Performances in Iași and a busy start to June at the Bucharest National Opera are the topics discussed by conductor Daniel Jinga, manager of the Bucharest National Opera, in the Perpetuum mobile edition on Wednesday, May 29th, 2024.

We welcomeconductor Daniel Jinga, manager of the Bucharest National Opera and "Guest of the Week"at Perpetuum mobile live, by phone!

Good evening! Thank you for the invitation!

It's a pleasure to have you with us! Daniel Jinga, you are currently in Iași, preparing two events. The first will take place tomorrow evening (May 30th), namely "Balul Palatului (The Ball of the Palace)"-a traditional event reintroducedinto the cultural life of Iași. What can the audience expect at the Palace of Culture in Iași?

The program features a selection of music for ballrooms and palaces, including waltzes, polkas, opera arias, canzonets, and crossover pieces...it will be a beautiful repertoire designed for all audience categories, both for those who regularly attend the opera and for those we hope to attract to our performance institutions.

Coming up in Iași on Saturday and Sunday (June 1st and 2nd) is the ballet "Cinderella" by Sergei Prokofiev. How are the preparations for these performances going?

Rehearsals are in full swing. It's paramount to deliver a high-quality performance for our audience. As you know, the score is quite demanding, pushing the performers' technical and emotional capabilities to their utmost limits. It's less challenging for the conductorthan for the instrumentalists, so I must admitthat I'm not overly stressed. Nevertheless, I'm closely monitoring their accuracy, ensuring they strive for near-perfection, as every instrumentalist and musician aspires to achieve. We're pursuing a level of perfection we may never attain, but we at least have a clear vision of it.

At the Bucharest National Opera, the second edition of the "Constantin Silvestri" International Conducting Competition is underway. The second stage began today, with the gala set for Sunday, June 2nd, at 11:00 AM. How has the competition progressed so far? What are the characteristics of the rising generation of young opera conductors?

The contestants are very well-prepared, passionate individuals. It's evident that they hold immense hope for this competition, especially since the opera is now lending its support, and we envision a long-lasting partnership between the Bucharest National Opera and the Silvestri Foundation.

As you've likely heard, Constantin Silvestri was a renowned opera conductor. He was the first to conduct the score of "Oedipe" at the Bucharest National Opera, earning him the admiration of the jury members and the young conductors hoping to claim the prizes we'll be awarding this year.

Ihope that after the final round and the laureates' gala, we'll find at least one opera conductor whom we can bring to the Bucharest National Opera and help develop their potential. Opera conducting is rather unique. One cannot simply be born an opera conductor, nor can they learn it in college or conservatory. It is, unfortunately, a personal experience that can only be gained in front of a highly complex ensemble, in a complex setting where timing can be tricky, where performers dance, run, and enter the stage late, and where the distances between singers can sometimes exceed 20 meters. Therefore, as I was saying, this competition, in my opinion,serves to identify and then support the development of opera conductors, who are in high demand both in Romania and abroad.

The Bucharest National Opera continues to buzz with activity, with another exciting week ahead for the theater's ensemble. On Saturday, June 8th, the premiere of the musical "Shrek" will unfold-a fresh production from the creative team behind "The Phantom of the Opera" and "My Fair Lady."The music is composed by Jeanine Tesori with a libretto by David Lindsay-Abaire, while Răzvan Ioan Dincă takes the director's helm. The question is, how will the story of Shrek be reinterpreted on the stage of the Palace Hall?

Firstly, "Shrek" is a musical we'll be producing with full rights. Therefore, the public won't see a reinterpretation but rather an original vision from this creative team. Secondly, the show is designed for multiple stage setups, not just the Palace Hall stage; it can also be performed on the opera stage or outdoors. The set, lighting, and sound are all carefully crafted to be flexible, allowing for performances anywhere. We aim to attract both children who are familiar with Shrek from the animated movie and theiraccompanyingparents. The story has multiple layers and levels of understanding, ensuring that both children and adults can enjoy a wonderful experience watching the "Shrek" musical.

Considering the versatile sets designed for various spaces, the music (featuring a big band, part of the Romanian National Opera Orchestra, a singing and dancing choir that also portraysstory characters), and the abundance of special effects (flying, flames, dazzling lights, projections), I believe this will be one of the most spectacular children's shows ever produced in Romania. I say this with full responsibility and immense joy.

I'm confident that this production will leave a lasting impression on Romanian audiences, much like "The Phantom of the Opera" did, even though the title may not be as widely recognized at the outset.

It is important to note that there will be two performances-on Saturday, June 8th, and Sunday, June 9th. And the list of events doesn't end there! Starting June 7th, the Bucharest National Opera will host the 3rd edition of the Bucharest Opera Festival, entirely dedicated to Puccini's compositions. What are you and your guests preparing for this festival edition?

We'll cover all of Puccini's major works, with a few exceptions. The Bucharest National Opera will perform "Madama Butterfly," conducted by maestro Cristian Mandeal. "Madama Butterfly" is the oldest opera still in the Bucharest National Opera's repertoire, an iconic production that we want to preserve, not discard and create a new one.Our goal is to keep it alive for our audiences to experience for as long as possible.

The festival opens on June 7th with "La fanciulla del West" presented by the Cluj-Napoca Romanian Opera. On June 8th, we have a Puccini 100 gala. Why a gala? Because the performers will be from the Daegu Opera in South Korea. They couldn't bring a full production, but we were delighted to have them participate in our festival. On June 9th, we'll have the opportunity to experience "Manon Lescaut" performed by the Budapest Opera with the collaboration of the Bucharest National Opera Chorus in a semi-staged production. On June 10th, as mentioned, "Madama Butterfly" will be performed by the host opera, the Bucharest National Opera. On June 11th, "La Bohème" will be presented by the Romanian Opera in Iași. On June 12th, "Turandot" will be performed by the Timișoara Opera. On June 13th, "La rondine" will be brought to life by the Cluj-Napoca Hungarian Opera. On June 14th, the Triptych will be performed by the Brașov Opera. On June 15th, "La Bohème" will be presented once again by the National Opera and Operetta Theater "Nae Leonard"inGalați. And we'll conclude on June 16th with "Tosca" performed by theNational Opera and Ballet Theater "Oleg Danovski" in Constanța.

So, I'm convinced thatit's a world first! It's a festival where every day brings a different opera house or theater from the country or abroad on stage. And above all, it's a premiere to showcasenearly all of Puccini's works in such a short timeframe.

10 packed days, indeed!

Daniel Jinga, thank you for being on Perpetuum mobile, and good luck!