Project launch conference - DIMITRIE CANTEMIR - Romanian sound of the Orient
On the occasion of the 350th anniversary of the birth of the great man of culture and prince of Moldova, Dimitrie Cantemir (1673-1723), the Anton Pann Association for Culture and Tradition launches the Cultural Project, financed by the Ministry of Culture, with the support of Computerland Romania, "Dimitrie Cantemir - Romanian sound of the Orient".
The Project launch conference took place on October 19, 2023, at 11:00 a.m., at the National Museum of Romanian Literature in Bucharest.
The presentation of the Cultural Project "Dimitrie Cantemir - Romanian sound of the Orient" was supported by:
- Ioan MATEI - Director - Directorate of Written Culture and Contemporary Creation - MINISTRY OF CULTURE
- Constantin RĂILEANU – President – ASSOCIATION FOR CULTURE AND TRADITION ANTON PANN
- Laura COJOCARU – DRĂGULEANU – Marketing & PR Director – COMPUTERLAND ROMANIA
- Ioan CRISTESCU – Director General – NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ROMANIAN LITERATURE
- Claudiu TURCITU – Head of the Office of Medieval Archives, Personal Funds and Collections – NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF ROMANIA
Within the Project, 4 national concerts , supported by the "Anton Pann" Early Music Chamber Ensemble, with musical compositions created by Dimitrie Cantemir:
- Galaţi - October 21, 2023 - Episcopal Palace - "Museum of Christian History, Culture and Spirituality from the Lower Danube"
- "Jean Constantin" Multifunctional Educational Center for
- Alba-Iulia – November 6, 2023 – “PRICHINDEL” Puppet Theater
- Bucharest – November 14, 2023 – National Opera
The ANTON PANN Ensemble interprets old Romanian music, the interpretive authenticity being based both on the use of traditional instruments and on an extensive research activity, as a result of which old documents and manuscripts were discovered, in the custody of libraries and monasteries in Romania. Thus, with each concert of the Anton Pann Ensemble, the long-forgotten beauty of old music is reborn in the lights of the stage and valuable composers from the past are rediscovered by the public.
During the concerts, 7 musical compositions will be performed which are known with certainty to have been created by Dimitrie Cantemir. The compositions are taken from his work "Book of the Science of Music according to the shape of the letters" and are sonically contextualized with the help of the musician-researchers of the Anton Pann Early Music Chamber Ensemble and guest musicians.
The uniqueness of the show will be given by the use of period-specific instruments and interpretation, alongside the image of Cantemir, who will animate each concert, presenting his musical creations "personally".
Before the start of each concert, in the foyer, it will be possible to visit the photo-documentary exhibition with images from documents and artifacts from the period of Dimitrie Cantemir's life, more precisely from the 17th-18th centuries, organized by the National Archives of Romania, in partnership with the Academy Romanian, the Academy of Sciences of Moldova and the National Museum of Romanian Literature.
The exhibition dedicated to Dimitrie Cantemir includes a number of 24 paintings on canvas (90×70 cm) mounted on metal aluminum easels, adjustable.
From the point of view of the content, the exhibition will include reproductions of the main Cantemirian works, literary writings, including musical manuscripts. Along with these archival documents, for their contextualization, the exhibition will contain reproductions of maps, stamps and validation signs (seals) covering both the period of Prince Cantemir's stay in Istanbul, the years of his reign on the throne of Moldavia, as well as the period of refuge in Russia.
Project Partners: Romanian Academy, Academy of Sciences of Moldova, National Museum of Romanian Literature, National Archives of Romania, Archdiocese of the Lower Danube, Museum of History, Culture and Christian Spirituality of the Lower Danube, Galati City Hall, Constanța County Cultural Center Teodor T. Burada", Alba County Council, Puppet Theater "Prichindel" Alba Iulia, Bucharest National Opera, Romanian Television Society, Radio Romania, Trinitas TV, Software Imagination & Vision (SIMAVI), SPHERA GROUP, BAUMIT, Continental Hotels, Prodal 94 and Carpatina.
About the Anton Pann Early Music Chamber Ensemble
The Anton Pann Ensemble (est. 2003), named after the 19th-century Wallachian composer Anton Pann, is the first and only professional group in Romania that has chosen as its mission the rediscovery of the beauty of old Romanian music and sharing it, with joy, to the public, generating a revitalization of this repertoire and subsequently a stream of inspiration for other groups.
The rediscovery and promotion of music from the Middle Ages until the end of the 19th century, by the Anton Pann Ensemble, aims to increase the cultural value and the Romanian musical tradition. It is the only Romanian ensemble that has recorded, for the first time in the world, all the compositions with definite authorship of ruler Dimitrie Cantemir in a single volume.
As a sign of recognition of their effort and professionalism, the Anton Pann Ensemble was invited to play in the Europalia Festival in 2019, being the representative of Romanian classical court music. During the years of activity, the ensemble performed hundreds of concerts in countries such as: England, Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Morocco, Moldova, Belgium, France, Poland, Germany, Ukraine and at the national level: Bucharest, Timisoara, Brașov, Sibiu, Pitesti, Iasi, Constanta, Galați, Târgu Mureș, Cluj Napoca, Vaslui, Piatra-Neamț, Drobeta Turnu-Severin, Focșani, etc.
The musicians who make up the ensemble are professionals in the field, awarded in countless competitions, doctors of music and university professors. All these elements converge to an exceptional concert result.
Composition of the Anton Pann Ensemble:
- Răileanu Constantin- orchestrator, kanun, voice
- Alexandru Stoica - oud
- Andrei Nițescu - cello
- Sabin Penea - violin
- Ghassan Bouzbendir, req
- Petros Pappageorgiou- daire percussion, bendir
- Jovan Sofronievskiney, clarinet
- Murat Salim Tokaç-tanbur, ney
Sound Engineer:
Leonidas Palaskas
