One writer and seven composers explore together seven powerful human affects
Join us online for a new episode of the music & literature series “7 eMotions”, presented by RCI New York in partnership with ISVOR Cultural Association Bucharest, which delves into the complicated inner lives of artists aiming to reveal how their rich panoply of feelings is turned into timeless works of art. The author and cultural journalist Ioana Bâldea Constantinescu and seven contemporary Romanian composers explore seven powerful human affects that define our psychological life and inspire our creativity: disgust, anger, sadness, surprise, contempt, joy, and fear.
The third episode of the series, an original composition by Cătălin Ștefănescu-Pătrașcu with Sebastian Antoneac on clarinet, deals with the sometimes overwhelming feeling of sadness.
Ioana Bâldea Constantinescu graduated from the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures of the University of Bucharest, with a specialization in English and Spanish, and a master's degree in American Cultural Studies. From 2001 to 2020, she worked as a journalist at the Romanian Broadcasting Society. She is well known for her interviews with Richard Flanagan, Mathias Énard, Andrew Solomon, David Mitchell, Elizabeth Gilbert, Isabel Allende, Evgheni Vodolazkin, David Lodge, Jonathan Safran Foer, Nicole Krauss, Care Santos, Sarah Dunant, Alain de Botton, Guzel Yakhina, Jonah Sachs, John Freeman, Jón Kalman Stefánsson, Jhumpa Lahiri among others. Since 2019, he has been writing the Off Air editorial for Forbes Life. Ioana Bâldea Constantinescu is also a translator and, most of all, appreciated writer. Her first two novels „Dincolo de portocali” / ”Beyond the Organge Trees” (nominated in 2016 for the Observator Cultural magazine awards) and ”Nautilus” were published by Humanitas Publishing House in 2015 and 2017. In 2019 she published at Nemira Publishing House „Poveste pentru Maria” / ”Story for Maria”, volume nominated, in 2020, for the Writers' Association Awards. Ioana also publish short stories and essays in the anthologies “Selfie” (Arthur Publishing House, 2018) and „Dragă Virginia” / “Dear Virginia” (Black Button Books, 2019). In 2020, Ioana launched her own platform, ioanabaldea.com, and the PLAY podcast, a meeting place for lovers of vintage conversation, with a touch of playfulness typical of 21st century creativity.
Cătălin Ștefănescu-Pătrașcu (b. 1971) studied at George Enescu Music Academy in Iasi, Romania (Classical Guitar, 1991-1996) and at National University of Music Bucharest (Composition, 2002-2006). In 2008 he received the title of Doctor in Music, his research being focused on the performance of Baroque and Renaissance music on classical guitar. In 1990 he won the Grand Prize of Sinaia International Guitar Festival, and beginning with 1996 he is an Honorary Member of Romanian Guitar Foundation. He is currently an associate professor of Classical Guitar at the National University of Music Bucharest and a member of Imago Mundi Ensemble, ensemble who propose an original view on Romanian traditional music. As a composer, Cătălin Ștefănescu-Pătrașcu has many works for solo guitar (5 Suites, Tarantella, Ostinato, The Mosquito etc.), chamber music for guitar (Sonata for guitar duo, Tertine si catrene for guitar trio, Sonatine for flute and guitar, music for Imago Mundi Ensemble), 2 guitar concertos and symphonic music (Lamento for orchestra, Serenata for chamber orchestra). He is a member of the Association of Romanian Composers and Musicologists (UCMR).
22 years old Sebastian Antoneac began taking piano lessons at the age of 7 at the Ștefan Luchian Art School in Botoșani, Northern Romania, his hometown. Four years later he started playing the clarinet under the guidance of professor Petru Sîia and Marius Havârneanu. Currently he studies for his Bachelor degree with professor Emil Visenescu at the National University of Music Bucharest. Sebastian Antoneac already won many national and international prizes such as: “Eduard Caudella” International Competition, “ProMusica Academica” Competition and Kronstadt Music Academy prize. He is the beneficiary of bursaries offered by The Rotary Foundation, School of Values - St. Art Scholarships, and The Princess Margaret of Romania Royal Foundation. Sebastian played with important orchestras such as The Symphony Orchestra of Botoșani Philharmonic, The Orchestra of Princess Margaret of Romania Foundation, SDG Youth Orchestra, and The Romanian National Youth Orchestra with which he regularly performs in prestigious venues including The Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Konzerthaus Berlin, Romanian Athenaeum among others.
The artistic team of the project also include: Bogdan Vuluță – music director; Andrei Barbu - sound designer; Florin Ghenade – video director; Irinel Cîrlănaru – photography, editing, color grading; Daniel Ivașcu – graphics; Oana Ivașcu – producer and coordinator.
Project co-funded with the support of AFCN Romania.
Next in the series: surprise, contempt, joy, and fear.
Watch the previous episodes here:
Ep. 1 / Disgust
Ep. 2 / Anger