Bringing new resonances to a timeless Romanian writer and his literary works, RCI London is hosting a series of spectacular events dedicated to the renowned novelist Liviu Rebreanu, 10 days boasting a formidable intellectual energy as vibrant and immersive as the folk dance Ciuleandra itself. The syncretic season occasioned by a new translation into English of Rebreanu’s Ciuleandra is a gateway to the heart of Romanian culture, comprising talks, music, dance, public reading, film and theatre.
The impressively multi-art programme will start on 7 April with a lecture on Liviu Rebreanu’s work, literary topics and legacy given by writer and lecturer Mihai Ene, PhD (University of Craiova), and will continue the following day with the book launch of Ciuleandra’s English translation by Gabi Reigh, published by Cadmus Press. A discussion on the launch and its grand relevance for the international readership will take part between Gabi Reigh and George T. Sipos, PhD, who also signed the introduction. On this occasion, the talented actor Alin Balașcan will be giving a public reading of some excerpts from the book and the outstanding double bass player Michael Crețu will be presenting a new musical composition inspired by Maria Tănase’s Ciuleandra song.
On 11 April, a screening of Ciuleandra (1985), directed by the popular & prolific Romanian director Sergiu Nicolaescu, with English subtitles, will be broadcasted online. The immersion into Rebreanu’s biography and work, with a focus on the formidable Ciuleandra, will include a talk by the ethnochoreologist Cristian Mușa, PhD (Institute of Ethnography and Folklore Constantin Brăiloiu) on the ethnographic and choreographic symbolism of the dance and ritual, on 13 April, and will continue, the following day, with a fascinating virtual tour of Fanny and Liviu Rebreanu’s memorial house in Bucharest presented by the National Museum of Romanian Literature.
Radu Afrim’s “Forest of the Hanged” (Pădurea spânzuraților) theatre perormance, broadcasted on 16 April and available for 48h in UK only, will be the perfect and thrilling end of Rebreanu’s season showcasing the genuine power of a modern text and, ultimately, of a Romanian classic writer.
Many thanks to our partners for their invaluable support: Constantin Brăiloiu Institute of Ethnography and Folklore, National Museum of Romanian Literature, National Centre of Cinematography & National Film Archive and National Theatre Bucharest.
Find more info on the programme here.
