sâmbătă, 30 octombrie 2021

Eugen Doga, the Romanian who composed two of the most beautiful waltzes of all time: „I don't like music. If I liked it, I wouldn't create anymore”

The composer Eugen Doga admits his „naughty audacity” for not liking the music composed by others, but he believes that this is what helped him create unique soundtracks and waltzes in the world. He has worked on 200 films, including „Satra” and „Hunting Drama”, and two of his plays have been included in the top 200 of the best classic works of all time. 



Eugen Doga (83 years old) remembers that in his childhood he lived in a village in Transnistria crushed by the Second World War, the inventions through which he tried to make up for the shortcomings and the moment when it entered his head to study music. He speaks with gratitude about the collaborations with Romanians that changed his life and with bitterness about the fact that he made only one film in Romania. PHOTO GALLERY He does not shy away from saying that he was naive about his short political career as a People's Deputy in the USSR (1989-1991). He was recently offered to return to politics, but he refused: his career as a composer is for life, not just for a term. He composed the soundtrack for about 200 films, including „Shadow” and  „Hunting Drama”. Two of his waltzes have been included in the top 200 of the best classical works of all time. One of his plays was performed at the opening ceremony of two Olympics. He has a perfect career and is appreciated all over the world, but the composer Eugen Doga, at the age of 83, has a great regret: that he did not compose more music for Romanian films.


„Adevărul Weekend: Mr. Doga, are you a true Bessarabian?

Eugen Doga: No! I am from Transnistria, but my roots are from Transylvania and at the foot of the Danube. The Moldovans from Transnistria appeared there expelled over time by the wars that always took place in the Transylvania area. According to my father, I am from Transylvania. My ancestors settled there, somewhere in the 18th century. According to my mother, they are at the foot of the Danube. Some Ion, shepherd of huge flocks of sheep, went in search of pastures on the banks of the Dniester and found the right place to settle - a place with a beautiful waterfall for watering sheep. There he built a house and from there he started this beautiful town called Saharna. So you spent your childhood in a village in Transnistria during World War II. What memories do you have from then? It is not fair to say that childhood was hard. I now describe my childhood was bad then I lived a happy childhood, I made jokes, we played, we made problems for my mother and grandmother. I did not know the hardships of life during that difficult time at all, because I did not know another life and I enjoyed that life. We, adults, think a lot about reproaches, but we have to enjoy what we have and then, as a child, we enjoyed what we had. We were a generation of war, and of course, we were at war. They were ours and the Germans.


RIFLE AND RADIO

- What did you dream of when you were little? My ultimate dream back then was to have a rifle, and I, as naughty as I was, made myself a rifle that exploded terribly. I was putting phosphorus from matches and I even had a projectile made of a molten bullet. As it was wet autumn, the rifle was no longer working, so I put it in the kitchen by my grandmother's stove so she wouldn't notice it. One day, I see the boys playing in that ravine next to their parent's house and I say, „Now I'm coming and I'll show you my rifle.” While he was in the kitchen, I thought that dust had dried up, so when I said, „Hands up!” and I pulled the trigger, the rifle snapped extraordinarily. The boys seemed to be blown away in fear by the wind. I don't know how it happened that the bullet was pointed at me. Luckily, the board resisted and didn't let him go, that he could reach me and I wouldn't be able to give this interview today (he says laughing). I was very scared too and threw the rifle into the ravine.

- What did you replace the rifle with?

I made all kinds of inventions like this as a child. I was looking for the things I was missing. I really wanted a turntable - maybe that's where my inspiration for „Gramophone” came from (n.r. - one of the most popular waltzes of the 20th century) - and because I didn't have record money, I ended up stealing it. Well, woe to the head of that turntable. That's how it was then, I remember how much I liked apples from our neighbour. I would watch him when he left home, jump over the fence and quickly, greedily fill the breasts of his shirts with these tasty white apples. What's more, it was a beautiful childhood. Then my dream was to have a radio. Because I was in fifth grade and knew a little about the magnetic field and coils, I built a radio that sounded better than the ones I had to buy. Then he rushed me to change his design. This was a turning point in my life.

- What happened? 

I rewound the device, the magnetic field changed because it ended up receiving only one station: Chisinau only. Whether I wanted to or not, I only listened to Radio Chisinau and heard that the Music HighSchool in the Capital announces the awarding of the graduates. That's how it occurred to me to get to Music High School and I found myself in the world of music, thanks to this invention. Sounds silly, but I think that's supposed to happen. Destiny. Where do you get rid of him? 

- How were your school years? 

I lived in dormitories all the time, and as long as I worked at Mosfilm (one of the largest film studios in Russia) for 14 years, I lived in hotel rooms. I worked on big movies in a hotel room. So I am not pretentious, I do not want luxury, I even feel better in more modest, more restricted, more compact and more practical conditions. 

"I COMPOSED SOMETIMES MORE RUSSIAN THAN THE RUSSIANS" 

- You worked on the soundtrack of over 200 movies. 

What music do you listen to and what movies do you watch? It was a time when I watched a lot of wonderful movies, especially in the 50's and 80's. I don't like today's movies. In fact, I don't like music either, which is no longer romantic, it doesn't restore the mood of the heroes, it lacks melody and even musical logic. You can often hear sound combinations that have nothing to do with music, with art as such. If I liked it, I would write this nonsense too. I don't like anything because I would do them differently. I do what is missing in my opinion. Can I do better than the classics? Not! That's why I don't try to imitate, I try to look for what is missing in my opinion in the world of music, in my feelings. I am very sorry that I was not invited to the studios in Romania. 

- Why? 

Because I would have made the soundtracks of some films differently, using my solid experience from other parts, maybe even closer to the Romanian style, as I understand it. Some composers strive to „flee” from his self, from those received from his parents, and from the heirs of this ancestral land. To the Russians I sometimes composed more Russian than the Russians, because I do not start, simply, only from intuition. I try to master intuition and direct it the way I want, not the way it wants. You don't have to give in to the whims of music. With music and creation you have to be respectful, they give in if you are kind. Intuition is what drives you, like the fuel that starts the car, you are only a driver. 

ALL THE MUSIC, IN ONE SPLASH 

- How come you had few collaborations with Romanian film producers? 

„Maria Mirabela” was the only film I made in Romania, and it was half in collaboration with the Russians. I am sorry that I was not invited to work here and I do not want to diminish the contribution of Romanian composers, but I think that as I did almost 200 films at Mosfilm (one of the largest film studios in the Soviet Union / Russia- no), we can also do it in Buftea, otherwise, of course, because this area is my own. I've only made one movie so far. No notes were published in Romania and very few in Chisinau. Almost all of my compositions have been published in Russia. Why? Why not with us? Sorry. I am very pleased that I was born, as I said, in a God-given condition. I don't want anyone. The ballet „Luceafărul” (ballet after the poem of the same name by Mihai Eminescu), is not such a creation in the Romanian space, went to the Bolshoi Theater, was staged in the Kremlin Hall, was in Minsk, in Kyiv, received the State Prize of the Soviet Union, and it is not about North Korea or Moldova, as I call the Republic of Moldova, but it never reached Romania. In the immensity of the Soviet Union, he was appreciated with the State Prize, but in Bucharest, this ballet is not even known. At least he would have invited the Chisinau theater to present this show to the Bucharest or Iasi audience. Too bad, too bad. As the years passed, that potential I had in my youth decreased. I worked miracles overnight. In two and a half months I wrote the ballet „The Morning Star” so fast that the copiers were upset that they couldn't copy the notes. - It was also written that in ten minutes you would have composed the well-known waltz „My tender and the tender beast”... It's not really like that. In a few moments and a half night. If there was this technology to put the music of the ballet „Luceafărul” on notes in an instant, I would have done it, because I could feel it all. There was all the music here, but this process of writing these millions of fleas that you have to arrange on your laptop takes time. The idea starts from this sparkle, if you think about it again, which you have to decipher.

- What does sparkle mean? 

As there is a chip in every mobile, there is a chip everywhere that you have to decipher. One can decipher it, but another is not, and that's how he goes into another world with this undeciphered chip that he didn't even suspect he had. After a lot of flashes in my mind, I let go of the feeling and the task that the director put on me. But also the time I didn't have, my hand was still like the cart's whip. Some notes I sang to Emil Loteanu were those from which the waltz scene was formed. I didn't have time to analyze what I did. Only in the evening in the studio did I hear this work at the end with clapping at the desks by the musicians as a sign of applause. Of course, the lessons I received at the Conservatory from my very well-trained teachers were very helpful. What 10 minutes can it be about? What was I holding with the second meter in my hand? I went into the alert zone. You can't give up there anymore. Giving up is usually a bad thing. And it's not just the case with the Waltz. All moments of creation are battle scenes, self-numb struggle several times, but every time you try to keep the drum major up, upright.

