Cultural Days of the European Central Bank 2009: Romania

Romania is the 6th country represented in the Cultural Days of the European Central Bank (ECB), which open in Frankfurt on Wednesday, 21 October 2009, and will last until Monday, 9 November 2009. On the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Iron Curtain in Europe, the ECB, in cooperation with Banca Naţionalâ a României, is delighted to be contributing to a deeper understanding of the culture of a member state which joined recently the European Union family.

Some highlights of the programme include:

Grand opening concert: The National Radio Orchestra of Romania, conducted by Cristian Mandeal, will play works by George Enescu and Ludwig van Beethoven. Enescu’s complete works are a representation of a country whose culture is influenced by popular artistic traditions and avant-garde forms.

Reading by Mircea Cărtărescu: One of the most important contemporary writers of Romania will be reading from “Die Wissenden”, the first part of his 1,500-page trilogy. The event will be introduced by Gerhardt Csejka, the German translator of the work.

Brâncuşi exhibition: 30 original photographs of works by Constantin Brâncuşi, one of Europe’s most influential 20th Century sculptors, will be exhibited at the Museum der Weltkulturen, accompanied by two lectures on this photographic collection.

Grand closing event “Don Quixote – Made in Romania”: This timeless story has been reinterpreted by Dan Puric. The renowned director, author and actor combines many genres with the aim of transcending national frontiers, language barriers and ideological differences without having to forego cultural characteristics.

The above events represent only a sample of the three-week programme of the Cultural Days of the European Central Bank 2009, which also includes films, fairy tales, a jazz concert and dance performances. More information about the events can be obtained by sending an e-mail to cultural-days@ecb.europa.eu or by calling the Cultural Days hotline on +49 69 1344 5555 (Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.). The complete programme is available on the ECB’s website at: www.ecb.europa.eu/culturaldays.