On Saturday, October 29th, 2022, the "Prelude" Chamber Choir of the "Romanian Youth" National Art Center will hold a concert at the Romanian Athenaeum that will mark the 50th anniversary of the ensemble's founding. Founded by the conductor Voicu Enăchescu, the choir currently carries out its activity under the guidance of the conductor Andrei Stănculescu.

We find out more details from Andrei Stănculescu - the conductor of the "Prelude" Chamber Choir:

On Saturday evening you will conduct the concert marking the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the "Prelude" Chamber Choir - an ensemble founded and led until last year by maestro Voicu Enăchescu. I mention that the ensemble's first concert took place on November 1, 1972, on the stage of the Student Culture Center in Bucharest.

You chose for the program of the evening of October 29th, to be inspired by the programs of the concerts held by the "Prelude" Chamber Choir in the 1979, 1980 and 1981. What was the reason why you selected these three years and what exactly does the program include, the one that Saturday night audience are listening?

I start from the idea that the program is organized in four sections, as maestro Enăchescu often did. Namely, the music of the Renaissance - for which the "Prelude" Choir is also recognized, religious music, then traditional music - as the maestro called it, and music of folkloric or Romanian inspiration. The reason why I chose those three years is quite simple. I called the general secretary of the Romanian Choral Association, Mrs. professor Alina Pârvulescu, who was also a member of the "Prelude" Choir and who has a rich archive regarding everything about the "Prelude" Choir, and these were the oldest programs I found in this archive. Basically, I took all the three programs and found which songs were the most repeated. This was the principle of selection of the songs strictly from these programs. Then, I tried to bring alongside these, works that we could present in the first audition or that would fit conceptually with the other works.

Ramona Iacob and Tom Brânduș, who are the authors of the visual and scenic concept, will contribute to the concert. So, it will be a concert-show? How will it look like, exactly?

That's how we thought of it with Ramona and Tom, a concert-show, a concert that would try to take the choir out of this static allure that it has and still fit into the norms of a cult concert on the stage of the Romanian Athenaeum. But it is, for sure, a show of lights, shadows and various effects that we invite you to see on October 29th, at the Romanian Athenaeum.

The guest of the evening will be the actress Emilia Popescu. What will be her role ?

She is an old friend of the "Prelude" Choir and will be the host of this concert, and besides that, as I said, the concert is divided into four parts. She will practically realize the transitions of these parts through a selection of poems chosen by her.

Saturday evening's concert is part of a large series - some will be a cappella, others vocal-symphonic and will take place both in Bucharest and in other cities. What is the anniversary tour schedule?

The concert I just talked about opens the tour on October 29th, at the Romanian Athenaeum. Then, the next very important concert for us and somehow a premiere for the "Prelude" Choir (a collaboration with a philharmonic from outside Bucharest) is a vocal-symphonic concert called "Prelude - 50. Haydn - 290", which celebrates also 290 years since the birth of the great composer. We will perform a vocal-symphonic concert with the first and last mass that Haydn wrote, and at the end of the concert - "Variations on a theme by Haydn" by Brahms. After Brașov, Iasi follows on November 7th, Cernavodă - November 19th, 20th. And, on November 25th, in Brăila, during the "Armonifest" National Choral Festival.