„Gopo gave me a task: «You have to write brilliant music»

- How were the collaboration with the poet Grigore Vieru and the director Ion Popescu-Gopo for the film Maria Mirabela

I lived unforgettable moments. Collaborating with these two geniuses has been a source of inspiration for me. There was excellent communication. Gopo gave me a task: „You have to write great music.” And I replied: „Leave me alone, darling, because the brilliant music was written by the classics and we have nothing left to do. We have only one thing left: to make even more beautiful music. „The collaboration with these two geniuses, Vieru and Gopo, was a source of inspiration for me. Plus there were others, like Emil Loteanu. This bundle, from this suite of friends, was very important for my creation. I add here that they are my creative friends, not friends going to the bodega, for a bottle of beer or brandy. Many people even ask me „how were they”. Even my wife asked me, „What is his family like?” I answer, „I know absolutely nothing because I know everything.” I've never been interested in such things. This is my character, I don't go where my pot doesn't boil. Gopo was not very picky. We did not "brutalize” this collaboration with him, we were happy to work together. Vieru and Gopo were two geniuses. Unfortunately, none of them was valued at fair value when they were alive. I was with Vieru when I crossed the Prut for the first time in Bucharest, in 1979. Then I felt another breath that I never explored, because I was writing in another space, I was writing Soviet music. I composed many works in another cultural space, where I ordered my music starting from the Russian-inspired source that is implanted in me, it is not organic, it is not natural, it is not genetic. But I tried to find my note in this world of music. That one worked, did many beautiful things. But the Romanian source, which is given from God, so in vain, smells like this and waits. I also don't know how long he will be here because I don't have the same capacity as at 16 and I regret it, because instead of joining forces... What's the problem, that I'm from Bessarabia? I have not heard such reproaches, but I imagine: „What do these Bessarabian predators want?” But I don't think this alienation came from real Romanians. The ideology of those times was aimed at dividing the nation, at alienating it. And they found food among the natives. But Eminescu, was he born in Bucharest? But George Enescu, what was in Wallachia? Ion Creanga? Goga? Almost all the great artists, but also the politicians, also from there, come from Moldova.

- What would be the explanation? 

Only because we were always in cramped conditions were we spiritually oppressed and poor. We did not have ores, we did not have deposits, we did not have what Wallachia has, Transylvania. In Moldova, there was great poverty and that is why God, who is the most caring, looked at what he gave to these people who have nothing, he gave them this resistance. By what? Through the ability to think that helped him resist all these oppressions, the ability to expose these thoughts. And now all sorts of things are being said about Eminescu and Veronica Micle. I am happy to see that "Dialogues of Love" (a work of arias and romances inspired by the love of two poetic worlds, between Mihai Eminescu and Veronica Micle-nr) is sung in many places in Romania, even if you can not always easily note find in bookstores. In Veronica Micle's verses so much love, so much devotion, so much jealousy, so much hatred, which is all love, which could fill all the dry books of the poets of that time. In every word, in every sentence, living, feeling, commotion and reconciliation. But also music. It was said that he was of light morals, that he led a life not as they understand it. I would recommend to these "moralists" to gather all the women of this type who would rise to the level of at least one verse of Veronica Micle... A genius who was Eminescu could not love a fool. It is not in vain that they say, "Tell me who your friends are and I will know who you are."


„IN THE FILM «ŞATRA», I WAS A GYPSY

- How did you get into the state of composing the soundtrack from Şatra?


The problem is specific to an artist. What does it mean to be an artist? It means you have the ability, the grace to transform. The artist can go from playing Shakespeare's Desdemona to Caragiale's Chiriţa. If he doesn't know how to transform, he's not an artist. During the collaboration with Loteanu at „Şatra”, I was a gipsy. Of course, at first, I listened to all his quarrels, reproaches and even quarrels, but I was reconciled to this thing. My goal was to take his idea, to take on the life of a gipsy, which was foreign to me. I tried to master the way of the gipsies to think, to sing, to dance. 

- It was hard? 

No, I easily assimilated the characteristics of gipsy life. Plus, they received me, and Loteanu, as their peers, they received us in their homes. I have remained friends with those gipsies to this day. Of course, in the rest of the movies, such as „Hunting Drama”, I became a cohabitant of that era, I studied that era, I looked for vintage music, but none of them matched.


- How so? 

They seemed primitive to me. I have this naughty audacity not to like what others have done and it's very good. After all, what does creation mean? Creation appears when you do not like anything that has been done before you. Otherwise, you stop and say, „What should I do? Tchaikovsky, Verdi did everything.” They did their job in their time, other times require other sources, other generations, other feelings. I have a special focus on feeling. Just last year, an editor reproached me that something didn't sound very Romanian. I do not claim to know Romanian well, but on the feeling side, leave me alone! I can assume this audacity that I have this Romanian feeling much more sensitive than others who know those books written by others. 

- Did you feel how the characters in the movie feel?

 Yes, I felt like a gipsy, then I turned into Chekhov, Tchaikovsky. This is the artist, but again, if he once turned into Tchaikovsky, that's it, the second time it doesn't work. It only works once. This artistic transformation is for single-use, like a mask to be thrown away. I do this intuitively of course, but studies are also essential, which help me to manage this intuition, to direct it not only as She wants, but also to put it in certain arrangements, rules if you want. All life is a school. You have to be an apprentice all your life. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to understand this. 


„WHEN I SEE THE BLANK PAPER IN FRONT OF ME, I FEEL LIKE MAGELLAN OR COLUMB 

„Adevarul de Weekend: You once said that in the world of beauty you have to get involved like on the battlefield. How are the periods when you sit at your desk? 

Eugen Doga: The Creator is a brave man. When I see the blank paper in front of me, I feel like Columbus or Magellan, who set out in search of the Indians and found themselves in America. It is the same state of search and perplexity. An „I don't know what” and an „I don't know how”. A state that helped them reach their destination. Many started but did not arrive. And in the case of the creator, it's the same - a single combination of two sounds can inspire you, move you, warm you up. It often happens that in a very bad poem there is a word somewhere that gives you a state in which you are no longer interested in anything. I'm used to being in this state. So you forget about these Americas and the Indians that you have to find, you have other shores, you are already in another world. You no longer need the world you were looking for in the beginning, you created your own world and you travel in this beautiful world. It's a story. When I was writing the ballet „Luceafărul”, Cătălina and Cătălin were no longer there, I was there implanting in them. This is the phenomenon. It's actually a secret. You have to go through this state of fear, of insecurity, because you have to be the commander of this enemy that is creation. You have to conquer it. Creation is a feminine trick. Do you give up? It is said that creative work involves a certain relationship between inspiration and perspiration (ie hard work, discipline and study). How are you? I don't know what inspiration means. I write and meditate on things I don't know, I can't define. For example, the volcano is the result of the energy that gathers in the depths of the Earth and when it has no place to gather, it erupts. The same thing happens with inspiration. It is the same law, according to which the whole universe lives and develops. It gathers, gathers and at some point bursts. We can also call it inspiration. But we leave this to the theorists. They know both percentages and perspiration. If your creation is tormenting you, stop doing it. Creation is great happiness, a great joy.


THE JOY OF LIVING ALL SEASONS AT HOME

- You said in an interview that you don't like what music the film industry demands now.

That's why I don't even write. I'm waiting for the romantic movie. There are two projects I'm waiting for, but the pandemic has stopped them. One in Moscow, and another, as strange as it sounds, in Bucharest. There are topics that I like. I'm waiting for this misfortune to pass. In both, the theme is love, as Veronica Micle put it, "this uncomforted love.” „Speaking of the pandemic, how did all its restrictive apples affect you?” I'm not too upset about her, because it's the first time I've seen all the seasons at home in Chisinau. After all, I've always been abroad. Besides, I wrote things I would never have written. I wrote a 56-piece piano songbook entitled "Summer Notebooks." I wrote two children's books, which immediately disappeared from bookstores. I attended shows staged in schools based on them. I generally like to play with life. Life, however, is a pleasant adventure, you just have to look at it that way. I don't like serious people, but I don't like people who are not serious.


„I DON'T KNOW WHAT LOVE IS

- But what people do you like?

I like frivolous people who do serious things. I don't expect anything good from people who are like this, very serious, tense. Analyzing the lives of famous people, I noticed that most of them were funny, but what legacy did they leave... Branch, for example, walked around the bodegas. The ordinary man could say: "Here is this drunkard”, but what legacy he left... About Veronica Micle it was said: "Here is this easy-going woman, she caught Eminescu”. Wrong, she did not cling to him as a natural person, she clung to this spirit that Eminescu had because this spirit was also soaked in it. There is talk of dialogues between Eminescu and Veronica Micle as dialogues between two individuals. It is not so, we are talking about love dialogues between two spiritual, poetic worlds, which were created by Eminescu and Veronica Micle. Here was the dialogue of love. It was not until 1993 that a small, very small booklet with a few dozen poems by Veronica Micle was published. Since 1914, I think, nothing has been published, because they did not take her seriously as a poet. All the adventures, but also the gossip was swallowed by time. Her books remained a sure and authentic confession that represents her as a great Romanian spirit, a poet of great spiritual breath and human feelings. This is a truth that cannot be disputed, the rest has no value.


- You said you wanted to work on the soundtrack of some romantic movies. Where does this strong desire to compose on the theme of love come from?

