Performance presented on 25.05.2018 on the occasion of the 99th anniversary of the establishment of the Romanian National Opera Cluj-Napoca.

Operetta in three acts on a libretto by Liliana Delescu, Erastia Sever and Viorel Cosma

The operetta Let me sing of the Romanian composer Gherase Dendrino (1901-1973) – winner of the State Prize of the Romanian People’s Republic – is one of the most representative creations of the Romanian dramatic repertoire, its subject evoking the struggle for liberation under the rule of the Empire. Hapsburg and the search for affirmation of the values ​​of the Romanian people. The fact that in the center of the action, which takes place in Brasov in 1882, there is none other than the famous composer Ciprian Porumbescu, gives the work an even greater degree of attractiveness. He, like Giuseppe Verdi a few decades earlier, during the period of the Italian Risorgimento, seeks that, through his art, he should work for independence, driven by a hot patriotism and a close connection with the popular background of the Romanian culture, but and confidence in the bright future of his country. Although his plan to put the ”Crai Nou” operetta for the first time will face adversity from the authorities of the imperial court, the perseverance and support of other members of the community – peasants and intellectuals – will ultimately ensure his victory.

The conflicting nature of the subject, the veracity of the historical picture are transposed by Gherase Dendrino with the help of the song – capable of expressing both the patriotic feeling, the heroism and the lyricism of the characters – and within the various ensembles – duets, trios or mass scenes, in the background. facing progressive forces and reaction. The popular essence of the economy of musical-dramatic discourse is not lacking, but neither are the main Romanian musical genres of the last century – the march, the patriotic song, the hour and the Transylvanian game, the romance or the waltz – built, largely, based on themes and songs from Porumbescu’s creations.

The fact that the operetta Let me sing of Gherase Dendrino integrates this multitude of historical, social and cultural aspects of the motivations that have led the evolution of the Romanian people in the last century, in a charming and attractive musical performance, makes this an absolute creationjo relevance among the artistic manifestations of the Romanian National Opera Cluj-Napoca, offered on the occasion of the celebration of the Centenary Year.