MY PLACE

GEORGE ENESCU

He was born in the village of Liveni, Romania (Dorohoi County at the time, today Botoşani County), and showed musical talent from early in his childhood. A child prodigy, Enescu created his first musical composition at the age of five. Shortly thereafter, his father presented him to the professor and composer Eduard Caudella. At the age of seven, entered the Vienna Conservatory, where he studied with Joseph Hellmesberger, Jr., Robert Fuchs, and Sigismond Bachrich, and graduated before his 13th birthday, earning the silver medal. In his Viennese concerts young Enescu played works by Brahms, Sarasate and Mendelssohn. In 1895 he went to Paris to continue his studies. He studied violin with Martin Pierre Marsick, harmony with André Gédalge, and composition with Jules Massenet and Gabriel Fauré.

Many of Enescu's works were influenced by Romanian folk music, his most popular compositions being the two Romanian Rhapsodies (1901--2), the opera Oedipe (1936), and the suites for orchestra. He also wrote five symphonies (two of them unfinished), a symphonic poem Vox maris, and much chamber music (three sonatas for violin and piano, two for cello and piano, a piano trio, quartets with and without piano, a wind decet (French, "dixtuor"), an octet for strings, a piano quintet, a chamber symphony for twelve solo instruments).
In 1923 he made his debut as a conductor in a concert given by the Philadelphia Orchestra in New York City. In 1935, he conducted the Orchestre Symphonique de Paris and Yehudi Menuhin in Mozart's Violin Concerto No.3 in G major. He also conducted the New York Philharmonic between 1937 and 1938. In 1939 he married Maria Rosetti (known as the Princess Cantacuzino through her first husband Mihail Cantacuzino), a good friend of the future Queen Marie of Romania. While staying in Bucharest, Enescu lived in the Cantacuzino Palace on Calea Victoriei (now the Muzeu Naţional George Enescu, dedicated to his work).

He lived in Paris and in Romania, but after World War II and the Soviet occupation of Romania, he remained in Paris.

He was also a noted violin teacher. Yehudi Menuhin, Christian Ferras, Ivry Gitlis, Arthur Grumiaux, and Ida Haendel were among his pupils. He promoted contemporary Romanian music, playing works of Constantin Silvestri, Mihail Jora, Ionel Perlea and Marţian Negrea.

On his death in 1955, George Enescu was interred in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris















CIPRIAN PORUMBESCU

Romanian Ballad by Ciprian Porumbescu. All Images are from Romania. For all Romanian souls..
Ciprian Porumbescu was a Romanian composer born in Şipotele Sucevei in the former Austrian province of Bukovina.
He was born into the family of Iraclie Porumbescu an ethnic Romanian writer and Orthodox priest. He studied music in Suceava and Cernăuţi, then continued at the Konservatorium für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna, under Anton Bruckner and Franz Krenn.
He was among the most celebrated Romanian composers of his time; his most popular works are the pieces Crai nou, Trei culori, Song for the 1st of May, Ballad for violin and piano, Serenada. In addition, he composed the music for Pe-al nostru steag e scris Unire.
He was imprisoned by the Austrian authorities because of his political activities, and composed his major works while in confinement. He died at the age of 29 in Stupca, nowadays renamed Ciprian Porumbescu.










IOSIF IVANOVICI

First of all you should understand one thing: romanians are not gipsies. The "romani" (gipsies) are an ethnic group widely spread. At origins they are nomads from India. This missunderstanding of romanians all being romany is because of the similitude of our names. The name of Romania came from the ancient capital of the Roman Empire, Rome.
See more here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_p...

You should also know that more than 1 milion ethnically gipsies having romanian citizenship emigrated in the West Europe (Italy, Spain, Great Britain, Germany, France, Austria etc). Their main practices are beggary and stealing but sometimes, unfortunately they also rape and kill and so giving Romania a bad name in the World.