„But to whom is this state of love foreign?” I feel like there's something wrong here. Man all his life is dissatisfied with what he has, time, money, neighbours, love. Even by yourself. Veronica Micle spoke with so much passion and deep pain about the careless longing. She lived the earthly love and demanded this love from Eminescu, which she understood, but she could not come to terms with it. As an artist, I have lived hundreds of love stories in films and shows for which I have written music. If in every film there is the theme of love, I have lived the state of this love hundreds of times. What's left for an individual? I'm not talking about love in the way - he saw a babe and fell in love. I'm talking about the condition, which is „I don't know what and I don't know how.” It is not enough for the creative man to reduce love to one person, even if he mentions his name. For an artist, but for a genius even more so, love is an immensity, a commotion, happiness, a torment, a restless feeling and always agitated by some impulsions that it is not known where they come from and how long they will keep you. Eminescu wrote about Veronica Micle from there, from space. He outlined it through this Cătălină from „Luceafărul”. That was Catalina, not Veronica. Of course, I too would have wanted an earthly love, even as an ordinary man, as they say. Maybe she was or is, but this immense artistic love, without limits, without spaces, without mastery, covered the natural, earthly one.

THE NAIVETY OF POLITICS

- Beyond the stage, you also had political experience. How do you view politics now?

Unfortunately, we are all naive, believing every time the new political artists tell us that they will change our lives, we will have one, and two, and even golden eggs. And I thought I was leaving music for a year, two, three and I would change the course of my life. The naive in me. I thought that politics was done there in Parliament, on the forefront. When I see there that the real politics is done not where fiery speeches and empty promises are made but behind the scenes. I thought I would at least change the lives of my poor voters, peasants in southern Bessarabia who expected from me the fulfilment of the commandments delegated to me. I did something right. I even opened a church, when everything around was locked. That's when I gave up on this dirty show. Right now, three teams have come to me to ask me to run for president. It's like I'm sleeping and only dreaming of being president. 

- Why did you refuse? 

It's late. We have quite a few well-trained young people with modern pro-European visions. May the Lord only allow them to unite, to end with endless quarrels and competitions who is bigger and stronger I would also like the voters to realize what is happening in the country, who are the ones who brought them to the greatest poverty in Europe. Today, they still claim power. Do not rush after a kilo of buckwheat stolen from them or a hundred lei for their vote. In fact, for their cheeks. I realized that much more can be done through music than in the gathering of people of petty interests whom I call parties. Of course, I have my vision regarding the development and direction of the Republic of Moldova. I do not remain an abstract observer of what is happening to us. But I'm already President. Of my music. Forever. Given by God. And not on a fraudulent election mandate. Lord, remember my people. And not the last.


The interview was conducted by Remus Florescu and published on September 26, 2020.



luni, 25 octombrie 2021

El hombre, gracias a quien Chisinau tiene el Callejón de los Clásicos

En la geografía sentimental de las ciudades y pueblos de nuestro país, hay lugares que hablan de personas y hechos del pasado. Uno de ellos es el Callejón de los Clásicos en el Jardín Público "Esteban el Grande y Santo" en Chisinau. La iniciativa perteneció a los intelectuales de la República Socialista Soviética de Moldavia a fines de la década de 1950, especialmente miembros de la Unión de Escritores y se llevó a cabo con la ayuda de uno de los funcionarios extranjeros de alto rango menos conocidos en el entonces gobierno de la MSSR.



Pocos saben que durante las décadas de 1960 y 1970, al frente de la República Socialista Soviética de Moldavia, había, muy raramente, moldavos nativos, que tienen una serie de logros importantes en diversos campos de la vida pública. Desafortunadamente, en medio de la intensificación de la política de "lucha contra el nacionalismo" en la Moldavia soviética, lanzada por el Primer Secretario General del PCM, Ivan Bodiul, a fines de la década de 1960 y principios de la de 1970, muchos de los nativos en posiciones de liderazgo terminaron siendo destituidos de oficina o degradado y "expulsado" de la vida pública.

Uno de ellos, Anatol Corobceanu, es más conocido por la calle detrás del Parlamento, que lleva su nombre hasta el día de hoy, como recordatorio de que, gracias a él, Aleea Clasicilor existe hoy en Chisinau, siendo él quien incluso indicado y su ubicación.



Guerrillero y editor

Anatol Corobceanu nació el 10 de enero de 1922 en la ciudad de Soroca. Se graduó en el gimnasio local y más tarde, en 1940, terminó la escuela secundaria en Tighina. En el año en que Besarabia fue ocupada por las tropas soviéticas, Corobceanu tomó los exámenes de ingreso y se convirtió en estudiante de la Facultad de Física y Matemáticas del Instituto Pedagógico de Chisinau. Poco después de que comenzara la guerra entre la URSS y la Alemania nazi y sus aliados, el instituto fue evacuado a Rusia, a la ciudad de Buguruslan, y Corobceanu se movilizó en el frente de batalla, siendo miembro de unidades partisanas.

Fue desmovilizado en 1945, resultó gravemente herido, pero se recuperó en el camino. A partir del mismo año, trabajó en la redacción del periódico "Tinerimea Moldovei" y, más tarde, como editor en la sección de traducción del Instituto de Historia del Partido adscrito al Comité Central del Partido Comunista de Moldavia. Estudió en paralelo en el Union Legal Institute en Jarkov. En 1953, se convirtió en Viceministro de Cultura en la MSSR, por lo que, siete años después, se convirtió en funcionario en el Comité de la Ciudad de Chisinau y luego en el Comité Central.

Uno de ellos, Anatol Corobceanu, es más conocido por la calle detrás del Parlamento, que lleva su nombre hasta el día de hoy, como recordatorio de que, gracias a él, Aleea Clasicilor existe hoy en Chisinau, siendo él quien incluso indicado y su ubicación.


Guerrillero y editor

Anatol Corobceanu nació el 10 de enero de 1922 en la ciudad de Soroca. Se graduó en el gimnasio local y más tarde, en 1940, terminó la escuela secundaria en Tighina. En el año en que Besarabia fue ocupada por las tropas soviéticas, Corobceanu tomó los exámenes de ingreso y se convirtió en estudiante de la Facultad de Física y Matemáticas del Instituto Pedagógico de Chisinau. Poco después de que comenzara la guerra entre la URSS y la Alemania nazi y sus aliados, el instituto fue evacuado a Rusia, a la ciudad de Buguruslan, y Corobceanu se movilizó en el frente de batalla, siendo miembro de unidades partisanas.


Fue desmovilizado en 1945, resultó gravemente herido, pero se recuperó en el camino. A partir del mismo año, trabajó en la redacción del periódico "Tinerimea Moldovei" y, más tarde, como editor en la sección de traducción del Instituto de Historia del Partido adscrito al Comité Central del Partido Comunista de Moldavia. Estudió en paralelo en el Union Legal Institute en Jarkov. En 1953, se convirtió en Viceministro de Cultura en la MSSR, por lo que, siete años después, se convirtió en funcionario en el Comité de la Ciudad de Chisinau y luego en el Comité Central.


Vicepresidente del Consejo de Ministros de la MSSR

En abril de 1963, Corobceanu fue nombrado vicepresidente o primer vicepresidente del Consejo de Ministros de la MSSR, responsable de los temas sociales y culturales, cargo desde el que inició numerosos proyectos de importancia nacional.

En relación con su nombre están la aparición del estudio "Moldavia-film", los teatros de Ópera y Ballet, los teatros "Vasile Alecsandri" y "Luceafărul", el Instituto de Artes, el Museo Republicano de Literatura. Con su concurso se publicaron las primeras obras de los clásicos y se organizaron las primeras giras de las compañías de teatro de la MSSR en la Rumanía socialista.


La aparición del Callejón de los Clásicos


A principios de la década de 1950, la Unión de Escritores, a través de la voz de su presidente, Andrei Lupan, propuso la creación de un Callejón de los Clásicos de la literatura "moldava", que, en ese momento, todavía estaban prohibidos en la MSSR. De hecho, Andrei Lupan, presidente de la Unión, junto con George Meniuc y otros, lograron, en el mismo período, obtener el consentimiento de Brezhnev para el estudio de los clásicos de la literatura rumana también en Chisinau. También habían obtenido el derecho a utilizar el idioma literario rumano (aunque todavía se llamaba moldavo y se utilizaba la ortografía cirílica).


Así, en 1958, con la ayuda de la viceministra de Cultura, Anatolie Corobceanu, en Chisinau se hizo realidad la idea lanzada en el período de entreguerras por el escultor Alexandru Plămădeală, autor del monumento Esteban el Grande y Santo en la capital, para crear un callejón de clásicos de la literatura rumana (llamado moldavo en ese momento).


“Era necesario, había que salvar el patético estado de decadencia de nuestra república, que en cierta medida comprometía a todo el país. (...) Se aceptó la propuesta de la dirección del Sindicato de Escritores de realizar un conjunto de monumentos de nuestros clásicos. Este conjunto se convertiría en el monumento central de la capital de Moldavia. (...) Nosotros, los escritores, insistimos en que este conjunto monumental se hiciera en la calle central, frente al cine “Patria”, en la acera de enfrente, en fila para que sean 10-12 monumentos de nuestros clásicos. Pero esto fue imposible. Estaba el monumento a Lenin, más allá del monumento a Esteban, al frente, el monumento a Stalin. (...) Toda la responsabilidad estaba sobre los hombros de Corobceanu. Por un lado sospechado, perseguido y valorado como tal, por otro lado - impuesto y presionado por nuestra comunidad cultural, se le ocurrió la propuesta de realizar este conjunto en el callejón central del Jardín Público. Protesté con vehemencia, y yo personalmente, acusándolo de querer esconder los clásicos debajo de los árboles, debajo de los arbustos, solo para que nadie los viera. Pero la coincidencia y la presión de este ritmo de nuestra propia vida dieron esta liberación que me atrevo a calificar de brillante ”, recordó el poeta Andrei Lupan sobre este hecho.


