On the anniversary of two decades of activity dedicated to the promotion of culture and national values among children, Romfilatelia introduces into circulation the postage stamp issue, 20 years – The Comic Opera for Children.
The postage stamp of the issue, with a face value of Lei 8, illustrates the specific frame for the shows dedicated to the small ones, alongside with the institution logo.
The stamp of the perforated souvenir sheet, with the face value of Lei 16, reproduces the poster of the Joc si rock (Play and Rock) show, adaptation after the Crai nou (New Moon) operetta by Ciprian Porumbescu (1853-1883).
With more than 600 performances played in each season, the Comic Opera for Children became the most important cultural center dedicated exclusively to children, offering to the public a wide range of educational activities: Little Artist Workshops (41 weekly workshops), Tours behind the Curtain, Games/Creativity Room, COC Escape Room, Exhibitions, COC Adventure Park, festivals and contests, Play store, Volunteer Center, Social Campaigns dedicated to children, Underwater Zoo COC. Annually, the three auditoriums – Great Hall, Mozart Salon and UnderGrant Hall – host over 110,000 spectators.
The Centenary of the Great Union of Romania is also the year in which the Comic Opera for Children reaches two decades of activity. In order to mark the anniversary event and the 100 years of national unitary state, the cultural institution produces five Romanian reference titles in the field of performing arts, made by Romanian creators: the operetta Joc si rock, adaptation after Crai nou, by Ciprian Porumbescu, lyrics by Vasile Alecsandri, the musical Gulliver, music by Marius Teicu and the libretto by Silvia Kerim, the opera Motanul incaltat (Puss in Boots), music by Cornel Trailescu and the libretto by Tudor Musatescu and Nina Stoiceva, as well as the ballet performances Snow White and the Seven Dwarves by Cornel Trailescu and The Prince and the Pauper by Laurentiu Profeta.
The Comic Opera for Children succeeds in combining the highest quality cultural representation with the national values, so much necessary in childrenʼs lives.
Crai nou, the opera which formed the basis of the Joc si rock show, represents the swan song of a talented composer that could become an author of extremely valuable lasting works – Ciprian Porumbescu, one of the most famous and appreciated Romanian composers. Born in Sipotele commune, near Suceava, Ciprian Porumbescu began his musical training in the family, under the guidance of his father, who was a priest. He later attended the theological seminary in Cernauti, where he deepened his studies with Isidor Vorobchievici, the author of the first
Harmony Handbook in Romanian language.
In the autumn of 1879, Ciprian Porumbescu left for Vienna, where he began to profoundly study composition. He created many student, patriotic and folk songs that he grouped in collections. He settled in Brasov in 1881, as a music teacher and conductor of the Saint Nicholas Church choir in Schei. In Brasov, the composer created, in 1881, the famous Serenada and Lasati-ma sa cant (Let me sing) romance. Previously, in addition to voice tracks, he had performed many small instrumental works.
During his short stay in Brasov, until the autumn of 1882, Ciprian Porumbescu composed his most important work, the Crai nou operetta, on the text of Vasile Alecsandri, who had published the play in 1852. Crai nou operetta had the premiere on February 27th, 1882, in Brasov, with a troupe of amateurs, and in 1889, in Oravita, with a troupe of amateurs as well. Subsequently, it was promoted to the Romanian lyrical theaters.
Later, this moment was considered by musicologists the birth of the national operetta. Even though it was not the first operetta composed and staged in a Romanian territory, due to its folklore influences, Crai nou is the first form of national operetta.
On the occasion of the Centenary of the Great Union, the Comic Opera for Children set up this operetta for the first time in Bucharest, under the name of Joc si rock, directed by Maestro Cristian Mihailescu, the premiere being on February 2nd, 2018.
“This is the way in which we present ourselves after 20 years, and this full dress that is viewed by more than 10,000 spectators every month was tailored with hard work, dedication and much love for you! We grow every day with every show! We have a trustworthy audience, we have beauty admirers, and every day we have the hope that what we are building here and now will survive and will have echo over time.”
Felicia Filip
Manager of Comic Opera for Children
