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 fifth episode of the series, an original composition by Sebastian Androne Nakanishi with Andreea Țimiraș on cello, deals with the feeling of contempt.
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.
At the age of 33, Sebastian Androne-Nakanishi has managed to write more than 100 musical works and has won more than 25 prizes in national and international music composition competitions, including the "George Enescu" and the "Zürich Film Festival" competitions. His music has been performed by renowned ensembles and orchestras such as "Musicatreize", "Diotima Quartet", "BBC Singers", "Shanghai Philharmonic", "Tonhalle Orchestra" and "Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra". In 2022 he was awarded the title of "Composer of the Year" by the International Classical Music Awards. Despite these achievements - and even because of them - Sebastian continues to build and polish himself professionally, which is why, after earning his Doctorate in Music in Romania, he decided to specialize in film, theatre and media music composition in Zürich, Switzerland. Each stage in his life has represented a greater or lesser departure from a comfort zone. They were marked by moving from one city to another to study music. So from his hometown of Azuga, he moved to Brasov to study clarinet at the "Tudor Ciortea" Music High School. His contact with the orchestra is impactful and from the moment his family could afford to buy him a computer, he started to compose incessantly in the software he learnt in one of his classes. At the end of high school, his compositional portfolio already included a symphony in three parts, an overture, a symphonic poem and a ballet for large orchestra, a work with which he also presented himself for admission to the National University of Music Bucharest.
With a Doctorate in Baroque Music, Andreea Țimiraș graduated the National University of Music Bucharest, and improved her artistry skills attending numerous Master Courses with David Geringas (cello) and the Abegg Trio (chamber music). Born into a family with musical tradition she began studying cello under the guidance of her father, first cellist of the Sicilian Symphony Orchestra in Palermo (Italy). Member of Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana 2001-2013, Romanian National Radio Orchestra 2013-2017, George Enescu Philharmonic 2017-2020 and National Bucharest Opera since 2022, also performs solo and chamber music both at home and abroad, and approaches different musical genres like early music with the BAROCkers ensemble, contemporary repertoire for which received several special awards, Argentinian tango with Innovative String Quintet, or traditional Romanian repertoire together with the successful world music fusion group Imago Mundi. In October 2013, Andreea Ţimiraş became scientific researcher of the Early Music Centre – National University of Music Bucharest and in 2019 chamber music Adjunct Professor at National University of Music Bucharest and Head of Ensembles and Accompaniment Department - Dinu Lipatti National College of Arts – Bucharest.
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.
Photos - Florin Ghenade / ConnectArts
Next in the series: joy and fear.
Watch the previous episodes here:
Ep. 1 / Disgust
Ep. 2 / Anger
Ep. 3 / Sadness
Ep. 4 / Surprise