Sorprendentemente o no, el nombre de Corobceanu no fue mencionado en la prensa de la época, que informó sobre la inauguración del Callejón de los Clásicos. Así, en el número del 30 de abril de 1958 del periódico "Sovetskaia Moldavia" encontramos lo siguiente:


"El 29 de abril en el parque central, en nombre de Pushkin, tuvo lugar la inauguración del Callejón de los Clásicos de la Literatura Moldava. Representantes de la ciudad intelectuales, escritores, trabajadores, estudiantes, pintores se reunieron frente a la fuente.


En nombre del comité ejecutivo del Ayuntamiento de Chisinau, la manifestación se abrió con un breve discurso, B.Z. Tanasevski, presidente del comité ejecutivo. Cede la palabra al Ministro de Cultura de MSSR A.M. Lazarev ... El director del Instituto de Lengua y Literatura de la rama moldava de la Academia de Ciencias de la URSS I.C. Varticean, el escritor A.P. Lupan, el pintor L.P. Grigorașenco, el trabajador de la fábrica de tejido “Estrella Roja” Liubovi Budaian y otros.  La cinta morada fue cortada por B.Z. Tanasevski ... "


También con el apoyo de Corobceanu, Vladimir Curbet fue nombrado al frente del Ensamble de Danza Folklórica "Joc", Serghei Lunchevici, director de la Orquesta "Fluieraș", y Veronica Garștea, directora de la Capilla Coral "Doina". A su disposición, los grupos folclóricos de la república cambiaron el traje nacional ucraniano por el tradicional moldavo. También fue él quien salvó a Maria Bieșu de la expulsión del Conservatorio, alegando que tendría atrasos del marxismo leninista ", lo que le permitió continuar su carrera.


Acusado de pasividad en la lucha contra el nacionalismo y destituido

El 16 de noviembre de 1970, Corobceanu fue acusado de pasividad en la lucha contra las manifestaciones nacionalistas, junto con otros cargos como falta de principado pero también desconocimiento de la existencia de dos lenguas diferentes. Luego, Ivan Bodiul firmó el documento, por el cual Anatol Corobceanu fue destituido del cargo de vicepresidente del Consejo de Ministros, siendo degradado al de viceministro de Justicia.


“La acusación oficial de nacionalismo y la referencia al trabajo por especialidad hizo que Anatol Corobceanu fuera excluido de la vida pública y privado del derecho a ocuparse de los problemas de la cultura espiritual nacional. De hecho, fue condenado al exilio interno ", dijo el intelectual Leonid Cemortan.


Seis años después, el 16 de noviembre de 1976, tras un infarto, Corobceanu falleció con tan solo 54 años. De hecho, como lo contaron sus innumerables amigos, como Vladimir Beșleagă, Leonid Cemortan o Andrei Lupan, los últimos seis años de la vida de Anatol Corobceanu fueron algunos de los más difíciles, siendo degradado y perseguido por sus visiones.


El artículo fue escrito por Cristian Bolotnicov y publicado el 23 de octubre de 2021 en agora.md.

The man, thanks to whom Chisinau has the Alley of Classics

In the sentimental geography of the cities and villages in our country, some places talk about people and facts from the past. One of them is the Alley of Classics in the Public Garden "Stephen the Great and Saint" in Chisinau. The initiative belonged to the intellectuals of the Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic in the late 1950s, especially members of the Writers' Union and was carried out with the help of one of the least known high-ranking foreign officials in the then MSSR Government.


Few know that during the 1960s and 1970s, at the head of the Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic, there were, very rarely, native Moldovans, who have some important achievements in various fields of public life. Unfortunately, amid the intensification of the policy of "fighting nationalism" in Soviet Moldova, launched by the First Secretary General of the PCM, Ivan Bodiul, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, many of the natives in leadership positions ended up be removed from office or demoted and "expelled" from public life.

The appearance of the Alley of Classics


In the early 1950s, the Writers' Union, through the voice of its president, Andrei Lupan, proposed the creation of an Alley of Classics of "Moldovan" literature, which, at the time, were still banned in the MSSR. Andrei Lupan, the president of the Union, together with George Meniuc and others, managed, in the same period, to obtain Brezhnev's consent for the study of the classics of Romanian literature in Chisinau as well. They had also obtained the right to use the Romanian literary language (although it was still called Moldovan and Cyrillic spelling was used).


Thus, in 1958, with the help of the Deputy Minister of Culture, Anatolie Corobceanu, in Chisinau was realized the idea launched in the interwar period by the sculptor Alexandru Plămădeală, author of the monument Stephen the Great and Saint in the capital, to create an alley of classics of Romanian literature (called Moldovan at the time).


"It was necessary, the pathetic state of decay of our republic had to be saved, which to some extent compromised the whole country. (...) The proposal from the leadership of the Writers' Union to make a set of monuments of our classics was accepted. This ensemble was to become the central monument in the capital of Moldova. (...) We, the writers, insisted that this monumental ensemble be made on the central street, in front of the “Patria” cinema, on the sidewalk opposite, in a row to be 10-12 monuments of our classics. But this was impossible. There was the monument of Lenin, beyond the monument of Stephen, in front - the monument of Stalin. (...) All the responsibility was on Corobceanu's shoulders. On the one hand suspected, pursued and valued as such, on the other hand - imposed and pressured by our cultural community, he came up with the proposal to make this ensemble on the central alley in the Public Garden. I protested vehemently, and I accusing him of wanting to hide the classics under the trees, under the bushes, just so that no one would see them. But the coincidence and the pressure of this rhythm of our life itself gave this release that I dare to call brilliant ”, the poet Andrei Lupan remembered about this event.


Surprisingly or not, Corobceanu's name was not mentioned in the time press, which reported on the opening of the Alley of Classics. Thus, in the April 30, 1958 issue of the newspaper "Sovetskaia Moldavia" we find the following:


"On April 29 in the central park, in the name of Pushkin, the inauguration of the Alley of Classics of Moldovan Literature took place. Representatives of the city intellectuals, writers, workers, students, painters gathered in front of the fountain.


On behalf of the executive committee of the Chisinau City Council, the rally was opened with a short speech, B.Z. Tanasevski, chairman of the executive committee. He gave the floor to the Minister of Culture of MSSR A.M. Lazarev ... The director of the Institute of Language and Literature of the Moldovan branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences I.C. Varticean, the writer A.P. Lupan, the painter L.P. Grigorașenco, the worker from the “Red Star” knitting factory Liubovi Budaian and others.


The purple ribbon was cut by B.Z. Tanasevski ... ”


Also with Corobceanu's support, Vladimir Curbet was named at the head of the "Joc" Folk Dance Ensemble, Serghei Lunchevici, conductor of the "Fluieraș" Orchestra, and Veronica Garștea, conductor of the "Doina" Choral Chapel. At his disposal, the folk groups in the republic changed the Ukrainian national costume to the traditional Moldovan one. He was also the one who saved Maria Bieșu from expulsion from the Conservatory, because she would have arrears of Leninist Marxism ", allowing her to continue her career.


Accused of passivity in the fight against nationalism and dismissed from office

On November 16, 1970, Corobceanu was accused of passivity in the fight against nationalist demonstrations, along with other charges such as lack of principality but also failure to recognize the existence of two different languages. Then, Ivan Bodiul signed the document, by which Anatol Corobceanu was dismissed from the position of vice-president of the Council of Ministers, being demoted to that of Deputy Minister of Justice.

"The official accusation of nationalism and the reference to work by specialty meant that Anatol Corobceanu was excluded from public life and deprived of the right to deal with the problems of the national spiritual culture. He was sentenced to internal exile ", said the intellectual Leonid Cemortan,


Six years later, on November 16, 1976, following a heart attack, Corobceanu died at the age of only 54. As told by his countless friends, such as Vladimir Beșleagă, Leonid Cemortan or Andrei Lupan, the last six years of Anatol Corobceanu's life were some of the most difficult, being demoted and persecuted for his visions.

The article is written by Cristian Bolotnicov and published on October 23, 2021 on agora.md.

vineri, 22 octombrie 2021

Los secretos de la masonería en Chisinau

Los grandes cambios en la política internacional han dado lugar a una nueva ola de teorías conspirativas sobre el „gobierno mundial, la conspiración masónica y otras especulaciones y prejuicios que gozan de gran éxito entre quienes tienen una disposición romántica y mística.



Pero rara vez recordamos a los verdaderos masones, que tenían una conexión directa con Moldavia, aunque esto es parte de nuestro pasado.

No profundizaremos en el tema de los masones, quiénes son, de dónde vienen y qué quieren, sino que solo nos dirigiremos a una serie de personalidades muy conocidas o poco conocidas que han formado parte de organizaciones llamadas logias masónicas... Y, dado que el espectro es bastante amplio, todavía tocaremos solo una región y un período: Besarabia a principios del siglo XIX.


