The Romanian National Opera House in Iasi, 60 years of existence

The State Opera House was set up in Iasi on January 1, 1956, as the first public opera house in the whole region of Moldavia, after a long period of affirmation and consolidation of opera as a lyrical genre.

Luana Pleşea, 10.09.2016, 14:17

The first season started on November 3, 1956 with Giacomo Puccini’s “Tosca”, under the baton of Radu Botez and the artistic direction of Hero Lupescu. In 2003, the Iasi State Opera became the Romanian National Opera House in Iasi.

A series of events marking the 60th anniversary of the Iasi Opera House started on February 3, with “Don Giovanni”, directed by Beatrice Rancea. An anniversary exhibition entitled “The Romanian National Opera House in Iasi-60 years of existence” was premiered on the occasion. It is a collection of photos taken during performances, original posters of the shows along the years and old program books.

Beatrice Rancea, the artistic director and manager of the institution since 2011, speaks about the special projects devoted to the 60th anniversary of the institution she manages: “The first premiere in this long series of events, the ‘ball’s queen’, as we, the ballet dancers, call it, is ‘Swan Lake’. For the first time, the Romanian Opera in Iasi will have a co-production with “Maria Biesu” National Opera and Ballet Theatre in Chishinau. We will also have two equally important premieres, on April 8 and 10. ‘Swan Lake’ hasn’t been performed in Iasi for more than 15 years and we are looking forward to it, just like the orchestra, as the music is superb. The show is directed and choreographed by Ileana Iliescu, and the orchestra will be conducted by Traian Ichim, who has been declared best director of the last musical season by the jury of the National Opera Awards Gala. We will open the season on September 4, with a new performance, the “Cheerful Widow” operetta, in an exquisite formula, with a text written particularly for this show by Andrei Serban and Dana Dima. The show boasts an extraordinary cast. It is actually a new interpretation of the operetta, with a new stage design, new costumes and the incredible direction of Andrei Serban. On November 3, the exact day when the opera marks 60 years since the first performance of ‘Tosca’ was presented to the public in Iasi, we will stage Tosca again. The last but one event in the anniversary series will be the performance of ‘Turandot’. It is a grandiose staging, by Alexandru Darie, a prominent theatre and opera director, who collaborates for the first time with us.”

According to Beatrice Rancea, it is for the first time in the past 60 years that “Turandot” is performed in Iasi.

Director Andrei Serban is back to Iasi, after having staged here “The Trojan Women”, composed by Elizabeth Swados, “Les Indes Galantes” (Amorous Indes) by Jean-Philippe Rameau and “Lucia di Lammermoor” by Gaetano Donizetti.

Extending invitations to theatre directors is part of the strategy pursued by manager Beatrice Rancea: “The public likes to believe in stories and is used to getting into the story. This was the reason why, as of the 1980’s, theatre directors have been invited to join world opera staging efforts, to improve the quality of opera shows, and enrich the typical format consisting in only few voices putting up a concert. The opera performance has gained consistency. It now offers best quality drama, reaching the public through music. The new staging formulas take into consideration, to a large extent, the characters as they are described by the author, but they also entail a high level of acting skills. Our singers in Iasi are also extraordinarily talented actors. They are all in a fantastic physical shape. For instance, soloist Lacramioara Hrubaru Roata is incredible, both physically and vocally, in the show “Lucia di Lammermoor”, directed by Andrei Serban. She has actually won the best soloist award of the season for this role.”

The ballet performances offered by the Iasi National Opera House have improved a lot over the past five years, says Beatrice Rancea: “Practically, ballet, as a genre, only existed in entertainment shows. The opera and operetta shows included only two ballet performances, and most dancers were brought over from Bucharest. So, we decided to grow a new series of ballet dancers and started a very good collaboration with the Choreography High-school. They start working with us and are even cast in our shows when they are in the 9th or 10th grade.”

Prominent choreographers such as Ioan Tugearu and Gigi Caciuleanu have been invited to stage performances in Iasi. Outstanding, internationally acclaimed Romanian singers have performed on the stage of the Iasi National Opera House, such as sopranos Viorica Cortez and Virginia Zeani, as well as baritone Nicolae Herlea. The Iasi National Opera is housed by the National Theatre, the singers sharing the stage with the troupe of the “Vasile Alecsandri” National Theatre in Iasi.