliers at that time to the French royal house and the Russian imperial court. The story goes that this harp remained in the territory of present-day Romania, taken from a retiring German officer at the end of World War II, in exchange for a bag of provisions. It was unloaded from a cart in a village street in western Transylvania, where the officer was stationed during the German army’s retreat in 1944.
Through the „A Storied Harp” project, the organizers aim to bring this gem, the double-action Erard harp, back to life—a symbol of the roots and preservation of Romanian musical tradition in the most beautiful and optimistic way. They also seek to bring the musical fragrance of the 19th century, the time when the instrument was built, to the concert stage.”Like in previous editions, we aim to transport the audience into a universe full of color, emotion, and imagination. We hope that people will listen to our story with joy.” (Adriana Cazacu)
In 2023, the „A Storied Harp” tour begins in Bucharest on Wednesday, June 28, at 19:00, in the Small Hall of the Romanian Athenaeum. Tickets for the concert at the Athenaeum can be found at the box office of the George Enescu Philharmonic and online at www.fge.org.ro/calendar.
ITINERARY:
June 28, 19:00 – Bucharest, Romanian Athenaeum, Small Hall
June 29, 19:00 – Deva, Pro Arte Hall
June 30, 19:00 – Râmnicu Vâlcea, Philharmonic Hall/Zăvoi Park
PROGRAM:
- Enescu – Prelude from Suite in the Old Style for piano, op. 3, arranged by Ion-Ivan Roncea, harp solo
- Lauber – 4 Medieval Dances for flute and harp
- Saint-Saens – Fantasy for flute and harp
- Bozza – Image, flute solo
- Debussy – Syrinx, flute solo
- P. Basacopol – Fantasy for flute and harp
- Chertok – Around the Clock, harp solo
Producer: Pro Contemporania
Co-producer: Radio Romania
With the support of: JTI
Special Partner: Culture Joy
Media Partners: Radio Romania Actualități, Radio Romania Cultural, Radio Romania Muzical, Radio Romania Regional, Mediatrust, Romania TV, Liternet, Agenția de carte, The Culture Club, Ziarul Metropolis, RFI Romania, Cronicari digitali, www.demilioane.ro.
Cultural Partners and Local Organizers: George Enescu Philharmonic, Deva City Hall, Decebal National College in Deva, „Drăgan Muntean” Cultural Center Deva, Râmnicu Vâlcea Philharmonic.
Biographies:
Adriana Cazacu – Harp
Born in 1993, Adriana Cazacu began her musical training at the age of 10 at the „Dinu Lipatti” National College of Arts under the guidance of Professor Fraga Ghinea-Berbec. She graduated from the „George Enescu” National Music College under the guidance of Professor Miruna-Elena Vidican.
From a young age, she performed her first recitals and interviews at Casa Radio, as part of the program „Muzicieni de azi, muzicieni de mâine” (Musicians of Today, Musicians of Tomorrow), moderated by Rodica Sava. She has won prizes at national competitions and olympiads. In 2007, she made her first televised appearance. In 2018, she completed her studies at the National University of Music in Bucharest under the guidance of Professor Dr. Ion Ivan Roncea.
Over the years, she has performed numerous solo and chamber recitals at prestigious institutions such as Suțu Palace, Romanian Athenaeum, Hungarian Cultural Institute, Casa Radio, Romanian Youth Palace, Sibiu State Philharmonic, Sala Palatului, and the National University of Music Bucharest. She has collaborated with the Romanian National Radio Orchestra, the Romanian Radio Chamber Orchestra, and the Romanian Youth Orchestra for recordings. Since high school, she has collaborated with orchestras in Romania such as the Sibiu State Philharmonic, the Pitești Philharmonic, and the Ploiești Philharmonic. She has been a member of the Romanian Youth Orchestra since 2011 and has performed concerts on some of the world’s largest stages such as Elbphilharmonie, Berlin Philharmonic, Brussels Philharmonic, Konzerthaus Berlin, and has participated in projects such as the World Expo in Milan (2015 edition), the American Tour, and the Balkan Tour.
Currently, she is a member of Credidam and the Harpists Association of Romania, a member of the Romanian Youth Orchestra, and an employee of the National Opera in Bucharest.
Mihai Vaida – Flute
Mihai Vaida is a representative of the new generation of musicians, whose enthusiastic professionalism has been guided by the renowned flutist Ion Bogdan Ștefănescu. Winning the National Musical Interpretation Olympiad marked the beginning of a promising career. He has achieved personal recognition through concerts performed in his hometown of Târgu-Mureș, as a soloist with the State Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as in flute recitals and chamber music performances.