Para empezar, hablaremos de lo que todo el mundo sabe, de quién es „nuestro, de todos”. Mientras estaba exiliado en el sur del Imperio Ruso, Pushkin se convirtió en miembro de la Logia Masónica „Ovid-25”. El poeta había aceptado con gusto la oferta de adhesión, sobre todo cuando que la iniciativa procedía de su protector en ese momento. Se trata del gobernador de Besarabia, Ivan Nikitici Inzov, también miembro de la logia „Ovidiu-25”.

La logia fue nombrada en honor al poeta de la Antigua Roma que había sido exiliado en nuestras tierras en el Mar Negro. Y el número 25 es el número de serie. Los preparativos para la inauguración de la organización masónica en Chisinau comenzaron en la primavera de 1821, bajo los auspicios de la Gran Logia del „Astra” en Petersburgo.


El secreto de la riqueza de la logia

La logia „Ovidiu-25” fue inaugurada oficialmente el 7 de julio de 1821, encabezada por el general de división Pavel Pushkin. Sin embargo, varios líderes de la logia „Astra” mostraron una actitud escéptica hacia la apertura de la logia en Chisinau, por lo que „Ovidiu -25”, se registró sólo el 7 de octubre de 1821. Pushkin se convirtió en miembro de la logia en mayo de 1821 y, según algunas fuentes, jugó un papel bastante importante en su actividad.


La verdad es que, la logia „Ovid-25”, como toda la mampostería oficial en Rusia, existiría solo por un año: hasta el decreto del zar sobre la prohibición de logias masónicas y sociedades secretas. Ruslan Shevchenko, el historiador moldavo que escribió sobre la masonería, dice que todo comenzó con las instrucciones recibidas por Inzov de Petersburgo: averiguar si hay logias masónicas en Chisinau e Ismail. Inzov, él mismo un albañil, informó que tales organizaciones no existen en el territorio que administra. Pero la gente de la capital del Neva no le creyó.


Hay pruebas de que cuando se llevó a cabo un control de Besarabia desde Petersburgo, el presidente de la logia „Ovidiu-25”, Pavel Pushkin, escondió la propiedad de la organización en su casa y luego se la entregó a Pushkin, en Mikhailovskoe, pero su destino era desconocido, resultando a que, el decreto del zar siguió y la logia fue cerrada.


El sótano de una casa misteriosa

El dueño de la casa en cuyo sótano se reunían los miembros de la logia, se llamaba Mihalache Catica, un griego de noble cuna, que se había mudado a Moldavia, en 1804. En ese momento, Catica era tesorero. En 1826, siendo ascendido al rango de capitán de costa, se retiró del servicio. Nadie sabe con certeza si era miembro de la logia, pero no se excluye que no hizo el sótano de su casa gratis para los hermanos albañiles, sino que cobró un buen dinero por el alquiler.


Por cierto, este edificio se ha conservado e incluso ha sido restaurado recientemente. Frente a la casa hay una pequeña plaza en el centro de la cual se levanta el busto de December Orlov.


Hasta el día de hoy, ha habido una historia relacionada con los albañiles y el sótano de la casa Catica. El ritual de iniciación en la logia masónica incluía (y aún incluye) la simulación de la muerte del neófito. Dentro del albergue „Ovidiu-25”, este sótano desempeñaba el papel de „lugar de la inexistencia”, teniendo la entrada directamente desde la calle, donde ha permanecido hasta el día de hoy. El que iba a ser iniciado fue conducido al sótano a través de la casa, con los ojos y las manos atados.


Un conocido de Pushkin durante su estancia en Besarabia, Ivan Liprandi, un espía militar y agente de la policía secreta, escribió que se había tomado la decisión de recibir al archimandrita búlgaro, Ephraim, en la logia „Ovidiu-25”, que había llegado recientemente a la casa de Catica, que es sacado de la puerta con los ojos vendados y conducido al sótano. La casa está separada de la pequeña plaza por solo una cerca, la multitud reunida al mediodía (en su mayoría búlgaros y etéreos locales que huyeron de Rumania) reconoció a su pastor. La casa es donde se lleva a cabo el „juicio del diablo”, la gente se apresuró a liberar al archimandrita, derribó la puerta y expulsó al siervo del Señor. Al mismo tiempo, cada libertador se arrodilló ante el sacerdote para pedirle perdón, porque todos eran creyentes. Al anochecer, el mismo día, toda la ciudad ya sabía lo que había sucedido...


Líder de la logia y otros

El general de división, Pavel Sergheievich Pushkin, uno de los fundadores de la logia „Ovidiu-25”, participó en activismos sociales y políticos, incluyendo guerras y la campaña europea, siendo condecorado con varias órdenes. En el período posterior a la derrota de Napoleón, Pushkin fue bien visto por Pavel Kiselev, el futuro autor de las primeras Constituciones de Moldavia y Valaquia, que, en ese momento aún no era un general, sino Jefe del Estado Mayor General del Segundo Ejército, en la represión del levantamiento polaco.


Según la lista de miembros de la logia „Ovidiu-25” publicada en un artículo del historiador Stanislav Țerna, la posición de Pușcin fue llamada „venerable” en francés, que significa „venerable” (líder).

Esta lista de los primeros miembros de la organización data del 10 de octubre de 1821 y fue enviada a San Petersburgo, en la Gran Logia del „Astra”. El segundo supervisor fue el naturalista suizo, Louis-Vincent Tardent, quien más tarde fundó la organización Colonia Schabo. 


El escritor Ivan Brankovici fue designado orador y el abogado Piotr Fleristal fue el secretario de la logia. El cajero (capellán) de la organización era el general de división Sergei Tucikov, quien sentó las bases de la ciudad de Tucikov (hasta entonces y ahora, Ismail). El doctor en medicina Rafael Ghirleanda fue maestro de ceremonias (maitre des cérémonies).


Entre los otros miembros de la logia se encontraban el mayor Mikhail Maksimovich; ex coronel Louis Tresca, emigrante español; el boyardo Manuel Bernardo; el teniente coronel, el futuro comandante de la fortaleza de Akkerman, Pert Curteau; el comerciante Matfa Dragosevich y el teniente coronel del ejército ruso, Iakov Barozzi. Casi cada uno de ellos merece una descripción separada, al menos con referencia al período de sus vidas en Besarabia. Pero no todos los datos son precisos y, a veces, desafortunadamente, generalmente faltan.


Pero, ¿qué significa una cita en la logia „Ovidiu-25”? Quienes conocen al menos superficialmente la historia de la masonería saben muy bien que, en cada logia existen los llamados grados de iniciación. Los fundadores de la logia „Ovidiu-25” mencionaron sólo las funciones „administrativas” y, en cuanto a sus grados de iniciación, prefirieron no revelarlos ni siquiera a los cohermanos mayores.


Aunque, si vamos a creer en la diversa información sobre los masones, el grado de iniciación de un cohermano nunca se reveló a través de la correspondencia. Cualquier miembro de la organización podría alcanzar posteriormente un rango superior.


Los iniciados comprenderán que no es hasta ahora que los masones en diferentes partes del mundo conocen el grado de iniciación de uno u otro a través de frases codificadas y apretones de manos. No es casualidad que, el príncipe Pyotr Veazemsky, escritor, historiador y amigo de Alexander Pushkin, pusiera su guante masónico blanco en su ataúd cuando murió.


El artículo fue escrito por Nicolai Costirchin para el portal sputnik.md

The mysteries of Freemasonry in Chisinau

The great changes in international politics have given rise to a new wave of conspiracy theories about "world government," the "Masonic conspiracy," and other speculations and prejudices that enjoy great success among those with a romantic and mystical disposition.



But we rarely remember the true Masons who had a direct connection with Moldova, although this is part of our past.

We will not delve into the issues of Masons, who they are, where they come from and what they want, but we will only address several well-known or not-so-well-known personalities who have been part of organizations called Masonic lodges. And, since the spectrum is quite wide, we will still touch on only one region and period: Bessarabia at the beginning of the 19th century.

For a start, we will talk about what everyone knows, about who is "ours, everyone's." While in exile in the south of the Russian Empire, Pushkin became a member of the Masonic Lodge "Ovid-25". The poet had gladly accepted the proposal of accession, all the more so as the initiative came from his protector at that time. It is about the governor of Bessarabia, Ivan Nikitici Inzov, also a member of the "Ovidiu-25" lodge.


The lodge was named in honour of the poet of Ancient Rome who had been exiled to our lands on the Black Sea. And the number 25 is the serial number. Preparations for the inauguration of the Masonic organization in Chisinau began in the spring of 1821 under the auspices of the Grand Lodge of the "Astra" in Petersburg.

The secret of the lodge's wealth

The "Ovidiu-25" lodge was officially opened on July 7, 1821, headed by Major General Pavel Pushkin. However, several leaders of the "Astra" lodge showed a sceptical attitude towards the opening of the lodge in Chisinau, so that " Ovidiu-25 "was registered only on October 7, 1821. Pushkin became a member of the lodge in May 1821 and, according to some sources, played a rather important role in its activity.


The truth is that the "Ovid-25" lodge, like all official masonry in Russia, would exist for only one year: until the tsar's decree on the prohibition of Masonic lodges and any secret societies. Ruslan Shevchenko, the Moldovan historian who wrote about Freemasonry, says that everything started from the instructions received by Inzov from Petersburg: to find out if there are Masonic lodges in Chisinau and Ismail. Inzov, himself a mason, reported that such organizations do not exist in the territory he administers. But the people of the capital on the Neva did not believe him.


