First edition of International Interwar Music Festival to take place in Bucharest in July

The first edition of the International Interwar Music Festival will take place from July 5 to 7 at Sala Radio in Bucharest.

Dedicated to the music from the 1920s to the 1940s, the event is organized under the motto "A music to remember" by the ProCultArt Association, with actress Miruna Ionescu and violinist Valentin Albeșteanu as initiators and organizers.

The festival's goal is to revitalize, value, and publicly recognize the intangible heritage represented by musical genres such as tango, waltz, swing, foxtrot, charleston, café-concert, musette, cabaret music, and other styles derived from these genres. A European cultural premiere, the festival brings together renowned artists from countries such as France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Romania.

"For the first time in the last 100 years, Romania is once again showcasing its heritage, alongside other European countries, represented by the music that provided the sonic backdrop of that Storybook period,” stated Miruna Ionescu, actress and president of the ProCultArt Association, cited by Radio Romania.

“Interwar music created strong cultural, diplomatic, and even economic connections between states. It was the period when performers recorded their songs on ebonite records, the gramophone - the singing machine - ensuring their notoriety, music shops imported scores of popular melodies, new songs with intelligible lyrics and rhythms appeared, and dancing orchestras resounded in luxury restaurants of major cities in search of emancipation,” she added.

Organizers of the festival aim to salvage the heritage of interwar music and bring it to the audience once more.

The program for each of the 3 days of the event can be consulted here.

(Photo source: Festival International de Muzica Interbelica on Facebook)