Our 2024 programme takes off with panache presenting a brilliant performance by screen star Vlad Ivanov and acclaimed composer and percussionist Lucian Maxim. The performance imaginatively combines poetry and music, woven together by the two amazing performers. The programme presents poems by Romania's national poet, Mihai Eminescu - whose birthday date, January 15, is celebrated as the National Culture Day of Romania -, alongside other famous poets.
Join us for a glimpse into the most memorable verses of Romanian literature including some unpublished versions of Eminescu's poetry.
Performed in Romanian and English.
Vlad Ivanov is arguably the best-known and most acclaimed Romanian film actor, whose breakthrough performance as Doctor Bebe in Cristian Mungiu’s Palme d'Or winner "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" got him top prizes both at Cannes Film Festival and from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Gifted with limitless reserves of energy and flair for playing complex characters, he starred in some of the defining films of what came to be known as the "Romanian New Wave" and worked with important directors such as Maren Arde, László Nemes, Alexandros Avranas, Bong Joon-ho, Cristian Mungiu, Corneliu Porumboiu, and Radu Mihăileanu. With over 50 roles in award-winning films in Romania and abroad and over 70 roles on stage as well as with prestigious prizes awarded among others by the Transylvania International Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, Jerusalem Film Festival, the American National Society of Film Critics, Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, New York Film Critics Circle, and Toronto Film Critics Association, Vlad Ivanov has established himself as a prolific, versatile actor, capable to shine in both mainstream productions and the arthouse cinema.
Lucian Maxim is a composer and a percussionist with the National Radio Orchestra of Romania, with an extensive experience in theatre. He worked with Andrei Șerban on his groundbreaking performances with "The Ancient Trilogy" and "The Trojan Women" at the Bucharest National Theater, composed the music of "Năpasta" (directed by Dana Dima) and was the musical coordinator of "Ghetto?" (directed by Victor Frunză). He has collaborated with renowned musicians like Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, and Angela Gheorghiu, among others. He has toured with the National Radio Orchestra of Romania in Europe (Austria, Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland) and Asia (Japan, China, Malaysia). Lucian Maxim was a member of the influential Romanian rock band "Sarmalele Reci" and played alongside important Romanian jazz musicians like Johnny Răducanu, Garbis Dedeian, Marius Pop, Puiu Pascu, Alexandru Anastasiu, Marius Mihalache, and Emy Drăgoi.
Photo by Lucyjo Photography
When: Thursday, 17 January 2024, 7pm
Unde: Romanian Cultural Institute, 1 Belgrave Square, Londra SW1X8PH