There are testimonies that when a check was carried out in Bessarabia in Petersburg, the president of the "Ovidiu-25" lodge, Pavel Pushkin, hid the organization's goods in his house and later handed them over to Pushkin. he at Mikhailovskoe, but their fate is not yet known, the tsar's decree followed, and the lodge was closed.


The basement of a mysterious house

The owner of the house in whose basement the members of the lodge gathered was called Mihalache Catica, a Greek of noble birth, who had moved to Moldova in 1804. At that time, Catica was a treasurer. In 1826, being promoted to the rank of coast captain, he retired. No one knows for sure if he was a member of the lodge, but it is not excluded that he did not make the basement of his house available free of charge to the mason brothers, but collected good money for rent.


By the way, this building has been preserved and has even been recently restored. In front of the house is a small square in the centre of which rises the bust of December Orlov.


To this day, there has been a history related to masons and the basement of the Catica house. The ritual of initiation into the Masonic lodge included (and still includes) the simulation of the death of the neophyte. Within the "Ovidiu-25" lodge, this basement played the role of "place of non-existence", having the entrance directly from the street, where it has remained until today. The one to be initiated was ushered into the basement through the house, his eyes and hands tied.


An acquaintance of Pushkin's during his stay in Bessarabia, Ivan Liprandi, a military spy and secret police agent, wrote that the decision had been made to receive the Bulgarian archimandrite Ephraim in the "Ovidiu-25" lodge. , who had recently arrived at Catica's house, is taken out the door blindfolded and led and led into the basement, the house is separated from the small square by only a fence, the crowd gathered during the day at noon (mostly local Bulgarians and etherealises fleeing from Romania) acknowledged his pastor. that house is where the "judgment of the devil" takes place, the people rushed to free the archimandrite, broke down the door, and drove out the servant of the Lord. At the same time, each deliverer knelt before the priest to ask for forgiveness, because they were all believers. Towards evening, on the same day, the whole city already knew what had happened…


Lodge leader and others

Major General Pavel Sergheievich Pushkin, one of the founders of the "Ovidiu-25" lodge, participated in the war for the defence of the Fatherland in 1812 and in the European campaign, being decorated with several orders. In the period following Napoleon's defeat, Pushkin was well seen by Pavel Kiselev, the future author of the first Constitutions of Moldova and Wallachia, and who at that time was not yet a general, but Chief of the General Staff of the Second Army. at the suppression of the Polish uprising.

According to the list of members of the "Ovidiu-25" lodge published in a paper by the historian Stanislav Țerna, Pushkin's position was called "venerable" in French, meaning "venerable" (leader).

This list of the first members of the organization dates back to October 10, 1821, and was sent to St. Petersburg, in the Grand Lodge of the "Astra". The second supervisor was the Swiss naturalist Louis-Vincent Tardent, who later founded the Schabo colony.

The writer Ivan Brankovici was appointed orator, and the lawyer Piotr Fleristal was the secretary of the lodge. The cashier (chaplain) of the organization was Major General Sergei Tucikov who laid the foundation of the city of Tucikov (until then and now - Ismail). The doctor of medicine Rafael Ghirleanda was master of ceremonies (maitre des cérémonies).

Among the other members of the lodge were Major Mikhail Maksimovich; former Colonel Louis Tresca, Spanish emigrant; the boyar Manuel Bernardo; lieutenant-colonel, the future commander of the Akkerman fortress, Pert Curteau; the merchant Matfa Dragosevich and the lieutenant-colonel of the Russian army Iakov Barozzi. Almost each of them deserves a separate description, at least with reference to the Bessarabian period of their lives. But not all data is accurate, and sometimes, unfortunately, they are generally missing.

But what does an appointment in the "Ovidiu-25" lodge mean? Those who know at least superficially the history of Freemasonry know all too well that in each lodge there are so-called degrees of initiation. Probably in the list sent to Petersburg the founders of the lodge "Ovidiu-25" mentioned only the "administrative" functions, and as for their degrees of initiation, they preferred not to disclose them even to the older confreres.

Although, if we are to believe the various information about Freemasons, the degree of initiation of a confrere was never disclosed through correspondence. All the more so as any member of the organization could later attain a higher rank, and not just one.

Initiates will understand that it is not until now that Masons in different parts of the world know the degree of initiation of one or the other through coded phrases and handshakes. It is no coincidence that Prince Pyotr Veazemsky, a writer, historian and friend of Alexander Pushkin, put a white Masonic glove in his coffin when he died.


The article was written by Nicolai Costirchin for the sputnik.md portal

miercuri, 20 octombrie 2021

EXPLIQUE cómo una aldea con pocos hogares se convirtió en la capital de la República de Moldavia

Chisinau, ahora la capital de la República de Moldavia, fue documentada por primera vez en 1436. Se mencionó como una localidad ubicada a orillas del río Bic, pero se encontraron rastros de asentamientos humanos aún más antiguos en el área. La ciudad tuvo varios estatutos hasta el siglo XIX, en 1812 se convirtió en la capital de la región de Besarabia.

Chisinau en 1889


El nombre Cheșeneul lui Acbaș se menciona por primera vez en 1436 en un acto de empoderamiento de Oncea Logofăt como líder de varios pueblos, incluido el "Cheșeneului". En otra mención, a partir de 1466, se habla de la adquisición del asentamiento por parte de Vlaicu, en ese momento se ubicaban aquí alrededor de 5-10 hogares campesinos, y la adquisición le dio a él y a sus descendientes el derecho a usarlo.

"Como prueba del crecimiento de Chisinau está el precio al que se evaluó la liquidación en los documentos de compraventa: 120 monedas amarillas en 1466 y 500 tarjetas amarillas en 1576", escribe Lică Sainciuc en su libro "Hidden Chisinau".


Después de 90 años, una bisnieta de Vlaicu vende ese pueblo, y en otros cien años, en 1641, el territorio ya está incluido en la finca del Monasterio Sfânta Vineri de Iași. Permaneció en esta propiedad hasta el siglo XIX.


El mismo autor escribe que Chisinau deja de ser un pueblo alrededor de 1666, y sus habitantes ya se mencionan como pueblos. Al mismo tiempo, la localidad comienza a incluir aldeas vecinas, obtiene costumbres en las entradas, tiene un jefe o incluso dos a la direccion.


Con la anexión del territorio por parte del Imperio Ruso y la posterior transformación de Chisinau en la capital, la ciudad se expandió aún más, construyéndose una nueva catedral, un jardín público, que tenemos hoy.


¿Por qué se eligió la capital?

La ciudad de Chisinau fue elegida como centro administrativo porque estaba ubicada en el centro del nuevo territorio anexado por el Imperio Ruso, estando al mismo tiempo en la intersección de varias rutas comerciales y bastante cerca de materias primas de piedra y madera.


En los primeros años después de la anexión, el arzobispo Petre Cunițchi argumentó la elección de Chisinau como capital en una carta al metropolitano Gavril Bănulescu-Bodoni: que por un lado tiene suficiente madera y piedra para los edificios, y por otro lado - amplia estepa y agua de manantial, así como aire limpio, por lo que esta ciudad está más poblada que las otras ciudades aquí. En ella, como en la ciudad de Bălți y Fălești, hay grandes ferias, donde los mayoristas compran grandes manadas de bueyes y caballos y mucha piel y lana y las exportan con gran utilidad a tierras austriacas y alemanas ”.

Pero Chisinau sigue siendo "un pueblo grande y sucio con cuatro o cinco casas de piedra", como lo describió el general Kiselev en 1816.

Durante los siguientes 50 años, hasta la Guerra de Crimea, cuando Chisinau fue utilizada como estación para las tropas rusas, la ciudad no cambió mucho, aunque fue la capital administrativa del territorio. Apodada en ese momento por los contemporáneos como "un gran pueblo", la ciudad no tuvo calles pavimentadas hasta 1862.

Solo alrededor de 1873, cuando la región de Besarabia se convirtió en la gobernación del Imperio ruso y Chisinau, ya la capital de la gobernación, la ciudad se transformó. Las calles se fueron pavimentando gradualmente, se instaló el tranvía tirado por caballos y ya en el nuevo siglo XX era posible viajar en tranvías eléctricos.

La población también está aumentando. Si en el momento de la anexión del Imperio Ruso eran unas 7000 personas, en 1894 ya contaba con 128 mil. La ciudad de Chisinau, sin embargo, contrastaba con las aldeas circundantes, que seguían estando subdesarrolladas.

Chisinau, el período de entreguerras


Mayor desarrollo

Este gran pueblo, que luego se convirtió en la capital de la gobernación, continuó desarrollándose en el período de entreguerras, ya bajo la administración rumana. Varias escuelas, imprentas, bibliotecas, teatros están abiertas. Comienzan a operar una serie de empresas de la industria alimentaria: el primer molino mecanizado, la fábrica de pan, la fábrica de embutidos, la fábrica de kvas y limonada, la fábrica de dulces, las fábricas de calzado, géneros de punto, la fábrica de pieles, exposiciones de productos industriales. maquinaria organizada y agrícola. Chisinau está integrado en la red de carreteras de Rumanía.


