Turcan: Respect and Fair Compensation for Cultural Beginners

The Minister of Culture, Raluca Turcan, advocates for encouraging young people to "consume" culture and for stimulating those who want to pursue a career in this field. On the National Culture Day, Raluca Turcan emphasized the need to encourage young people to engage with culture: "Young people are a source of creativity, and I strongly believe that our duty is to facilitate their access to culture and cultural heritage so that they can ask questions, feed their curiosity, and contribute, through their ideas, to future cultural projects. (...) The desire of young people to participate in cultural events is real and admirable, and the Ministry of Culture and cultural institutions must respond to this desire. (...) We must show respect for beginners in the cultural field, and this can be done through fair compensation." Present at the National Opera in Bucharest, where the institution's 70th anniversary was celebrated, and the premiere of "Oedipus" took place, Raluca Turcan stated: "It was a joy to celebrate National Culture Day at the National Opera in Bucharest with the performance of Oedipus, especially since this special day coincides with the 70th anniversary of the inauguration of this elite institution. I remember that one of the questions I received immediately after taking office as minister was "Why don't we have Oedipus at the George Enescu Festival?' It was a question that challenged us, and today we receive the answer. If we got involved and united our forces, today we have "Oedipus' on the stage of the National Opera in Bucharest, which will remain a benchmark of artistic excellence for many years to come. The valuable artists of the National Opera, appreciated by the public, have managed to maintain an impressive rhythm of cultural events of the highest quality. I hope that the same cadence will be maintained in 2024. From my point of view, the National Opera in Bucharest is an elite institution, a institution in which investments, development, and the dynamics of the cultural landscape are in perfect synergy, and this is evident in the variety of projects carried out for the public, exceptional partnerships, and the values pursued in its activity. As Minister of Culture, I am very pleased that I can contribute to such cultural projects and unique performances and support excellence in all its forms. Respect for the entire society starts with the responsibility of preserving great values and encouraging young talents. The evolution of culture ultimately defines the history of a people. Cultural heritage expands the possibilities of education and lifelong learning, allowing us to have a better understanding of the world and our European identity."

Tiberiu Soare, the conductor of the premiere of "Oedipus," a production by Stefano Poda at the National Opera in Bucharest, stated that he, along with musicians, artists, and dancers, tried to "faithfully reproduce what he found in the score" and that "no one should be scared of it." The maestro added that he doesn't need "musicologists in sheep's clothing in the audience" but "people interested in what Enescu wrote." The world premiere of the opera "Oedipus" took place in 1936 at the Paris Opera Garnier. At its first performance in 1936 in Paris, Oedipus was considered a turning point in the history of opera. "Oedipus" by George Enescu is a monumental lyrical tragedy in 4 acts. The opera's libretto is written in French by Edmond Fleg. Oedipus was composed by Enescu between 1921-1931, dedicated to his wife, Maria Rosetti-Tescanu. The opera was inspired, in particular, by the tragedy "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles.