Hollywood in Vienna will celebrate its 13^th edition at the Konzerthaus in Vienna this October, honouring Alan Menken with their prestigious Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award.

This year’s edition, titled ‘A Celebration of Disney Classics’, will highlight Menken’s legendary career and the unmistakable musical voice that generations of Disney fans around the globe now associate with this fantasy world.

8-times Oscar and 11-times Grammy winner, Menken wrote the music to some of the most beloved Disney classics, such as ‘The Little Mermaid’, ‘Beauty and the Beast’, ‘Aladdin’, ‘Pocahontas’, ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’, and many more.

ALAN MENKEN

Of receiving the award, the composer commented: ‘I am truly honoured to be receiving the prestigious Max Steiner Award this year. I feel humbled to have my name and work associated with the brilliant and legendary Max Steiner himself. The way his creative life moved from theatre to film to the concert stage, even as his personal life moved him from Austria to England, and from Broadway to Hollywood, is an inspiration for all of us who follow in his footsteps nearly 50 years after his passing. And to receive this award in Vienna, the classical music capital of the world, promises to make this one of the highlights of my life and career.’

Sandra Tomek, CEO and founder of Hollywood In Vienna, added: ‘Alan Menken has received 20 Oscar nominations and has won more Academy Awards than any living artist. [He] wrote the melodies we listened to growing up from ‘The Little Mermaid’ to ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘Aladdin.’ And now our children listen to those melodies once again through Disney’s live-action adaptations of those films. Alan wrote melodies that are known around the globe and are beloved by generations. This is an extraordinary accomplishment that needs to be honored with this award.’

HOLLYWOOD IN VIENNA 2019 © CHRIS MOYLAN

The previous honourees of the Max Steiner award are Gabriel Yared, Hans Zimmer Danny Elfman, Alexandre Desplat, James Newton Howard, Randy Newman, James Horner, Lalo Schifrin, Alan Silvestri, Howard Shore, and John Barry.

The official dates for the glamorous concerts and gala are 2 and 3 October, 2020.

For more information on this year’s program as well as the past editions, head over to the Hollywood in Vienna’s official website.

Chișinău marked this year’s Valentine’s Day with a symphonic celebration of love at the ‘Nicolae Sulac’ National Palace in the heart of the capital.

Befittingly named ‘SymphoLOVE‘, the concert had a cinematic flavour, weaving the story of love through music, opera, ballet, and modern dance. The program featured music composed by Eastern European composers for classic Russian, Yugoslav and French films, as well as traditional folk songs, classical music, and modern compositions.

The masterful conductor Dumitru Cârciumaru took the helm and steered this symphonic ship through a tempestuous sea of enthusiastic music lovers, making sure it would reach its final destination three hours later that evening.

PAULA SELING SINGING EUGEN DOGA’S ‘WALTZ’

The concert kicked off with Eugen Doga’s famous ‘Waltz’ from Emil Loteanu’s 1978 movie ‘A Hunting Accident’ (Original: ‘Мой ласковый и нежный зверь’; also known as ‘My Sweet and Tender Beast’). The beloved Romanian singer Paula Seling sang the lyrics to this beautiful oeuvre, leaving the audience in tears.

President Ronald Reagan famously called it ‘the waltz of the century’ and in 2014, the waltz was chosen by UNESCO as the fourth musical masterpiece of the 20th century.

The rich program included quite a few of Eugen Doga’s works, including ‘Codrii Mei Frumoși’ (‘My Beautiful Forests’), ‘Sârba’, ‘Cascada de Paris’ (‘Paris Cascade’), ‘Pârâiașul’ (‘The Rill’), ‘Orașul Meu’ (‘My City’, Chișinãu’s official hymn), ‘Intermezzo’, and ‘Luceãfarul, from the ballet of the same name.

‘Adagio’, from the 1983 drama ‘Anna Pavlova’, was another cinematic composition born out of Doga’s long and fruitful collaboration with Emil Loteanu, which we had the chance to listen to on the night. As always, the composer himself performed his beautiful melodies on the piano.