En los años 20-30 del siglo. XX, en Chisinau hay varios bancos: Moldavia, Unirea României, Dacia, Iași. Se publican varias revistas y periódicos. La educación se está desarrollando. En 1934, Pantelimon Halippa fundó la primera institución científica académica en Besarabia: el Instituto Social Rumano. Ya en 1918, también bajo la presidencia de Halippa, se fundó la Universidad del Pueblo de Moldavia. El Teatro Nacional, el Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, los Cines Odeon, el Orfeum, el Coliseo, el Express, el Club Polaco estaban activos en Chisinau. Durante el período de entreguerras, tres escuelas secundarias de música estuvieron activas: el Conservatorio Nacional, el Conservatorio Municipal y el Conservatorio Unirea.

Con la ocupación de la URSS, Chisinau se convirtió en la capital de la MSSR, una república sindical. La ciudad fue completamente reconstruida según el modelo soviético, aprovechando que fue destruida por la guerra y dos terremotos en la década de 1940.

La ciudad alcanzó una cifra de casi 700 mil habitantes durante el período soviético. El arquitecto jefe de Chisinau, Alexei Shchiusev, elaboró ​​el primer plan de desarrollo de la capital, pero no se completó. El arquitecto S. Fridlin diseñó la Casa del Parlamento MSSR en 1964. Se construyeron las áreas residenciales Botanica, Rîșcani, Buiucani, más tarde Ciocana Nouă. Prácticamente, en un momento, casi el 70% de los habitantes de la capital vivían en edificios construidos durante el período soviético.

Después de la independencia, la ciudad de Chisinau sigue siendo la capital de la República de Moldavia, como establece el artículo 14 de la Constitución. Aquí se encuentra actualmente toda la administración pública central, pero también casi las tres cuartas partes de la economía del país.

El artículo fue escrito por Ștefan Grigorița y publicado el 14 de octubre de 2021 en el sitio web moldova.org.

WE EXPLAIN how a village with only a few households became the capital of the Republic of Moldova

Chisinau, now the capital of the Republic of Moldova, was documented for the first time in 1436. It was mentioned as a locality located on the banks of the Bic River, but traces of even older human settlements were found in the area. The city had several statutes until the nineteenth century, in 1812 becoming the capital of the Bessarabia region.

The name Cheșeneul of Acbaș is first mentioned in 1436 in an act of empowerment of Oncea Logofăt as leader of several villages, including the "Cheșeneul". In another mention, from 1466, there is talk about the acquisition of the settlement by Vlaicu, at that time around 5-10 peasant households were located here, and the acquisition gave him and his descendants the right to use it.


"As proof of the growth of Chisinau is the price at which the settlement in sale-purchase documents was evaluated: 120 yellow coins in 1466 and 500 yellow cards in 1576", writes Lică Sainciuc in his book "Hidden Chisinau".

After 90 years, a great-granddaughter of Vlaicu sells that village, and in another hundred years, in 1641, the territory is already included in the estate of Sfânta Vineri Monastery from Iași. It remained in this property until the 19th century.

The same author writes that Chisinau ceases to be a village around 1666, and its inhabitants are already mentioned as towns. At the same time, the locality begins to include neighbouring villages, gets customs at the entrances, has a foreman or even two in the lead.

With the annexation of the territory by the Russian Empire and the subsequent transformation of Chisinau into the capital, the city expanded even higher, being built a new cathedral, a public garden, which we have today.


Why was the capital chosen?

The city of Chisinau was chosen as the administrative centre because it was located in the centre of the new territory annexed by the Russian Empire, being at the same time at the intersection of several trade routes and near enough stone and wood raw materials.


In the first years after the annexation, Archbishop Petre Cunițchi argued the choice of Chisinau as the capital in a letter to Metropolitan Gavril Bănulescu-Bodoni: that on the one hand, it has enough wood and stone for buildings, and on the other hand - wide steppe and spring water, as well as clean air, which is why this city is more populated than the other cities here. In it, as in the city of Bălți and Fălești, there are large fairs, where wholesalers buy large herds of oxen and horses and a lot of hides and wool and export them with great use to the Austrian and German lands ”.

But Chisinau remains "a large, dirty village with four or five stone houses," as described by General Kiselev in 1816.

For the next 50 years, until the Crimean War, when Chisinau was used as a station for Russian troops, the city did not change much, although it was the administrative capital of the territory. Being nicknamed at that time by contemporaries as "a big village", the city did not have any paved streets until 1862.

It was not until 1873 when the Bessarabia region became the governorate of the Russian Empire, and Chisinau became the capital of the governorate, that the city was transformed. The streets were gradually paved, the horse-drawn tram was established, and already in the new twentieth century, it was possible to travel in electric trams.


The population is also increasing. If at the time of the annexation by the Russian Empire it was about 7000 people, by 1894 it already numbered 128 thousand. The city of Chisinau, however, was a contrast to the surrounding villages, which remained underdeveloped.

Chisinau, the interwar period

Further development

This large village, which later became the capital of the governorate, continued to develop in the interwar period, already under the Romanian administration. Several schools, printing houses, libraries, theatres are open. A series of enterprises of the food industry begin to operate: the first mechanized mill, the bread factory, the sausage factory, the kvass and lemonade factory, the candy factory, the shoe factories, knitwear, the fur factory, exhibitions of industrial goods are organized and agricultural machinery. Chisinau is integrated into Romania's road network.

In the 20-the 30s of the century XX, in Chisinau there are several banks: Moldova, Unirea României, Dacia, Iași. Several magazines and newspapers are published. Education is developing. In 1934, Pantelimon Halippa founded the first academic science institution in Bessarabia - the Romanian Social Institute. As early as 1918, also under the presidency of Halippa, the Moldovan People's University was founded. The National Theater, the National Museum of Natural History, the Odeon Cinemas, the Orfeum, the Colosseum, the Express, the Polish Club were active in Chisinau. During the interwar period, three music high schools were active: the National Conservatory, the Municipal Conservatory and the Unirea Conservatory.

With the occupation of the USSR, Chisinau became the capital of the MSSR, a union republic. The city was completely rebuilt on the Soviet model, taking advantage of the fact that it was destroyed by war and two earthquakes in the 1940s.

The city reached a figure of almost 700 thousand inhabitants during the Soviet period. The chief architect of Chisinau, Alexei Shchiusev, drew up the first development plan for the capital, but it was not completed. The architect S. Fridlin designed the House of the MSSR Parliament in 1964. The residential areas Botanica, Rîșcani, Buiucani, later Ciocana Nouă were built. Practically, at one time, almost 70% of the capital's inhabitants lived in buildings built during the Soviet period.

After independence, the city of Chisinau continues to be the capital of the Republic of Moldova, as established by Article 14 of the Constitution. Here is currently the entire central public administration, but also almost three quarters of the country's economy.


The article was written by Ștefan Grigorița and published on October 14, 2021 on the website moldova.org

marți, 19 octombrie 2021

Tamara Buciuceanu, refugee in her own country: „I was sitting on some slats made of corn leaves. We only had one coat each...”

Tamara Buciuceanu-Botez, nicknamed „The Lady of Romanian Comedy”, passed to the saints on October 15, exactly 21 years after the death of another great actress of our theatre, Leopoldina Bălănuţă. The actress was 90 years old and died at Elias Hospital, due to heart complications. Tamara Buciuceanu was born on the night of August 10, 1929, in Tighina, a city then in Greater Romania, today, in the Republic of Moldova. 



She was born into a wealthy family and had a wonderful childhood, as the actress himself recalled: “I had a big house with a beautiful entrance. It was a boyar's house. Only my father was a magistrate… I had many rooms and a living room where I had a piano with a bronze plate, brought by my father from Brussels. We ate there every day. My mother liked to set the table as if we always had guests. Honestly, my house was full. He put the best silverware, crystals and porcelain, every day. He said he wanted us to feel good and always happy. I had a wonderful childhood. We didn't miss anything, and the parents got along perfectly. 

My mother was an exemplary housewife. She also had help: the cook Fima „was a figure". The beautiful life, together with his three brothers, did not last long. In 1939 the non-aggression pact was signed between Germany and the USSR, World War II began, and in June 1940 the Soviets occupied Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina - Tamara was only 11 years old. „When it was announced that we had to flee, it was 1940. We left in thirty minutes. Even when the refuge was launched”. The Buciuceanu family crossed the Prut, in Iaşi, to their maternal grandparents. "I lost everything. You realize what we went through. What did the parents go through… To run away in a few minutes… with the whole family… with four children [n.n. - in the Buciuceanu family another child will be born in Romania: Constantin]. It was very difficult for us to take it from the beginning… from the needle and thread. Very hard…”


Article written for the historia.ro website.

Tamara Buciuceanu, refugiada en su propio país: „estaba sentada sobre unos listones hechos con hojas de maíz. Solo teníamos un abrigo cada uno...”

Tamara Buciuceanu-Botez, apodada "La dama de la comedia rumana", pasó a los santos el 15 de octubre, exactamente 21 años después de la muerte de otra gran actriz de nuestro teatro, Leopoldina Bălănuţă. La actriz tenía 90 años y falleció en el Hospital Elías, debido a complicaciones cardíacas.


