A concert in Vienna dedicated to Eminescu

On June 15 2018, Eugen Doga gave his first personal concert in Vienna, the capital of the waltz and classical music. The event was Maestro Doga’s homage to the great poet Eminescu on hismemorial day. The concert took place at the Schlosstheater Hall of the famous Schönbrunn Palace, one of Vienna’s iconic landmarks. The concert was organized to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the formation of modern Romanian state.

At the concert were performed Eugen Doga’sworks set to poetry by Mihai Eminescu, Veronica Micle, and GrigoreVieru, as well as the composer’s own waltzes.  

As reported by MOLDPRES News Agency, the composer considers this concert significant also because Mihai Eminescu studied in Vienna and this is where he met poetess Veronica Micle, who became his muse and the love of his life: “In Vienna arose his love that inspired his poetry.”

Mihai Eminescu, called “the Morning Star of Romanian literature”, is a symbol of Romanian spirituality; on his birthday, National Culture Day is celebrated in Romania and Moldova.

“I would like for the Romanians to love Eminescu through my music because I have a lot of love for the great poet and Veronica Micle, for these two individuals that I cannot separate, because Eminescu wouldn’t have become who he became without loving Veronica, and vice versa. Each of them inspired the other at the deepest level of their being. I want to draw more attention to their poetry and talk less about their much debated lives,” said Eugen Doga.

The famous concert hall Schlosstheater was sold out – more than 500 admirers of Eugen Doga’s music and talent gathered there.

The Maestro was accompanied by the Teleradio-Moldova National Symphonic Orchestra from Chisnau, directed by DumitruKyrchumaru, and by soloists Mariana Bulicanu (soprano, soloist  of National Opera and Ballet Theater), Ana Maria Donose (soprano, soloist of National Opera of Romania, Iassi), Dumitru Matsu (tenor), and VitaliAdvakhov (accordion). 

Eugen Doga presented to his admirers the works he had chosen for the concert program:

"Intermezzo" for piano
Romance "I Knew You Only by Name" set to Veronica Micle’s verses
Vocalise "Addio" for soprano and melodica
Waltz "The Black Veil"
Romance "If I Had a Flower"set to verses by Mihai Eminescu
Romance "I Would Like to Hold Your Hand"set to verses by Mihai Eminescu
Waltz "On a Boat"
Romance"I'm Gone"set to poems by VeronikaMicle
Song "Cherish Love" set to verses by GrigoreVieru
"Blue Flower", a meditation on the theme of love set to verses by Mihai Eminescu for soprano and tenor
Waltz "Little Brooks"
Waltz "Parisian Cascade"
Romance "Your Beloved Gaze" set to verses by Mihai Eminescu
Romance "Oh, Stay" to verses by Mihai Eminescu waltz "Gramophone"
Song "In the Mirror of Instants" set to verses by GrigoreVieru
"Eternity" for trumpet, melodica and orchestra
Romance "Secrets of the Night" set to verses by Mihai Eminescu
Romance "I Would Like to Come to You" set to verses by Veronica Micle
Waltz "Fanfaron"among other works

And, of course, the famous waltz from the movie My Sweet and Tender Beast.

The audience applauded, to which the composer responded with humor: "Thank you, but I think this applause is mostly for Eminescu."

It had been Eugen Doga’s life-long dream to perform at this hall, the walls of which remember performances of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn, and Christoph Willibald Gluck, the great composers of the Vienna classical school, whose works have become the apex of world art music.

"It is every person's dream to achieve something great, and I believe this was an event of great significance for me. My dream has always been to visit the places where the classics like Beethoven, Mozart, and Strauss,whose work guided us,lived, and especially the places, like theSchönbrunn Castle, where they performed," said Eugen Doga.

The performers were rewarded with applause, bouquets of flowers, and warm embraces of spectators. And after that there was autograph signing and photo sessions.

Among the concert guests were Minister for Romanian Affairs Abroad Natalia-Elena Interoro; President of the Romanian Institute of Culture Liliana Tsura; Chairman of the Mihai Eminescu Association in Vienna Laura Hunt, Ambassador of Romania Bogdan Mazuru, Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova Victor Osipov, Ambassador Yuliana Gorya-Kostin, Mayor of Vienna Michael Ludwig, and other officials.

The concert was organized by the Vienna Mihai Eminescu Association in partnership with the Romanian Institute of Culture, Ministry of Romanian Affairs Abroad, Embassy of Romania in Austria, Embassy of Moldova in Austria, and Vienna City Hall.