Craiova. Capital of Oltenia and town of the Great Bans of Craiova. The second biggest town in Romania in 1920 (when Romania also comprised Moldova from over the Prut), at present among the 7 that are almost equal, with around 300.000 inhabitants, and that follow after Bucharest. The second in Romania when it comes to the number of churches! - with two more being built :-) -, the biggest and the most well known being Madona Dudu and Saint Dumitru, in the town centre and close to each other. It is developed on the spot of the Dacian fortress Pelendava, which makes it one of the oldest towns in the country.

From the touristic point of view, it is not recognised as an important town not even Romania, which is at least unfair, as it has landmarks that make it attractive at least for one visit. The centre, very beautiful, is composed of the University, the National Theatre (a building which, although it is about 40 years old, has an architecture that could still be considered modern), the City Hall, the English Park, the Prefecture (similar to the Bucharest City Hall, being designed by the same architect), the statue of the same voivode Michael the Brave, the Art Museum (which also has some original works of another "great", the sculptor Constantin BrÃ¢ncusi), the Union Avenue (covered with marble and with white blocks on the sides), the Historic Centre (newly renovated and "medievalized"). Besides these, there is another true spearhead, Romanescu Park (Bibescu, in the past), awarded for its beauty in Paris in 1910 (the Oltenians went with the park all the way to Paris :-) ) ) ) and to whose inauguration took part King Carol I himself. To all these could be added, but without raising them to the level of unmissable attractions, the Botanical Garden (this one will be renovated soon), the Youth Park, newly redesigned, and the Multipurpose Hall, built recently and for two years the most beautiful in the country, at present the second in this ranking, after the one in Cluj-Napoca, inaugurated this year. It is true that the Multipurpose Hall was constructed very fast, it "only" 18 years... but let`s not stumble on details. :D

The Opera... Eeeh... A long sigh! The Opera... al least it exists! It knew tough moments and it was close to disappearing altogether (from financial reasons) when the economic crisis was at its peak. Previously named "The Elena Teodorini Lyric Theatre", Craiova State Opera received the present entitling a short time ago, more exactly in 2013, at the initiative of the present director, Mr Antoniu Zamfir, under whose direction the institution made an obvious qualitative step forward.
The Opera is in the town centre, but it is not a separate building, sharing the same building with the "Carol I" High School, former "Nicolae Balcescu", known as one of the best in the town and in the country. (Mean or smart these Oltenians, they made one roof with two functions. :-) ) The hall has about 200 seats at the ground floor plus two levels of lodges and has received the promise to be renovated soon, a very necessary operation. The rhythm of the performances is one per week, usually on Saturday, to which often are added shows for children, almost always performed with all the tickets sold out. Consequently, in Craiova the little ones know to appreciate music better than the older ones. :-)

Among the local personalities in the field of opera, I can remember two giant names: Elena Teodorini and Grigore Gabrielescu, both born in Craiova in the 19th century, so I haven`t had the chance to see them on the scene. :-)
Elena Teodorini, soprano and then mezzo-soprano, was the first Romanian interpreter on the most important opera scene in the world, Teatro alla Scala, Milan!
Grigore Gabrielescu, tenor, was invited by Giacomo Puccini himself to sing the main role at the first night of his opera "Edgar" at Teatro alla Scala, Milan... It`s enormous to be invited by God to bring to life His creation... and not anywhere, but at the main world opera, Teatro alla Scala, Milan!

From the area of Oltenia I remember another big name, more recent, too: "the Queen of Traviata", the soprano Felicia Filip. Born at Slatina, winner of the Mozart prizes, she left the shore of the river Olt to sing first at Brasov and Bucharest, then on the big scenes of the world, such as... Teatro alla Scala, Milan, London Royal Opera House, Viena Staatsoper, Bruxelles Opera Royal de Wallonie, Barcelona Liceu and many others. For the complete list and for other details, visit the official page www.feliciafilip.ro, website that I created and of which I proudly take care. ;-)

