Numărul 7, 25 aprilie 2010
Editorial
I have often wondered why in the Romanian cultural landscape, music seems to lose the battle with literature or with the other arts. And not only that it loses the battle, but it is also totally ignored, for we can see less and less contemporary music lovers – generally the students graduating from Composition Faculties and, maybe, a few other lost “fans”. If anyone can state an opinion about literature, being at least aware of the latest published bestsellers that can be seen at the literature fairs (quite fashionable in Bucharest) things are quite different with music. I have attended (as a spectator and journalist) many Contemporary Music Festivals, in Bucharest and in other cities of Romania. I remember one particular concert in May 2008 when in the huge concert hall “Mihail Jora” (having a capacity of 1000 places) there were at most 30 spectators who came to listen to Ştefan Niculescu’s extraordinary symphonic work, Litanii la plinirea vremii. A book launch gathers at least the triple of this.
What are the causes of such a phenomenon? Is it the easy access to the physical object named “book” that the reader can pick from the book shelf, can skim, in which he can dive, an object with a real, palpable shape? A reader can easily gain a good knowledge of contemporary literature because of the generous promotion that any serious publishing house makes for its authors – as most of the publishing houses (as any “business” in fact) seek for a material profit, along with the symbolical profit (using Pierre Bourdieu’s terminology).
As for the contemporary music, as we can all see, its promotion is not as rich as we would all wish. We also meet the preconceptions of those who state that, in order to understand contemporary music, one needs to attend the courses of the Faculty of Music, as it is too “complicated”, and if not, a solid knowledge of the classical music. Of course, there is also the overwhelming influence of what we call “pop music” which is broadcasted by nearly every single music station, and that a high percentage of listeners simply adore. Quite sad. But not hopeless.
If I am writing this and you are reading it, it is because we are all in the same team and we are willing to do something. Almost all the editorials I have written in the past months have been short impulses to fight. The bad news for Romanian contemporary music is that there is a lot to be done. So much, that sometimes I don’t even know what we should start with. The good news is that we have a “to do list” (under the “Topic list” page) and more and more people are adding to our team. Our team is an open team. I need to say this one more time, that everyone is welcome, and everyone can do something.
If you do want to do something for the Romanian contemporary music, you can. There is something to do for everybody, according to everyone’s possibility.
The current issue of No 14 Plus Minus includes several topics, starting with Professor George Anca’s article on Celebrating India festival, and with other very interesting articles – two concert chronicles (Adrian Georgescu on Te Deum Laudamus Choir Concert and Mirela Zafiri on Laura Muncaciu recital), a research on the Music of Brasil by Raul Passos, a theoretical approach of Dr. Valentin Petculescu on Erno Lendvai’s Theory about Bartok and, last but not least, two articles dedicated to the Romanian Composer George Balint, with audio examples and interviews, written by Dr. Despina Petecel Theodoru and by the undersigned.
Veronica Anghelescu
Table of Contents
George Anca: Celebrating India
Veronica Anghelescu: George Balint şi poeticitatea creaţiei
Adrian Georgescu: Te Deum Laudamus
Raul Passos: Brazil: A brief musical portrayal
Despina Petecel-Theodoru: Atitudinea de a fi moral: convorbiri cu compozitorul George Balint
Mirela Zafiri: Laura Muncaciu, Alessandro Petrolati şi La Belle Époque
Invitaţie la lansarea de carte a muzicienilor şi poeţilor Valentin Petculescu şi Ioan Marius Lăcraru
