"The Diary of a Love" is a dance theater and multimedia performance to the music of George Enescu with the well-known Romanian actors Irina Movilă, Gavril Pătru, Armand Calotă and the dancers of the Bucharest National Opera in the leading roles. The performance is part of the "Theatre at the Opera" project, which aims to promote Romanian artists and Romanian culture in various artistic formulas.
The performance, inspired by the diary of Maria Cantacuzino-Enescu, is based on the true love story between the composer George Enescu and his great love, Princess Maria Cantacuzino, a story that director and choreographer Andreea Tănăsescu brings to life through images and sounds.
View of the Opera Națională București © Opera Națională București
The plot of the show revolves around six main characters: Maria Cantacuzino (Maruca), George Enescu, Mr. Ionescu, Mr. Șeitan, Mihai Cantacuzino and Nellie (Maruca's sister). The scenes inspired by real events unfold quickly, the "frames" changing almost like in a movie; the text of the show offers an X-ray view of the souls of these otherwise remarkable personalities who were, above all, human beings.
The storylines are wrapped around the metaphysical core formed by the existence of "Mr. Sheitan" - shadow and alter ego (the term "Sheitan" is a term from the Turkish language and means: devil, devil being). The devil directs, confuses and restricts the characters' decisions, forcing them to analyze and evaluate themselves as they evaluate their own world. Mr. Șeitan highlights the inconsistencies and aberrations in Maruca's love life - her escape from herself, but also the shortcomings of the social world that threatens to perish with the rise of communism. The only one who notices the decline and senses the impending upheaval is Maruca's innocent young son Constantin. The story takes place between 1890 and 1935.
"The performance, inspired by the diary of Princess Maria Cantacuzino-Enescu, is a tribute to love and to women. It aims to revive certain pages of history from a new perspective, without claiming to be a documentary, but remains essentially an artistic performance - a work of art and, like any work of art, a subjective interpretation of history. I would like to thank the management of the Bucharest National Opera, especially Mr. Daniel Jinga, for their genuine support in the realization of this project," says Andreea Tănăsescu, director, choreographer and author of the text.
Premiere on March 10, 2023
