National Chamber Choir of Republic of Moldova: history files

Abstract

The National Chamber Choir (artistic director and main conductor Ilona Stepan) takes an important place in the contemporary musical heritage of the Republic of Moldova. The present article is dedicated to the history and evolution of the National Chamber Choir during the first stage of its development. This unique artistic group appeared in 2002 as the first private musical group in the Republic of Moldova thanks to the initiative and sponsorship of the Union Fenosa Cultural Foundation. Some important aspects of the National Chamber Choir’s evolution are studied. Among them: crystallization of the individual style as a chamber choir; recognition on the international level related to the participation at the prestigious European choir competitions; the identification of the major stylistic directions of the choir’s repertoire; the establishment of the genre palette of its repertoire: from choral miniature to large-scaled vocal-symphonic works like passion, requiem, oratorio, cantata. The choir’s programs are presented in various artistic staffs: a cappella, with piano, organ, orchestra, soloists, etc. The Choir repertoire tends to extend the limits of music of academic tradition, applying to the phenomenon of non-academic music culture: habanera, carrols, spirituals, tango, jazz, etc. Thanks to the National Chamber Choir history, a special inclination towards the Spanish repertoire, and, in a broader sense, the theme of Hispanicity, is identified, representing a unique feature of this choral group.

Keywords

• the national chamber choir
• ilona stepan
• professional choral art
• union fenosa cultural foundation
• hispanicity
• javier busto
• matías antón mena
• a tu lado
• xavier montsalvatge i bassols
• conto negro