The Choir of the Transylvania State Philharmonic of Cluj-Napoca was founded in 1972, during the directorship of Maestro Sigismund Toduţă, famous composer and head of the Cluj music school, whose initiative and perseverance had an important weight in the achievement of this project. The first conductor of the ensemble was Professor Dorin Pop, a renowned personality in choral music in Romania, who supervised every aspect of the development of the young ensemble, from the initial auditions of the singers to the last element of performance. The results were spectacular. After only two years, the choir of the Cluj Philharmonic achieved the highest national prominence, where it remains today.
In 1976, Florentin Mihăescu, the assistant of Dorin Pop, took over the direction of the choir. He made a notable contribution to the broadening of the choir’s repertoire, and scored the first international successes of the ensemble.
In 1986, Cornel Groza assumed the directorship of the choir, continuing the path established by his predecessors, making out of the Choir a world rank ensemble. The Cluj Choir, through its exceptional qualities and performances, constituted its own visiting card. Each performance, all over the world, meant new promotion and attracted superlative remarks, as well as high rank collaboration offers.
The vocal-symphonic concerts, presented in Cluj, in collaboration with the excellent orchestra of the Philharmonic, are performed at a level equal to that heard anywhere in the major musical centers of the world. The choir has collaborated with outstanding Romanian and foreign conductors such as Gary Bertini, Jànos Ferencsik, Pinchas Steinberg, Shlomo Mintz, Michi Inoue, Leopold Hager, Maurice Handford, Pierre Cao, Stefan Anton Reck, David Shallon, Nicholas McGegan, Edward Tschiwjel, Erich Bergel, Cristian Mandeal, Làszlo Heltai, Donato Renzetti, Lü Jia, Klaus Peter Flor, as well as with outstanding orchestras such as Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Zürich Tonhalle Orchestra, Luxembourg RTL Orchestra, Philharmonie Lorraine, Bucharest George Enescu Philharmonic, Orchestra Nazionale RAI di Torino and Orchestra Internazionale d’Italia. The choir has performed within the most important Romanian festivals - The George Enescu Festival Bucharest, The Cluj Musical Autumn Festival, The Cluj Mozart Festival, The Cluj Modern Festival, The Iasi Romanian Music Festival. The renown of the ensemble grew with its tours abroad, with concerts in several important musical centers such as Berlin, Jerusalem, Luzerne, Ravello, Pesaro, Macerate, Naples, Luxembourg, Cordoba, Assisi, Amsterdam, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Geneva and Athens.
Although the main field of the ensemble is the vocal-symphonic repertoire, the a cappella activity is also important. In this repertoire, Romanian pieces are broadly represented, and thus the ensemble makes a well deserved contribution to the recognition of Romanian choral music abroad. Thus the Choir becomes the messenger both of interpretative art and Romanian works: performance of the G. Enescu’s Oedipe at the Luzerne Festival (on the occasion of Enescu’s centennial anniversary), or the absolute première of S. Toduţă’s Mesterul Manole, within the Cluj Musical Autumn Festival, 1986, under the direction of Emil Simon.
In 1996, the Choir collaborated with Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of Maestro Gary Bertini, performing H. Berlioz – La Damnation de Faust; one year later, the Choir has been invited again by the same orchestra in order to perform Bellini’s Norma, and Schubert’s Missa in G moll, under the direction of Maestro Pinchas Steinberg. In 1998, the Choir has been selected by the RAI Television to give concerts in Torino and Assisi, together with the remarkable RAI Orchestra, under the direction of Shlomo Mintz.
In Israel, the Cluj Choir participated in world size events : Liturgica Festival 2000, Jerusalem (where they performed three programs together with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Gary Bertini, David Shallon and Nicholas McGegan and a highly appreciated a’cappella program), as well as a concert on the occasion of the Inauguration of Terraces of Light of Carmel Mount – Baha’i Temple, Haifa (together with the world première of the piece composed by Lasse Thoresen – Terraces of Lights). The Choir made numerous tours in Spain, performing outstanding ‘a-cappella’ programs, among which the Kontakion – Byzantium music program, with participation in select dinner events, such as Music in Royal Ambient (in El Escorial, Great Basilicum), or regular participations in the Madrid Sacred Music Festival.
Since 1970-80, the Choir collaborated at opera productions: Martina Franca and Pesaro Festivals (Italy). Among the latest projects, there is the Festival in Caesarea (Israel, 2000), with Puccini’s Turandot, in collaboration with Tel Aviv New Israeli Opera; Ehrenbreitstein, Germany, 2000, with Verdi’s Nabucco and, in 2002, with Verdi’s Aida, in collaboration with Koblenz Theater.
In 2003, the name of the Cluj Philharmonic Choir could be seen on the screenplay of The Passions of the Christ, directed by the famous actor Mel Gibson. The recordings for the music of this film have been made in Cluj.
