imported>Jevansen: Moving from Category:20th-century classical violinists to Category:20th-century Romanian classical violinists using Cat-a-lot

2025-04-04T02:02:22Z

Moving from Category:20th-century classical violinists to Category:20th-century Romanian classical violinists using Cat-a-lot

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{{Short description|Romanian musician (died 2023)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Mariana Sîrbu
| image = Mariana Sîrbu in 1970.png
| image_upright =
| alt =
| caption = Sîrbu in 1970
| birth_date = 1948 or 1949
| birth_place = [[Iași]], [[Socialist Republic of Romania|Romanian People's Republic]]
| death_date = {{Death date and given age|2023|08|01|73–75|df=yes}}
| death_place =
| occupation = {{cslist| Classical violinist | academic teacher }}
| organizations = {{cslist| Cvartetul Academica | Trio di Milano | [[I Musici]] | Quartetto Stradivari | [[University of Music and Theatre Leipzig]] }}
}}

'''Mariana Sîrbu''' (1948 or 1949 – 1 August 2023), also credited as '''Sârbu''', was a [[Romania]]n classical violinist and academic teacher, who made an international career performing and recording. She was focused on [[chamber music]], founding the Academica String Quartet in 1968, joining the Trio di Milano in 1985, and founding the Quartetto Stradivari in 1994. She was [[concertmaster]] of [[I Musici]] from 1993 to 2003. She became professor of violin at the [[University of Music and Theatre Leipzig]] in Leipzig in 2002, gave international master classes and was juror for competitions of violin and chamber music.

== Biography ==
=== Origins and early life ===
Sîrbu was born in 1948 or 1949<ref name="medaliați">{{cite news|title=Interpreți români medaliați ai concursurilor 'George Enescu'. Prezențe remarcabile pe scena concursului și festivalului 'George Enescu'|newspaper=[[Munca]]|issue=7092|date=5 September 1970|page=VII}}</ref> in the city of [[Iași]], [[Socialist Republic of Romania|Romanian People's Republic]]. She started playing the violin under the supervision of her parents;<ref name="Strad" /><ref name="Radio Luna" /> her father, schoolteacher Gheorghe Sîrbu, reportedly taught her in the "Russian violin manner".<ref name="vasiliu">{{cite news|first=Alex|last=Vasiliu|title=Eseul pe trei quadranți. Enescu descifrat|newspaper=Monitorul de Sibiu|issue=871|date=15 September 2001|page=6}}</ref> She then went on to study professionally in her native city, at the [[Octav Băncilă]] Elementary and Medium School of Music and Arts.<ref name="pascu62">{{cite news|first=George|last=Pascu|title=Cronica muzicală. Succesele tinerilor ieșeni la Festivalul republican al școlilor și institutelor de artă |newspaper=Flacăra Iașului|issue=4850|date=8 April 1962|page=2}}</ref> She took her first award locally, in 1956,<ref name="medaliați"/> and, as noted by music critic George Pascu, impressed the public with her "major qualities."<ref name="pascu67">{{cite news|first=George|last=Pascu|title=Viața culturală. Elogiu muncii și talentului |newspaper=Flacăra Iașului|issue=6541|date=24 September 1967|page=2}}</ref> In April 1962, Sîrbu performed with seven of her schoolmates at the [[Romanian Athenaeum]] student gala. She won an award for her "beautiful and clean" rendition of [[Camille Saint-Saëns|Saint-Saëns]]'s ''[[Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso]]''.<ref name="pascu62"/> Her debut in concert was in 1966, at the [[Romanian Radio Broadcasting Company]]: she performed [[Felix Mendelssohn|Mendelssohn]]'s [[Violin Concerto (Mendelssohn)|Violin Concerto]], with {{ill|Emanuel Elenescu|ro}} as the conductor.<ref name="medaliați"/>

