We are back in Ireland's extroverted capital with a month-long showcase of cultural events, typifying the best and latest in Romanian music, film, theatre, literature, visual arts and intellectual reflection.
Internationally-acclaimed artists and intellectual luminaries join forces to make this festival a time of discovery and jubilation: film director Stere Gulea, composer Shaun Davey and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Alexandru Darie, theater director Felix Alexa, actors Oana Pellea, Răzvan Vasilescu and Radu Pocovnicu, historian Adrian Cioroianu, writer Peter Hurley, poet Ioan Es. Pop, director Dieter Auner, curator Roxana Gibescu, DJ Nico de Transilvania, and the Male Choir of Sibiu University.
The programme is organised by the Romanian Cultural Institute in London in partnership with the Embassy of Romania in Ireland.
With the support of: Bulandra Theatre, Galateca Gallery, European Commission Representation in Ireland, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, The National Library of Ireland, Trinity College - Arts & Humanities Research Institute, Irish Film Institute, Project Arts Centre and The Mercantile.
Design and Photography: Zoe Olaru.
Full programme:
PRESENT IMMEMORIAL
Tuesday 7 October, 6pm, The National Library of Ireland, 2 Kildare Street, Dublin 2
Acclaimed poet Ioan Es.Pop and travel writer and cultural animator Peter Hurley read excerpts from their latest books and discuss the inexhaustible, mysterious appeal of Transylvania's ancient ways in a conversation moderated by Stephen Collins of The Irish Times. Preceded by the screening of Dieter Auner's documentary 'Off the Beaten Track', an elegiac homage to the old rite of transhumance.
Free entry: http://www.nli.ie
THE SOUND OF AFTERLIFE
Wednesday 8 October, 8pm, The National Concert Hall, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2
As the opening event of the Romanian Cultural Days in Dublin, Irish composer Shaun Davey presents his haunting exploration of one of Europe's eeriest places, the Merry Cemetery of Săpânţa, Maramureş, located in one of the most unspoiled and archaic corners of Romania. A presentation of RTÉ Concert Orchestra. David Brophy, conductor. Special guest: The Male Voice Choir of Sibiu University. Rita Connolly, vocalist; Liam O'Flynn, uilleann pipes/whistle; Noel Eccles, solo percussion; Members of Dun Laoghaire Choral Society.
The concert will be introduced by HE Manuela Breazu, Ambassador of Romania to Ireland, and Dorian Branea, director of the the Romanian Cultural Institute in London.
Tickets: www.nch.ie
COMMUNISM AS CURRICULUM VITAE
Friday 10 October, 6.30pm, Irish Film Institute, 6 Eustace Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2
Special screening of 'I'm an Old Communist Hag', a bittersweet tale of survival and redemption in the most adverse times, starring legendary actress Luminiţa Gheorghiu ('Death of Mr Lăzărescu', 'Child's Pose'). Followed by a Q&A with veteran director Stere Gulea.
Tickets: http://www.ifi.ie
THE BLOUSE THAT CHANGED THE WORLD
Tuesday 14 October, 6pm, European Union House, 18 Dawson Street, Dublin 2
Made famous by Matisse and a global fashion item by the hippie generation, the traditional Romanian blouse is the seductive conclusion of centuries of craftsmanship and chromatic imagination. The 'Măiastra - The Untold Story of the Romanian Blouse' exhibition, produced by Galateca Gallery from Bucharest, exposes the sartorial, symbolical, and artistic connections of this iconic artifact. Until 24 October.
Free entry.
ROMANIA REVEALED
Thursday 23 October, 6pm, Trinity Long Room Hub, Fellows Square, Trinity College
Historian and TV personality Adrian Cioroianu, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, examines the last 100 remarkable years of Romania's past in a roller-coaster journey that starts in the trenches of the World War I and ends in the corridors of Brussels. Chaired by Dr Graeme Murdock, Director of The Centre for European Studies. Documentary screening: 'A Century for Romania' by Adrian Cioroianu (TVR, 2013).
Free entry: https://www.tcd.ie
PLAY IONESCO
Saturday 25 October, 8pm, Project Arts Centre, 39 East Essex Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2
An ingenuous and multi-prized production of Eugène Ionesco's famous play, 'The Chairs', with a star-studded ensemble directed by stage virtuoso Felix Alexa. With: Oana Pellea, Răzvan Vasilescu and Radu Pocovnicu. A production of Bulandra Theatre Bucharest. In Romanian with English surtitles.
Tickets: http://projectartscentre.ie
VAMPIROLOGY
Saturday 25 October, 8.30pm, The Mercantile, 28 Dame Street, Dublin 2
As expected from a nation that knows how to party, The Romanian Cultural Days in Dublin conclude with an extravaganza of music, visuals and delicious food & drink sampling, featuring the inexhaustible diva of Balkan electro, DJ Nico de Transilvania. Part of the Bram Stoker Festival.
Free entry: http://www.bramstokerfestival.com