Tamara Buciuceanu nació la noche del 10 de agosto de 1929 en Tighina, una ciudad entonces en la Gran Rumania, hoy en la República de Moldavia. Nació en una familia adinerada y tuvo una infancia maravillosa, como recuerda la propia actriz: „Tenía una casa grande con una entrada preciosa. Era la casa de un boyardo. Solo mi padre era magistrado… Tenía muchas habitaciones y una sala de estar donde tenía un piano con placa de bronce, traído por mi padre desde Bruselas. Comíamos allí todos los días. A mi madre le gustaba poner la mesa como si siempre tuviéramos invitados. Honestamente, mi casa estaba llena. Puso los mejores cubiertos, cristales y porcelana, todos los días. Dijo que quería que nos sintiéramos bien y siempre felices. Tuve una infancia maravillosa. No nos perdimos nada y los padres se llevaban perfectamente. Mi madre fue una ama de casa ejemplar. Ella también contó con ayuda: la cocinera Fima "era una figura”.

La hermosa vida, junto a sus tres hermanos, no duró mucho. En 1939 se firmó el pacto de no agresión entre Alemania y la URSS, comenzó la Segunda Guerra Mundial y en junio de 1940 los soviéticos ocuparon Besarabia y Bucovina del Norte: Tamara tenía solo 11 años. „Cuando se anunció que teníamos que huir, era 1940. Salimos en treinta minutos. Incluso cuando se lanzó el refugio". La familia Buciuceanu cruzó el Prut, en Iaşi, hasta sus abuelos maternos. „Lo perdí todo. Te das cuenta de lo que pasamos. ¿Por qué pasaron los padres... Para escapar en unos minutos... con toda la familia ... con cuatro hijos [n.n. - en la familia Buciuceanu nacerá otro niño en Rumanía: Constantin]. Fue muy difícil para nosotros tomarlo desde el principio… desde la aguja y el hilo. Muy duro…”

La familia de Tamara se lo tomó muy mal: la pobreza y la necesidad no se les escaparon, especialmente porque eran personas intelectuales, esforzadas en ese momento. „Fui a la escuela secundaria. Estaba sentado en unos colchones de maíz. Cada uno teníamos un solo abrigo ... ¡Fue muy difícil! ... Para arreglárnoslas con el dinero, éramos suplentes en una escuela que estaba a tres kilómetros de Suceava. Yo tenía clase I. Estaba caminando por ahí… ”, dice la actriz en el libro monográfico „Tamara Buciuceanu-Botez. Una vida dedicada al escenario” publicado en 2013 por la editorial Litera.


Artículo escrito para el sitio web hisotria.ro

luni, 18 octombrie 2021

Castel Mimi: un hito en el enoturismo, reconocido internacionalmente y cada vez más buscado por turistas de todo el mundo (INFOGRAFÍA)

La historia de Castel Mimi renació en Bulboaca en el siglo XXI. Con cada día, con cada época vitivinícola y con cada huésped que atraviesa el umbral del castillo, el lugar se convierte en un hito de turismo receptor, perfectamente combinado con el vitivinícola, de una singularidad incomparable. La joya arquitectónica de Anenii Noi, el castillo de Mimi, escondida durante un tiempo bajo la fachada chapada en la época soviética, ha conocido en las últimas dos décadas el mayor proyecto de restauración. De la mano de buenos vinos, elaborados según antiguas tradiciones familiares, pero también según las más modernas tecnologías en el campo, el lugar se ha convertido en uno de los hitos más cotizados en el mapa turístico del país. Qué logros ya pasan a la historia de Castel Mimi solo cinco años después de su inauguración, descúbrelo, paso a paso.



Castillo de Mimi: un hito en la elaboración del vino y el turismo

El gran Castillo de Bulboaca guarda en la memoria y muralla la historia de Besarabia, lo que la enorgullece aún más de su identidad. Todo el complejo tiene una superficie de más de 10 ha, y los viñedos de Castel Mimi hacen crecer esta "enorme finca llena de mosto" hasta unas 170 hectáreas. En 2016, Castel Mimi recibió el título de "Tarjeta de visita de Moldavia" gracias al diseñador italiano Arnaldo Tranti y más de 600 especialistas, ingresando al top 15 de las obras arquitectónicas nacionales más bellas. Aquí, en los últimos 5 años, también atrae actividad turística, todo el complejo con todas sus atracciones recibe a más de 200.000 visitantes de más de 80 países. Cuanto más recibía, más daba: Castel Mimi ha aumentado en los últimos años 5 veces el número de países a los que exporta sus vinos.




Mimi Castle, en las preferencias de los funcionarios extranjeros

Castel Mimi se ha ido encontrando a lo largo del tiempo entre los hitos elegidos por las delegaciones oficiales que visitan nuestro país, pero también los grupos de turistas que llegan a Bulboaca. El motivo de orgullo más reciente es el Congreso Mundial de Turismo, celebrado en el Castillo. Castel Mimi recibió el título de "la mayor inversión en la renovación de una bodega en los Balcanes", con vinos muy apreciados internacionalmente por reconocidos expertos en concursos especializados. El 21 de septiembre (a.c.) los invitados de honor del complejo fueron los miembros del comité de la UEFA, el presidente del Parlamento de la República de Moldavia y los representantes de la UEFA, recibidos en Bulboaca por Iurie Trofim, la propietaria de Castel Mimi. Aleksandr Ceferin, presidente de la UEFA, dejó su firma en la barrica de vino Castel Mimi, y la leyenda del fútbol mundial, Luis Figo, valoró mucho las cualidades de los vinos de la reserva del castillo.


Primero en finedining y Wine SPA

En el territorio del Castillo encontrará durante todo el año el ambiente especial de uno de los restaurantes más apreciados de la República de Moldavia: Bufnița Albă. Cabe mencionar que este es el primer restaurante del país, ubicado fuera de la capital, que promovió la buena cocina, siempre apoyando a los pequeños productores locales. El concepto de alta cocina ha sido discreto y muy simbólico remodelado a partir de la cocina tradicional, con platos locales, propios de la zona y tan sabrosos en su forma moderna. Entre los proyectos audaces en los que Castel Mimi todavía está trabajando se encuentra el primer Wine SPA en el país, un servicio de construcción que hará las delicias del público pronto. Así, Castel Mimi se convierte en el único enoturismo de la región con una máxima diversidad de servicios: desde rutas enológicas con degustación, hasta servicios hoteleros y SPA temáticos.





“Castel Mimi es un valor que perdura en el tiempo. Estamos acostumbrados a crear sabor y calidad en Castel Mimi, pero estos hitos siempre se mejoran y mantienen la huella del pasado y las nuevas tendencias. Gracias por su apoyo y le prometemos estilo y calidad en absolutamente todos los servicios y producción y más allá ”.

Adrian Trofim, director de Castel Mimi



La fuente del artículo es la publicación en línea, AGORA. También en el sitio, puede ver más imágenes.

Castel Mimi - a landmark in wine tourism, internationally recognized and increasingly sought after by tourists from around the world (INFOGRAPHIC)

The history of Castel Mimi was reborn in Bulboaca village in the 21st century. With each day, with each wine-growing season and with each guest who crosses the threshold of the castle, the location becomes a landmark of receiving tourism, perfectly combined with the wine-growing one, of an incomparable uniqueness. The architectural jewel from Anenii Noi district - Mimi Castle - hidden for a while under the plated facade in the Soviet period, has known in the last two decades the largest restoration project. Hand in hand with good wines, made according to old family traditions, but also according to the most modern technologies in the field, the place has become one of the most sought after landmarks on the tourist map of the country. What achievements already pass in the history of Castel Mimi only five years after its inauguration, find out, step by step.




Mimi Castle - a landmark in winemaking and tourism

The great Castle of Bulboaca keeps in memory and walls the history of Bessarabia, which makes it even more proud of its identity. The entire complex covers an area of ​​over 10 ha, and the vineyards of Castel Mimi grow this "huge estate full of must" to about 170 hectares. In 2016, Castel Mimi received the title of "Business Card of Moldova" thanks to the Italian designer Arnaldo Tranti and over 600 specialists, entering the top 15 most beautiful national architectural works. Here, in the last 5 years, it also attracts tourist activity, the entire complex with all its attractions hosting more than 200,000 visitors from over 80 countries. The more he received, the more he gave: Castel Mimi has increased in recent years 5 times the number of countries where it exports its wines.





Mimi Castle, in the preferences of foreign officials

Castel Mimi has been found over time among the landmarks chosen by the official delegations that visit our country, but also the groups of tourists who arrive in Bulboaca. The most recent reason for pride is the Global Tourism Congress, held at the Castle. Castel Mimi received the title of "the largest investment in the renovation of a winery in the Balkans", with wines highly appreciated internationally by renowned experts in specialized competitions. On September 21 (a.c.) the guests of honour of the complex were the members of the UEFA committee, the president of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova and the UEFA representatives, welcomed at Bulboaca by Iurie Trofim, the owner of Castel Mimi. Aleksandr Ceferin, the UEFA president, left his signature on the Castel Mimi wine barrel, and the world football legend, Luis Figo, highly appreciated the qualities of the wines from the castle reserve.


"Castel Mimi is a value that lasts over time. We are used to creating taste and quality at Castel Mimi, but these landmarks are always improved and keep both the imprint of the past and of new trends. Thank you for your support and we promise you style and quality in absolutely all services and production and beyond ”.

Adrian Trofim, director of Castel Mimi



The source of the article is the online publication, AGORA. Also on the site, you can see more pictures.