The Romanian Cultural Institute and the Jerusalem Symphony commemorated the Romanian National Culture Day with a one of a kind concert held at the Jerusalem Theater on Sunday evening, January 25. Conductor Ionut Pascu, who has made it an annual tradition to create unique collaborations with the Jerusalem Symphony, once again conducted this year’s concert, titled “Hidden Treasures”.
Director of the Romanian Cultural Institute, Martin Salamon, opened the evening by promising guests that they would be treated to Romanian cultural gems that even many in Romania don’t know, hence the name of the performance “Hidden Treasures”. Mr. Salamon recalled that last year, amidst the war, he had quoted the expression “when guns roar, muses are silent”, and noted that now with a ceasefire in place, the “guns are silent”, expressing the wish for permanent peace. Mr. Salamon reminded the audience that although it can be difficult to believe in soft power after witnessing such war atrocities, we must not give up on hope, and diplomatic solutions.
Ambassador of Romania, H.E. Radu Ioanid, spoke next, acknowledging the two hostages of Romanian heritage who were brought home in the last week, while calling for the release of the rest of the hostages, including several more with Romanian citizenship or heritage. Turning to the focus of the evening, Romanian culture, Ambassador Ioanid lamented the desecration of the Jewish community of Romania during the Holocaust, from pre-World War II numbers of over 700,000 members to only a few thousand after the war. The ambassador stressed that the loss of its Jewish community had deprived Romania of part of its own cultural richness.
Conductor Ionut Pascu then took the stage to open the concert. Before beginning the music, the conductor expressed his solidarity with his friends in Israel, and his hope that the music would serve as an elegy for the suffering of the last year, emphasized that “music can help us to go on”. Promising a mix of philosophical, mystical and lively, cheerful pieces, Conductor Pascu raised his baton and the music began.
Performing alongside the talented musicians of the Jerusalem Symphony and the conductor, were three leading singers from Romania: sopranoists Aida Pascu and Madeleine Pascu, and tenor Andrey Manea. The guests, who came from all over Israel, enjoyed the lively concert that featured pieces by top Romanian composers of the last 200 years, including Alfonso Castaldi, Mansi Barberis, Diamandi Gheciu, Theodor Dumitrescu, and Carmen Petra Basacopol.
Diplomacy.co.il offers congratulations to the Romanian embassy and the Romanian Cultural Institute in Israel on Romanian National Culture Day.
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