Since December 1, 1918, the day of the Great Union (National Day of Romania), is celebrated every year. This event is the culmination of the struggle of many generations of Romanians of all historic provinces, who aimed to fulfil the ideal to live in freedom, in one independent and sovereign state. “On the second of December we shall continue a fifteen-year-old tradition of concerts dedicated to our National Day in Beirut, fruit of the cooperation between our embassy and the Lebanese Higher Conservatory of Music. We are grateful to this reputed cultural institution, to its president, Dr. Walid Moussallem and to the members of the Philharmonic Orchestra. Their efforts to survive are widely appreciated, given the hardships they have been going through for more than two years. In doing so, our main purpose is to send a message of solidarity, hope and confidence in a better future”, says the Romanian Ambassador in Lebanon, Mr. Radu Cătălin Mardare. This “renewed hope”, as the Director of the Conservatory, Dr. Walid Moussallem, describes it, marks “the importance of the role played by music in countries such as Lebanon and Romania”.
The concert will feature two special guests from Romania whose presence was made possible thanks to the support led by the Romanian Musicians’ Association for Performers Creation (UCIMR):
– Cristian Lupeș, conductor with an excellent national and international reputation, highly appreciated for his extraordinary work on contemporary music, as well as for his impressive achievements as general director of Sibiu State Philharmonic. Lupes declared: “I am grateful to be here in Beirut for this concert, which is a celebration, not only of Romania’s national day, but also of the beautiful and long relationship between Romania and Lebanon. I would like to thank the Embassy of Romania, His Excellency Mr. Radu Cătălin Mardare, the Romanian Musicians’ Association for Performers Creation and the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of music for this honorary opportunity. Such events are a testament to the importance of art and to the fact that no matter how hard it is, together, we can achieve wonderful things ”.
– Georgiana Pană, a talented pan flute soloist, who has performed with famous orchestras on major stages in Romania and countries on all continents.
“The program, accordingly, bears a Romanian print, a Tryptich for orchestra, which is about searching for a new musical idea, but, in the end, the composer finds a very well-known musical theme from Romanian traditional music, followed by Ciocârlia (The Skylark), very dear to our public. Like many countries, Romania has a rich pan flute music tradition. The last part of the concert will be Prokofiev’s first symphony, well-known as a very delicate piece of musical jewellery”, as explains the Ambassador.
Romanian-Lebanese relations
“Since 1965, diplomatic, political and economic relations have been woven between Romania and Lebanon, this country being our main trading partner in the Middle East. We cooperate, moreover, in many fields of activity “, specifies Mr. Mardare, continuing “there is a large Lebanese community in our country and a large community of Romanians in Lebanon, both playing an important role in the deepening of relations between the two countries”. In this context, it would be interesting to stress that culture and education are two pillars of the close and long-standing relationship of friendship and cooperation between Lebanon and Romania. Note that the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra brings together a good number of Romanian musicians, “proof of the excellence of our higher musical education. We are also proud that many talented Lebanese have trained as musicians and achieved their artistic mastery in Romania, during the last decades”, rejoices the Ambassador, who continues: “We have a lot to learn (Lebanese and Romanians) from our own history, and also from each other. We have all had to fight, at some point in history, for the preservation of our identity, our freedom, our independence and our principles of democracy. One lesson learned is that in the most difficult times we have faced as a people, unity around our national values, our common ideals and an unwavering faith in our destiny enabled us to reach our goals. The Great Union, on the 1st of December 1918 is such a lesson”.
For his part, Mr. Lupes says that the history of mankind has been able to highlight one certainty: artists have helped people overcome difficult times. “Let us never forget that all great artists have gone through rough times – socially, economically, culturally, etc. However, they have never abandoned their art, choosing to use the context that presents itself to innovate, help calm spirits and leave imprints for future generations. As artists, our mission is to keep culture alive and to provide comfort and support to all humanity. The priority should not be on immediate needs alone. In the long term, it is our cultural heritage that makes us who we are “.
“Thus, by initiating man to music, not only do we communicate to him the taste for Beauty and Art, but we also introduce him to discipline, civic spirit, humanism… Considering this, I would like to announce the current project that we have undertaken with the Chinese which involves the construction of a 1200-seat concert hall and an eight-storey building for the Conservatory which will be able to issue university degrees. Such an initiative will make this musical hub a center of influence for the entire region, ”concludes Dr. Moussallem.