Unexpected Now The Madrigal Choir Presents The Concert
The National Chamber Choir “Madrigal-Marin Constantin,” conducted by Anna Ungureanu, will perform the Extraordinary Show “On the Road of Christmas” on December 19th and 20th at 7:00 PM at Bucharest’s National Theatre. The event will feature special guests Ofelia Popii and Marius Turdeanu, two of Romania’s most well-known actors.
The show proposes a universal parable about the resilience of a family facing the trials of destiny, as well as the miracle of faith and love, based on the significance of Christmas as a new beginning.
The Madrigal Choir, along with guest actors and children from the Cantus Mundi choirs, invites the audience to (re)discover the profound symbolism of Christmas through music, poetry, literature, scenography, theatrical art, stage movement, and light design over the course of nearly 90 minutes. On stage, all elements of the show create an organic connection between drama and hope, classical and modern, and traditional Romanian carols and international carols.
The extraordinary show “On the Road of Christmas” is directed and scripted by Emil Pantelimon, and the scenography is by Vladimir Turturica. Mădălin Guruianu curated the dramatic text selection, which takes the audience through a dynamic emotional sequence ranging from “The Song of Songs” to poems by Eugen Jebeleanu, Lucian Blaga, and Costache Ioanid, as well as texts by Khaled Hosseini, Saint Teresa of Avila, and Paulo Coelho.
The Madrigal Choir’s Christmas events have been one of Romania’s longest-running and most consistent cultural traditions for over a half-century. The Madrigal Choir connects with Romanians every December, heralding the celebration of the Lord’s Nativity on grand stages and in sacred spaces in Bucharest and throughout the country.
The spectacular shows “On the Road of Christmas” are part of the MADRIGAL 60th anniversary celebrations, which will run throughout 2023. The Madrigal Choir has celebrated 60 years of uninterrupted activity, excellence in music, and cultural diplomacy, and has become a symbol of national artistic constancy as well as Romania’s cultural and image relevance in the world.
On the occasion of International Human Solidarity Day, which is observed worldwide on December 20th, children from the Cantus Mundi choirs embark on a caroling journey, pleading with the world for a Christmas truce—a break from hatred, a pause from egos, a halt to wars—just as soldiers in conflict situations have historically sought a respite for peace.
Children from the Cantus Mundi choirs will carol through Bucharest on the 19th and 20th of December, from commercial spaces to newsrooms, from communities supporting the elderly to those supporting children. Every person who stops and listens will amplify their carols and message of peace.
The Christmas Truce is a campaign organized by the children of Cantus Mundi, Romania’s largest national program of social integration through music for children. The National Cantus Mundi Program, founded in 2011 by conductor Ion Marin and now led by the National Chamber Choir “Madrigal-Marin Constantin,” brings together more than 1,800 choirs and over 63,000 children from Romania and the diaspora.