With over 200 film scores and numerous symphonies, choral works, ballets, quartets, and plays under his belt, Mr Doga is one of the former Soviet Union’s most prolific composers.

MAESTRO EUGEN DOGA

Another beloved movie theme performed during the concert was ‘A Conversation with Happiness’ (Original: ‘Разговор со счастьем’) from ‘Ivan Vasilievich: Back to the Future’ (Original: ‘Иван Васильевич меняет профессию’), sung by the popular crossover quartet Brio Sonores.

BRIO SONORES

Brio Sonores were recently (2019) taken under the wing of the powerhouse Russian composer and producer, Igor Krutoy, further securing the quartet’s fast ascent to stardom.

The National Philharmonic Orchestra‘s superb performance was equally matched by the singers’ breathtakingly beautiful and powerful voices, as well as the guest instrumentalists’ jaw-dropping playing prowess.

One such instrumentalist was nai (pan flute) player Adriana Babin, who performed a few pieces including Vladimir Cosma’s beautiful composition ‘Sârba’ – the main theme of the 1972 French film ‘Le Grand Blond avec une Chaussure Noire’.

ADRIANA BABIN

‘Ederlezi’ by Goran Bregović from Emir Kusturica’s 1988 film ‘Time of the Gypsies’ (Original: ‘Dom za vesanje’) was yet another cinematic surprise of the evening, beautifully brought to life by Cornelia Ștefăneț.

CORNELIA ȘTEFĂNEȚ

Other artists who performed on the night were soprano Mariana Bulicanu, Moldovan singers Natalia Barbu and Anișoara Bragari Moroșanu (who is Eugen Doga’s newest discovery), violinist Marcel Ștefăneț, accordionist Vitalie Advahov, ballet dancers Cristina and Alexei Terentiev, and dancers from the ‘Teodor Dance Studio’.

MARIANA BULICANU PERFORMING ‘LIE CIOCÂRLIE’

Full Program

PART I

‘Waltz’ – Eugen Doga and Paula Seling

‘Silvia’ by Anatol Chiriac – Adriana Babin

‘Por Una Cabeza’ by Carlos Gardel – Marcel Ștefăneț & Vitalie Advahov

Codrii Mei Frumoși by Eugen Doga – Brio Sonores

Sârba by Eugen Doga – Vitalie Advahov & Adriana Babin

Sârba by Vladimir Cosma – Adriana Babin

Flori De Liliac by Anatol Dumitras – Natalia Barbu

Cascada De Paris, Pârâiașul by Eugen Doga – Vitalie Advahov

Orașul Meu by Eugen Doga – Mariana Bulicanu & Brio Sonores

De-ar Fi Să Vii by Alexandru Willmany – Cornelia Ștefăneț

Vivo Per Lei by Andrea Bocelli – Brio Sonores & Paula Seling

Adagio from The Nutcracker – Cristina & Alexei Terentiev (dance)

Adagio by Eugen Doga – Mariana Bulicanu & Brio Sonores

 

PART II

Intermezzo by Eugen Doga

Dance of the Knights by Sergei Prokofiev – National Philarmonic Orchestra

Luceafărul by Eugen Doga

Timpul by Paula Seling

Fight – Natalia Barbu

Ederlezi by Goran Bregović – Cornelia Ștefăneț

Medley (Săracă Inima Me, Nane Țoha, Mărul) – Anișoara Bragari Moroșanu

Razgovor So Schastem by Valeri Zolotukhin – Brio Sonores

Hijo de la Luna by Mecano – Mariana Bulicanu

Caruso by Lucio Dalla – Paula Seling & Brio Sonores

Să Cantam, Chitara Mea by Dan Spataru – Brio Sonores

Of Inimioară by Edmond Deda – Natalia Barbu

Lie Ciocârlie by Maria Lătărețu – Mariana Bulicanu

Tico Tico by Paco de Lucia – National Philarmonic Orchestra

Codrii Mei Frumoși by Eugen Doga (repeat)