September 2023, in the anniversary year of the 140th anniversary of Ciprian Porumbescu's death, the 170th anniversary of his birth, and the 200th anniversary of the birth of his father, priest Iraclie Porumbescu. Good occasion for a pilgrimage to Chernivtsi. And so we set off, a director (Cristina Chirvasie) and a great-granddaughter (Stanca Scholz-Cionca), in the footsteps of Ciprian, whose intimate diary from 1879, Diary of Important Happenings and Events and Other Mischief, has just come out of print. We will search for the remnants of Chernivtsi in Franz Joseph's time, when it was the multi-ethnic, thriving capital of the Duchy of Bukovina.
A movie directed by Cristina Chirvasie, produced by Grațiana Lăzărescu, realized with the support of the Memoria Cultural Foundation, within the project Revolution of Models.
The film offers an incursion into the universe of the young Ciprian Porumbescu, presenting the events and experiences he lived in Chernivtsi, the multi-ethnic capital of the Duchy of Bucovina under the reign of Emperor Franz Joseph. Through his diary entries, viewers are invited to discover the cultural and social atmosphere of the city at that time, including religious and secular celebrations, concerts, parades and other manifestations of urban life. The documentary reconstructs these moments, offering an authentic insight into the influences that shaped the composer's personality and creativity.
The premiere of the film took place on September 15, 2024 at the Municipal Theatre "Matei Vișniec" in Suceava, within the program "Bucovina Cultural Autumn". The movie was later presented in Bucharest in the presence of the production team and special guests.
This documentary offers a valuable insight into a significant period in the life of Ciprian Porumbescu, highlighting the cultural and social influences that contributed to his formation as an artist and a man.