Graduating high school in summer 1967, Sîrbu initially enlisted at [[George Enescu National University of Arts|Iași Conservatory]], and performed with her colleagues at that year's edition of the [[George Enescu Festival]], taking third prize in the violin competition.<ref name="pascu67"/> She had also won an award presented by the [[Young Pioneers (Soviet Union)|Soviet Pioneer Organization]]; in June 1970, she took fourth prize at the [[Carl Flesch International Violin Competition]] in London.<ref name="medaliați"/> She went on to study with [[Ștefan Gheorghiu (violinist)|Ștefan Gheorghiu]] at the [[National University of Music Bucharest]].<ref name="medaliați"/><ref name="Strad" /><ref name="Radio Luna" /><ref name="vasiliu"/> During this time, Sîrbu learned to play the instrument "Western-style".<ref name="vasiliu"/> Full international recognition began once she embarked on her concert career. She performed as a soloist in great concert halls such as [[Berliner Philharmonie]], [[Teatro Colón]] in Buenos Aires, [[Sydney Opera House]], [[Wiener Musikverein]], [[Concertgebouw (Amsterdam)|Concertgebouw]] in Amsterdam, [[Carnegie Hall]] and [[Lincoln Center]] in New York City, [[Teatro alla Scala]] in [[Milan]] and [[Suntory Hall]] in Tokyo.<ref name="Strad" /><ref name="Leipzig" /> Additionally, she continued to take part in various international music festivals.<ref name="Leipzig" />

=== Chamber music ===
In 1967, while still studying in Bucharest, Sîrbu was a founder of the Cvartetul Academica (Academica String Quartet), with violinist Ruxandra Colan, violist Constantin Zanidache, and cellist Mihai Dăncilă.<ref name="metason" /> The ensemble toured in many countries,<ref name="Banff" /> and made recordings.<ref name="metason" /> With the quartet, she was a prize-winner at international competitions including [[Liège]] in 1972, [[Munich]] in 1973, [[Geneva]] in 1974 and Belgrade in 1975.<ref name="Strad" /><ref name="Banff" /> From 1979, the quartet was based in Ireland,<ref name="metason" /> with Sîrbu also joining the similar house quartet of [[RTÉ Radio 1]].<ref name="vasiliu"/>

In 1985, Sîrbu joined the [[Trio di Milano]], along with [[Bruno Canino]] as the pianist and [[Rocco Filippini]] as the cellist.<ref name="Strad" /><ref name="Radio Luna" /> She was [[concertmaster]] of the [[I Musici]] chamber orchestra from 1993 to 2003, touring and recording.<ref name="Strad" /><ref name="Banff" /> In 1994 she participated in establishing the Quartetto Stradivari,<ref name="Strad" /> as the first violinist,<ref name="Radio Luna" /> with Cristina Dăncilă, {{ill|Massimo Paris|de}}, and Mihai Dăncilă.<ref name="tiscali" /> Sîrbu played a [[Stradivarius]] violin, "Conte di Fontana". Made in 1702, it had been previously played by the Russian maestro [[David Oistrakh]].<ref name="Strad" /><ref name="Leipzig" />

=== Teaching ===
After graduating from university, Sîrbu worked for several years as Gheorghiu's assistant in Bucharest. She later taught at the [[Scuola di Musica di Fiesole]] in Florence.<ref name="Banff" /> She gave master classes in France, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, the [[Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity|Banff Centre]] in Canada, in China and Japan.<ref name="Banff" /> In September 2001, she returned to her native Romania to perform once again at the Enescu Festival, earning praise for her since-acquired expertise in [[Baroque music]].<ref name="vasiliu"/> From 2002 she was professor of violin at the [[University of Music and Theatre Leipzig]] in Leipzig.<ref name="Strad" /><ref name="Leipzig" /> Among her students there was [[Ioana Cristina Goicea]], from 2012 to 2015.<ref name="QEC" /> She was visiting professor at the [[Irish World Academy of Music and Dance]] at the [[University of Limerick]], Ireland.<ref name="Banff" /> She taught at the Corsi di Perfezionamento strumentale in [[Sermoneta]] from 2002 to 2018.<ref name="Radio Luna" />

Sîrbu was member of several international juries for competitions such as the Concorso Internazionale Triennale di Liuteria in [[Cremona]], the Concorso Vittorio Gui in [[Florence]], the chamber music competition Concorso Lorenzi in [[Trieste]], the string quartet competitions in [[Évian-les-Bains]] and [[Bordeaux]], and the violin section of the Enescu Festival (Bucharest).<ref name="Leipzig" /><ref name="Banff" />

=== Personal life ===
Sîrbu was married to her cellist colleague Mihai Dăncilă; they had a daughter, who performed as a violinist under her father's family name. The family moved to the West in 1977. Husband and wife played in the Quartetto Academica; and all three played in the Quartetto Stradivari.<ref name="tiscali" />