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The pictures:
1. The Romanian Athenee, Bucharest
2. The Arch of Triumph, Bucharest
3. The House of People a.k.a. The Palace of the Parliament, Bucharest
4. Barsana Monastery, Maramures
5. Bran Castle a.k.a. Dracula's Castle
6. Balea Lake, Fagarasi Mountains
7. Peles Castle, Sinaia
8. Old Council House, Brasov
9. Corvinesti Castle a.k.a. Hunedoara Castle, Hunedoara
10. Casino from Constanta
11. The Fagarasi Mountains
12. Statue of the ancient king Decebal on the Danube
13. Heroes Cross on The Caraiman Peak
14. Danube at sundown
15. Old country house
16. Putna Monastery
17. Autumn view
18. Voronet Monastery
19. Village from Maramures
20. The Bucegi Mountains
21. The Palace of Culture, Iasi
22. Autumn hills view
23. Top view of central Sibiu
24. View from Maramures
25. Piatra Craiului Mountains
26. Snow track
27. The Romanian Sphinx, Bucegi Mountains
28. A river in Autumn
29. Buildings from Sibiu
30. The Transfagarasan road
31. Babele, Bucegi Mountains
32. Forest road in Autumn

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Music by romanian composer Iosif Ivanovici.
Pictures: Google















DRACULA





CONSTANTIN BRANCUSI

A beautiful metaphor for Brancusi's sculptures "Whose luminous beauty is his legacy. I bid you farewell but your works remain exalted, pure, luminous, never so alive as today, and they will never cease to live" Georges A.Salles - Director to Museum (Paris)

Constantin Brancusi is sleeping at Montparnasse cemetery with his bones but his soul flying in the Universe.







MIHAI EMINESCU

Today,the 15th of January,there are 158 years since Mihai Eminescu was born.
The first part is Ode in ancient meter,a poem by Eminescu,translated by Andrei bantas and recited by the poet Adrian Paunescu,the second part is the song"Dor de Eminescu-Long for Eminescu" sung by Alexandru Zarnescu,translated by my friend plyrgheorghe
In a world deemed relative,
That has done and has undone,
Eminescu is the remorse
Of man's longing for the absolute.

If one added to one don't
Wish to make two anymore,
Eminescu is the image
Of the infinite we bear within us.

Without him everything on this earth
Would follow its expected path,
Without him even our holy star
Would have fallen from the firmament.

In the land of the Ancient Dacia,
At times larger, at times shortened,
If it weren't for Eminescu,
Life would mean nothing to us.

He is the son of Moldavia,
And nephew to Wallachia,
He was adopted by Transylvania,
He lives in every corner of our land.

In a world deemed relative,
We still have a holy name,
Eminescu is Romania,
To be found within his words.




Romanian "romantza"
Lyrics
One wish alone have I:
In some calm land
Beside the sea to die;

Upon its strand
That I forever sleep,
The forest near,
A heaven near,
Stretched over the peaceful deep.

That no one weeps my end,
Nor for me grieves,
But let the autumn lend
Tongues to the leaves,

No candles shine,
Nor tomb I need, instead
Let them for me a bed
Of twigs entwine.

One wish alone have I:
In some calm land
Beside the sea to die;

As I will then no more
A wanderer be,
Let them with fondness store
My memory.



This song is called "romantza",tipical for romanians,like Chansonnette for french people or Canzonetta for italians.
Remembering Eminescu poems:
Down Where The Lonely Poplars Grow

Down where the lonely poplars grow
How often have I erred;
My steps that all the neighbours know
You only have not heard.
repeat...
Towards your window lighted through
How oft my gaze has flown;
A world entire my secret knew
You only have not known.
repeat...
A word, a murmur of reply
How often did I pray!
What matters then if I should die,
Enough to live that day;
repeat...
To know one hour of tenderness,
One hour of lovers' night;
To hear you whisper's soft caress
One hour, then come what might!
repeat...







MARIA TANASE