Their radio and TV broadcasts, as well as their CD recordings are much appreciated. The most recent release is an Arte Nova CD with works by Brahms (Ein deutsches Requiem, Nänie, Schicksalslied) with the Bucharest Philharmonic under the baton of Cristian Mandeal
Cornel Groza
Cornel Groza (b. 1950) began his musical training at the Cluj Music College. After that he studied musical pedagogy at the “Gh. Dima” Music Academy in the same city. In 1970 he became a member of the Chamber Choir Cappella Transylvanica of Cluj, which, under the direction of Professor Dorin Pop, became a major choral school center at that time. This experience was pivotal in Groza’s choice of choral conducting for his life’s work. In 1972, he was one of the founding members of the Cluj Philharmonic Choir. Since 1978 he is teaching choral conducting at the Gh.Dima Music Academy. In 1986, he became the Transylvania State Philharmonic Choir’s permanent conductor.
Through his excellent conducting technique, his complete knowledge and full command of choral singing and fine sense of choral sonority, Cornel Groza brings a vital impulse to the steadily growing success of the Cluj Philharmonic Choir.
PRESS COMMENTS AND ARTISTS’ OPINIONS
“ ... Une réalisation artistique impeccable du Choeur de la de la Philharmonie de Cluj sous la direction de Cornel Groza - en qui on reconnait le digne successeur du merveilleux maître Dorin Pop. La précision d’intonation est portée aux ultimes limites, le sens rythmique est irréprochable, l’expression musicale est cohérente et convaincante, avec une vibration émotionnelle bien soutenue”. (Cronica, Iaşi, 1990)
“Sehr kerniger, strahlender, massiver Sound. Reaktionsbereitschaft, Intonationssicherheit, stimmlicher Hochglanz ind Differenzierungsvermögen; Tongebung optimal ausgewogen, rund und und warm, chortechnische Pregnanz und einmaliger Schmelz dieses überragenden Chores aus Cluj”. (Luxemburger Wort, Luxemburg, 1992)
“Le Choeur de la Philharmonie de Cluj est une formation d’élite... Puissance vocale, clarté de tous les pupitres, dynamique étonnante et un sens musical parfait. Le public a fait un véritable triomphe aux choristes venus de Roumanie montrer ce que signifie pour eux un véritable choeur professionnel. Ils se situent parmi les plus grandes formations internationales”.(Verdun, France, 1993)
“Der Chor der rumänischen Staatsphilharmonie Transylvania hatte weltklasse. Alles blieb durchhörbar, bei aller schlank, klangschön - grossartig!” ( Rheinische Post,Düsseldorf, 1994)
“Ein chorisches Stimmwunder”. ( Der Landbote,Winterthur, 1994)
“Der von Cornel Groza vorbereitete Chor der Staatsphilharmonie Transylvania wurde zum Ereignis der Abend”. ( Tages Anzeiger,Zürich, 1994)
“Hauptakteur der Aufführung in der Tonhalle war der Chor der Staatsphilharmonie Transylvania. Diese Chorsänger strahlten Engagiertheit, ja Feuer über die Rampe hinweg”. ( Neue Züricher Zeitung,Zürich, 1994)
“Einfach bewunderswert, wie der Philharmonische Chor Klausenburg die immensen Aufforderungen der ‘Missa solemnis’ durchgehalten hat”. (Kärntner Tageszeitung,Klagenfurt, 1995)
“En écoutant le Choeur de la Philharmonie Transylvania en concert à Bucarest avec le ‘Requiem’ de Brahms, j’ai été impressionnée jusqu’aux larmes par la grande beauté des voix, par la culture musicale; un ensemble situé au plus haut niveau artistique!” (Ileana Cotrubaş, Bucureşti, 1996)
“Un ensemble musical d’une grande qualité artistique, une grande discipline musicale, d’une homogénéité vocale et d’une capacité de communication qui m’ont vraiment enchantées”. (Gary Bertini, Tel-Aviv, 1998)
“An exceptionally authentic contribution of the Transylvania State Philharmonic Choir to the Holland Festival”. (Dagblandunie,Amsterdam, 1999)
“What a wonderful chorus – tremendous musicianship, diction and enthusiasm. Very well trained and all in all a great joy to work with”. (Nicholas McGegan, Jerusalem, 2000)
“The Choir built up of the Cluj Transylvania Philharmonic and the Cantabria Lyric Choir showed light and sonorous hue”.
(Diario montanes – Santander, 2003)
“The choral ensemble, built up of the Cluj Transylvania Philharmonic Choir and the Cantabria Lyric Chorus gave an excellent performance, featuring, through unity and force”. ( Pera Actual, Madrid, 2003)
“Ausserst präziser Chor mit einer überwaltigenden dynamischen Spannweite”. (Neue Luzerner Zeitung, Luzerne, 2003)
“The Romanian Choir drew us closer, for the first time, to the chant tradition connected with the orthodox liturgy…The 40 choir singers offered us an exquisite performance”. (La Nueva Esspan, Gijon, 2004)