Cello and Celtic harp concert for the winter holidays 2019
Free entrance
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On Wednesday, December 11th, at 7:30 pm, the “St. Joseph” Cathedral in Bucharest will host a concert titled “The cello, the harp, and the emotions” organised by the Embassy of Spain in Bucharest, with support from the Association for Music, Arts, and Culture and from George Enescu National Museum.
The concert will be held by Spanish musician Pedro Bonet (cello) and Romanian artist Roxana Moişanu (Celtic harp).
This show, organised for the winter holidays, intends to emphasise the harmony of the two instruments merging, highlighting their ability to sensitise and transmit emotions, experiences and feelings to the audience.
The audience will have the opportunity to listen to Spanish musician Pedro Bonet, performing Bach’s Suite No. 3 for cello solo, marked by bold harmonies for that times and polyphonies that create the feeling that several instruments are heard simultaneously.
This will be followed by the Solo Cello Suite by Spanish composer Gaspar Cassadó, an emotional but also lively piece, with a pronounced rhythmic component, followed by the Sacher Variations for solo cello by the well-known Polish composer Witold Lutoslawski.
Through the harp works selected for this occasion, Roxana Moișanu proposes an imaginary journey of over seven centuries of music, which can lead the listeners through majestic sonorities from all over Europe: Spain, Germany, Italy, France and Romania. The recital begins with works from 13th-century Spain: Cantigas de Santa María, a collection of songs dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Cantigas were sung by choirs, singers with castanets or drums, as well as in instrumental variants for dances.
The two selected “Cantigas” are arranged and includes preludes composed by Roxana Moișanu especially for this event.
Bransle de Torche, another harp arrangement made by Roxana Moișanu is part of the volume of French instrumental dances entitled “Terpsichore”. German composer and organist Michael Praetorius named this volume after the Greek muse of dance, which is imagined, usually sitting down, holding a lyre and accompanying the ensembles of dancers with her music.
Il Bianco fiore is a Renaissance dance composed by Cesare Negri. The dance is part of the collection „Le gratie d ́amore“ published in 1602. The harp arrangement includes a few variations composed by Mladen Spasinovici.
The work Ribambelle # 5 / Carol of the Bells, written by Megan Metheney, is actually a wonderful musical fusion between the piece Ribambelle # 5 composed by Bernard Andrès and the beautiful ever-popular Carol of the bells composed by Ukrainian Mikola Leontovici.
The Celtic harp recital ends with Dances from Transylvania by Ioan Căianu, in an special arrangement for Celtic harp by Roxana Moişanu.
All the harp arrangements and original compositions by Roxana Moișanu and Mladen Spasinovici included in this recital will be first world audition.
The evening will end with a piece arranged for cello and Celtic harp, Sicilienne, mistakenly attributed to the composer and pianist of Austrian origin Maria Theresia von Paradis. According to the latest research, the work was composed by American violinist of Polish origin Samuel Dushkin.
PEDRO BONET – cello
Starts studying the cello from an early age, under the guidance of Prof. María Lopes da Cunha and continues his musical training at the “Federico Moreno Torroba” Center in Madrid.
In 2018 he is the winner of the 7th edition of the String Competition in the city of Vigo, for the cello specialisation, and the 1st Prize (higher category) at the “Melómano” Contest. In 2017 he was selected to participate in the International Competition “Witold Lutoslawski” in Warsaw and the 89th edition of the “Juventudes Musicales” String Competition.
He collaborates with the “La Folía” baroque music assembly and is part of the trio “Euphoria” and from the “KG” cello octet. He has performed concerts with the Madrid Symphony Orchestra and has played live, as a guest, in several programs at the Spanish public radio station (Radio Nacional de España).
ROXANA MOIŞANU – harp
She is a graduate of “George Enescu” High School of Music, Prof. Ioana Brustur’s class, and of the National University of Music in Bucharest, class c.d.a. dr. Ion Ivan Roncea and Elena Ganțolea (chamber music).
In 1997 she was awarded the “Union of Performers, Choreographers and Music Experts Award”. In 2002 she debuted as a soloist with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Ploieşti, under the baton of conductor Ilarion Ionescu Galaţi. In the same year she contributed to the recording of the soundtrack of the film “Youth without Youth”, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Starting with 2010, Roxana Moişanu has recitals for professional Celtic harp, as well.
She established the Romanian Harpists Association (AHR) in 2016, also becoming co-organiser for the Bucharest Harp Festival, together with the National University of Music Bucharest.
In 2018 she becomes official correspondent of Romania and the Republic of Moldova, for the official publication of the “World Harp Congress“
Currently, Roxana is an instrumental artist and head of the harp section of the Bucharest National Opera Orchestra, where she had been working for almost 20 years.
Organisers: Embassy of Spain in Bucharest
With the support of: the Association for Music, Art and Culture and the National Museum George Enescu
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