Join us for an evening of music, poetry and discovery, exploring the remarkable cultural world of Queen Elisabeth of Romania – Carmen Sylva!
Marking 110 years since the death of Queen Elisabeth of Romania, known in the literary world under the pen name Carmen Sylva, The Queen and the Composers explores her poetry, her profound connection with music and the important role she played in Romanian and European cultural life. Conceived by soprano Rodica Vică, the evening brings together live performance, historical research and multimedia, tracing the musical afterlife of Carmen Sylva’s poetry from George Enescu to a new generation of Romanian composers.
A prolific writer and influential patron of the arts, Queen Elisabeth inspired hundreds of songs by composers including George Enescu, Hans Sommer, Felix Weingartner, August Bungert and Agathe Backer Gröndahl. Much of this repertoire, largely written in German, is rarely heard today. The programme brings part of this musical legacy back to the stage while placing it in dialogue with the present through new works by Andrei Petrache and Radu Mihalache, written to poems by Carmen Sylva and performed in world premiere by soprano Rodica Vică and pianist Kira Frolu.
The musical performances will be interwoven with documentary material and multimedia projections drawing on archival sources. Journalist, translator and broadcaster Bogdan Stănescu will host the evening in English and, in conversation with Rodica Vică, offer insights into Carmen Sylva’s literary universe, her relationships with Romanian and European composers and her active support for the musicians and artists of her time.
The project is organised by InoMusicArt Association and co-funded by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund (AFCN).
PROGRAMME
Songs on poems by Carmen Sylva
George Enescu
Schlaflos
Morgengebet
Andrei Petrache
Kissing Butterflies/ Fluturi sărutându-se
A Plea/ Rugăminte
Songs on poems by Carmen Sylva
Radu Mihalache
The Last Supper/ Cina cea de taină
Withered Leaves/ Frunze veștejite
Songs on poems by Carmen Sylva
Dinu Lipatti and Paul Constantinescu
Selections for piano
George Stephănescu
The Piper’s Song/ Cântecul fluierașului
Nicolae Bretan
And Those Sweet Regrets/ Ș-acele dulci păreri de rău
The Stars in the Sky/ Stelele-n cer
BIOGRAPHIES
Rodica Vică is a Romanian soprano with an active international career spanning opera, concert repertoire, song and contemporary music. She made her debut at the Bucharest National Opera in 2010 and has since appeared on major stages including the Konzerthaus Berlin, Musikverein Vienna, Müpa Budapest, Teatro La Fenice in Venice and the Romanian Athenaeum. Among the highlights of her career is the world premiere of George Enescu’s oratorio Strigoii at the Konzerthaus Berlin with the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin. She has collaborated with orchestras and ensembles including the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin and Accademia Bizantina, and with conductors such as Ottavio Dantone, Cristian Măcelaru, Gabriel Bebeșelea and Cristian Mandeal. Romanian music and the rediscovery of lesser-known repertoire occupy an important place in her artistic work, alongside a particular interest in the music of George Enescu. A Doctor of Music, Rodica Vică develops interdisciplinary projects at the intersection of music, literature, art and cultural heritage. Her discography includes the world-premiere recording of Enescu’s Strigoii and the album Stars in the Sky, launched at the Musikverein in Vienna.
Kira Frolu is a Romanian pianist with a growing international career. She studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London with William Fong and Tessa Nicholson, supported by the Leverhulme Trust Scholarship from 2018 to 2022 and the prestigious Sir Laurence Robson Scholarship from 2022 to 2024. She made her solo debut at the age of fifteen with the Mihail Jora Philharmonic Orchestra in Bacău and has since performed with the Romanian Radio Chamber Orchestra, the Cluj Philharmonic and the Transylvania Philharmonic. Her awards include the EMCY Prize at the Pianale Festival in Germany, the Grand Prix at the Chords of Khortitsa competition and First Prizes at the Vladimir Krainev and Evangelia Tjarri competitions. In 2022, she was selected as a winner of Radio Romania’s Moștenitorii României Muzicale programme. She has given solo recitals at Wigmore Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields and St James’s Piccadilly in London, as well as at the Romanian Athenaeum and Radio Hall in Bucharest. An active chamber musician, she has collaborated with the Arcadia Quartet and in 2025 was a SoNoRo Interferențe scholar. In 2021, she founded a piano festival dedicated to supporting young Romanian talent.
Bogdan Stănescu is a journalist, presenter, television producer and editor with more than three decades of experience at Romanian Television – TVR. Closely associated with cultural journalism, he is currently one of the presenters of Jurnalul Cultural on TVR Cultural, a programme devoted to cultural news, debate and conversations with leading figures from music, theatre, literature, film and the visual arts. Throughout his career, he has conducted and moderated numerous interviews with artists, writers and cultural professionals and has contributed to productions for TVR and TVR International. His television work has also included commentary and translation for major international events including the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Grammy Awards, Eurovision Song Contest and the Sanremo Music Festival. Since 1993, he has also worked as a translator and film editor for Romanian Television and teaches as an associate lecturer in the English Department of the University of Bucharest.
Admission is free, but booking is essential. RSVP HERE.
Where: 22 Oct 2026, 19:00 – 21:00
When: 1 Belgrave Square, 1 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8PH, UK