Although it`s not related to our topic, from the same region I would like to speak about the dearest name to me on this planet: Amza Pellea, "Oltenia`s smile"!
Seeing the daylight at BÄƒilesti, al about 60 km South of Craiova, director of the Craiova National Theatre in 1973-74, masterly interpreter of Michael the Brave in film with the same name, and creator and interpret of the loved character Nea MÄƒrin (Uncle Marin), Amza Pellea was born in 1931 and... is immortal... The proof? He played relatively recently, in 2009, in the film "Carol I"! Sergiu Nicolaescu took a few sequences from the film "For the Motherland" (1978), where Amza Pellea plays general Cernat, and integrated them in this film in the section where Carol I was leading the Romanian troops in the Independence War! And recently, this year, Nea MÄƒrin was at the Bucharest Opera, where he saw "Traviata". ;-)
(I created an website for Amza Pellea, too - www.compendium.ro/amza_pellea - also appreciated by Oana Pellea, the actor`s daughter, and by the newspaper "Jurnalul National", which, on June 20th 2005, dedicated me a page for the site: Amza online. ;-) )

And also from Oltenia, because in many of my articles I talked about trains, I mention Petrache Poenaru, the inventor of the fountain pen and the first Romanian about which it is known to have travelled by train. From him we have the first Romanian description in this regard, a nice one, that goes like this: "twenty carriages tied one to the other, filled with 240 people are pulled all in the same time by a single steam machine". :-)

To me, Craiova Opera was the first one outside Bucharest where I saw an opera. "Aida", on October 30th 1999. It was, of course, a big event for me - as it can be seen, I still remember the exact day ;-) as well as the fact that I dozed a little, because I was very tired that day :-) (I had taken the 6 a.m. train, had seen two football games, between them had crossed the town on foot...) - especially that the next show outside Bucharest came after almost 5 years, "Rigoletto" at Constanta in the summer of 2004, and the next at Craiova after 10 years, "Nabucco" in 2009! In the meantime, especially in the last years, I attended many shows outside the capital and even outside the country, but the first time is always memorable, isn`t it? ;-)

Ni hao! Hello!

Turaiova... aaa, "Turandot" at Craiova, started with a Chinese decor, redishly lighted, the scene on several levels, with broad steps, at the back a big gong - with which the Oltenians are called to the marketplace at about 4 n the morning :-) -, above a light blue sky with white clouds. The people, il popolo di Pekino, wear Chinese kimonos and baggy pants, the most frequent colours being grey, black and light blue. Somewhere a guy is sharpening a curved sword with a very wide blade, and two soldiers with Chinese crests guard the lateral entries, placed up. Also on the laterals, but down, at th front, two huge iguana heads, elongate, with long crocodile-like snout.
The show is lively, has many colours, but which are not bothering.

"Vino tu, ce sperii chiar si mortii! " "Come, you, who scare even the dead! "
Well, if they don`t vote the right person? :-) ) )

A young man in a wide yellow mustard garment is brought in the centre. The executioner comes, holding the big sword vigorously.
"Principessa! Grazia! Pieta! " - "PrincipesÄƒ! Iertare! MilÄƒ! " "Principess! Forgiveness! Mercy! "
The young man is taken to the back and executed.

The stranger who is watching from the left of the scene is almost completely dressed in light brown, with white shirt, her hair tied at the back in a short ponytail. Timur, his father, a biiig man :-) , brown and violet shirt and a wide fur collar. Liu, Timur`s loyal servant, blond, light blue for the upper part, dark blue-greenish trousers. The three ministers, Pang, Ping si Pong - which is Pac, Pic and Poc in the Oltenian dialect :-) -, are coloured differently in bright shades: brown with green, blue with dark blue, deep red with black.

"Pazzo! Va! Via! " - "Nebunule! Pleaca! Departe! " - "You, fool! Leave! Far away! "
Pac, Pic and Poc try to stop the new-come Stranger to register for trial of her questions.
"Lasciatemi passare! " - "Lasati-ma sa trec! " - "Let me pass! "
At the back appears the executioner showing to the crowd the head of the last executed.

"Non piaangeeree, Liiu! " - "Don`t cry, Liu! "
But the Stranger beats the gong for the contest registration.

