Several cultural institutions announced events for the National Culture Day. The January 15 celebration, introduced in 2010, marks the birth date of poet Mihai Eminescu.

The George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra is set to perform on January 15, at the Athenaeum in Bucharest (pictured). The concert marking the day has a program including Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 (Emperor Concerto), Theodor Rogalski's Tow Romanian Dances, and Tiberiu Olah's Mihai Viteazul Suite. Radu Popa conducts the orchestra, pianist Florian Mitrea is the soloist for Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5.

The National Radio Orchestra will deliver a concert celebrating the National Day of Culture on January 14 at Sala Radio. The program includes only works by Romanian composers: Constantin, Constantin Dimitrescu, Paul Constantinescu, and Marţian Negrea. Cristian Oroşanu is conducting, cellist Răzvan Suma is the soloist.

The National Museum of Arts of Romania (MNAR) offers free, guided evening visits on January 15 (18:00-22:00). Guided visits will take place in the Modern Romanian Art Gallery between 18:00 and 20:00 and the Romanian Medieval Art Gallery, starting at 19:00. Prior registration is required at programări@art.museum.ro by January 14, at 14:00. The museum's HQ, with all the galleries, including the national one, the temporary exhibitions, and the satellite museums can be visited under a regular schedule on January 15, from 10:00 to 18:00.

The Grigore Antipa Nature History Museum offers visits free of charge to all visitors on January 15. The free access applies to the museum's permanent exhibition and the temporary exhibition Moon Impact - a geological story. The latter invites visitors to learn more about the formation of the Earth and the Moon, and admire more than 250 samples or rocks, meteors, 3D models, holograms and video projections. Visiting hours are 10:00 to 19:00 (the last visit starts at 18:00).

At the Museum of Romanian Literature in Bucharest (MNLR), actors from the Comedy Theater will welcome the public to visit the main exhibition and the five memorial houses of the institutions. Among the actors participating are Emilia Popescu, Marius Florea Vizante, Anca Dumitra, Bogdan Cotleţ, Rodica Mandache, Nicu Alifantis, Horaţiu Mălăele, George Mihăiţă, Laura Creţ and Marius Bodochi. Access to the MNLR HQ at 8 Nicolae Creţulescu St. is based on reservation at programe@mnlr.ro, for the other memorial houses on a reservation at case.memoriale@mnlr.ro.

At ARCUB, one of the cultural centers of the Bucharest City Hall, the newest projects of contemporary Romanian artists are showcased between January 14 and January 16. The program is focused on new models of cultural expression and includes contemporary dance workshops, exhibitions, documentary film screenings, and a theater performance. More on the program here.

The Culture Ministry, the I.L. Caragiale National Theater (TNB), the Bucharest Opera (ONB), and the Mihai Eminescu National Theater in Chişinău hold an event on January 15 at TNB. The program includes readings from the poetry of Mihai Eminescu, a concert of the ONB orchestra, and screenings of two films showcasing the history of the Chişinău National Theater and of ONB.

In Sibiu, the Radu Stanca Theater marks the day with a series of readings from the work of poet Mihai Eminescu, and a special episode from the series Tradiții TO GO. The events are streamed on the theater's Facebook page and YouTube channel on January 14, 15, and 16.

In Timişoara, the Orchestra of the Music and Theater Faculty of the Vest University (UVT) will deliver a concert of Romanian symphonic music on January 15 at Banatul Philharmonic. The orchestra performs alongside violinist Alexandru Tomescu. The concert is broadcast by TVR Timişoara and TVR3.

The Romanian Culture Institute (ICR) in New York presents on its social media channels the music documentary I Still Believe in Magic - Sanda Weigl Sings Maria Tănase. The production features soloist Sanda Weigl, alongside musicians Shoko Nagai (piano, accordion), Stomu Takeishi (bas) and Satoshi Takeishi (percussion) performing rearranged versions of pieces sung by Maria Tănase.

(Photo: Gicamatescu | Dreamstime.com)

simona@romania-insider.com