The decor of the second act keeps the Chinese tint. A tent (where the choir is) on which are drawn two dragons and the sun in the middle, a long table in the centre and towards the front and many Chinese motives. At the front there are the three pages who complain about the pac-pic-poc pe life they lead. The tent rises, the table is taken away, at the back the emperor`s court is revealed. Chinese kimonos, women with fans, soldiers with spears, traditional conical crests. The crowd stands up when the emperor appears and wishes him to live a long life, about ten thousand years. A little too much, as I was saying. :-)
"Figlio del cielo, io voglio d`affrontar la proba! " - "Fiu al cerului, eu vreau sa infrunt acuma proba! " - "Son of the heavens, I want to face the challenge now! "
The rhythm of the music coming from the pit is completed on the scene, too, by the fans hitting the wooden chairs.

Turandot appears. Frowning, arrogant, dark grena dress with golden patterns, translucent white scarf-like cloak.

"Enigmi sono tre, la morte e una! "
"Enigmi sono tre, una e la vita! "

ï¿½Three are the enigmas, death is one! "
ï¿½Three are the enigmas, life is one! "

"In noapte e naluca! "
"Speranta! "

"In the night is the ghost! "
"Hope! "

"Arde ca o flacara, dar nu e."
"Sangele! "

"It burns like a flame, but it isn`t."
"The blood! "

"Gerul care da focul."
"Dreptatea! "

"The frost that gives the fire."
"Justice! "

Three correct answers and the crowd acclaims "Glorie, o, vincitore! " - "Glorie, o, invingatorule! " - "Glory, oh, winner! "

But Turandot shows one more hideous face of her character: "Father, don`t throw your daughter in the arms of a stranger! " The emperor reminds her that she is under a oath, the stranger suggests her, too, to answer a question - what`s his name? - and she eagerly accepts the chance of cheating her own engagement. Moreover, as if she hadn`t done enough harm, she orders that, until she finds out what interests only her, nobody should sleep in Pekin.
... The magic aria`s tunes can be heard...

"Nessun dooorrma! Nessun dooorrrma! "
Tonight nobody sleeps in Craijing! Four girls dressed as if in a harem (brassiere and baggy pants) tempts the Stranger. He is offered a chest with a treasure. The crowd, holding lanterns, beg him - "Oh, stranger, you have no idea what the princess is capable of. It is going to be a terrible slaughter. There will be waves of blood." - and some even threaten him with a knife.

Timur and Liu are brought in front of the "lovable" Turandot. She tortures the old man until the servant tells her that she`s the only one knowing the name of the stranger and that she prefers to die, than to divulge it.
"Who strengthened you like this?"
"Love! "
Liu grabs the knife from the Stranger`s waist and commits suicide.

On the scene remain only the Stranger and Turandot.
"Principessa di morte! Principessa di gelo! ... Io son Calaf, figlio di Timur! "- "Principesa a mortii! Principesa a gerului! ... Eu sunt Calaf, fiul lui Timur! " - "Princess of death! Princess of frost! ... I am Calaf, son of Timur! "

I have never liked "Turandot" very much. (That`s why I didn`t take part in her contest of questions. :-) ) Except the brilliant "Nessun dorma", the music is beautiful, not extremely attractive, but what truly annoys me is the subject. That princess beheads those guys as she likes, then refuses to obey the already unfair deal that herself has created, after which, suddenly, she comes forward and belches that love conquers... Excuse me, but this is nonsense! The only excuse Puccini has is that he died before finishing the opera and the guilt for the ending is not his... I suppose he wouldn`t have left that murderer alive... And now I realise that maybe between them there was an Italo-Chinese fight and he was Turandot`s last victim... Hmmm, yes, from now on I`ll dislike her even more! :-)

Distribution:
Princess Turandot: Madeleine Pascu (Bucharest)
Emperor Altoum: Mircea Tudora
Timur: Sorin Draniceanu
Prince Calaf: Hector Lopez (Mexico)
Liu: Irina Polivanova (Russia)
Ping: Ioan Cherata
Pang: Liviu Indricau (Bucharest)
Pong: Florin Ormenisan
A mandarin: Dragos Draniceanu
Craiova State Opera Orchestra and Choir

Directed by: Emil Strugaru
Conductor: Tiberiu Soare
Scenography: Sorin Novac
Concert master: Dan Bozgan
Choir master: Bogdan Botezatu
Musical training: Corina Stanescu
Prompter: Viorica Tomus
Technical direction: Mihaela Grama
Master of lights: Roberto Bujor

Nota actuala: 9 (din 1 note acordate) - Acorda o nota!

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