Sîrbu died on 1 August 2023.<ref name="Strad" /><ref name="Radio Luna" />

== Recordings ==
Many of Sîrbu's performances have been recorded, including Beethoven's [[Beethoven's violin sonatas|Violin Sonatas]] and his ''[[Triple Concerto (Beethoven)|Triple Concerto]]'',<ref name="Muziekweb" /> Enescu's three [[George Enescu#Sonatas|Violin Sonatas]] with pianist Mihail Sârbu,<ref name="Presto" /> and twelve of Vivaldi's [[List of compositions by Antonio Vivaldi#Works by RV number|Violin Concertos]].<ref name="Muziekweb" /> An album of these, which also involved the rest of I Musici, was recorded in 1995 by [[Philips Records|Philips]]. According to writer Miklós Fáy, it proved disappointing: "Despite the skill of the new first violinist, Mariana Sîrbu, this style, this kind of understanding and interpretation of Vivaldi is completely out of date."<ref name="fay">{{cite journal|first=Miklós|last=Fáy|title=Zene. Régi századok kegyence|journal=[[Élet és Irodalom]]|volume=XXXIX|issue=8|page=19|year=1995}}</ref>

Sîrbu also recorded ''[[The Four Seasons (Vivaldi)|The Four Seasons]]'' with I Musici, as many violinists (including [[Federico Agostini]]) had done; a reviewer from ''[[Gramophone (magazine)|Gramophone]]'' found her as incisive, and her lines in the slow movements "more finely and imaginatively nuanced".<ref name="Duarte" /> Her recording of the twelve concertos for solo violin of Locatelli's ''[[L'arte del violino]]'', the composer's [[magnum opus]], were regarded as the reference recording for the piece by a reviewer from ''Classics Today'' who noted her "unparalleled virtuosity and sheer sonic splendor".<ref name="Greene" />
* Vivaldi: Violin Concertos (1995);<ref name="fay"/> ''[[The Four Seasons (Vivaldi)|The Four Seasons]]'' and two more violin concertos (1997)<ref name="Duarte" />—both with I Musici
* Enescu: Violin Sonatas<ref name="Muziekweb" /><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.allmusic.com/album/enescu-violin-sonatas-mw0001536754 | title = Enescu:Violin Sonatas | publisher = [[AllMusic]] | date = 1 December 1995 | access-date = 11 June 2019 }}</ref>
* Franck: Chamber Works<ref name="Muziekweb" /><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.allmusic.com/album/franck-chamber-works-mw0002362938 | title = Franck: Chamber Works | work = AllMusic | date = 4 June 2012 | access-date = 11 June 2019 }}</ref>

== Competitions ==
Sîrbu achieved prizes at international competitions including:<ref name="tiscali" />
* [[George Enescu Prize]] (Bucharest)
* [[Carl Flesch International Violin Competition]] (London)
* [[Maria Canals International Music Competition]] (Barcelona)
* [[Vittorio Gui]] Prize (Florence)

== References ==
{{reflist|20em
| refs =

<ref name="Duarte">{{cite magazine
| last = Duarte
| first = John
| url = https://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/vivaldi-the-four-seasons-13
| title = Vivaldi The Four Seasons
| magazine = [[Gramophone (magazine)|Gramophone]]
| date = February 1997
| access-date = 7 August 2023
}}</ref>

<ref name="Greene">{{cite magazine
| last = Greene
| first = John
| url = https://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-11809/
| title = Locatelli: L'Arte del Violino/Bonucci
| magazine = Classics Today
| date = February 1997
| access-date = 7 August 2023
}}</ref>

<ref name="Banff">{{cite web
| url = http://www.banffcentre.ca/bisqc/2007/jury/sirbu.asp
| title = Mariana Sirbu, Academica Quartet (1968–1984), Quartetto Stradivari
| work = 9th [[Banff, Alberta|Banff]] International String Quartet Competition
| date = 2007
| access-date = 18 November 2008
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110525203931/http://www.banffcentre.ca/bisqc/2007/jury/sirbu.asp
| archive-date = 25 May 2011
}}</ref>

<ref name="Leipzig">{{cite web
| url = https://www.hmt-leipzig.de/index.php?liste_lehrende&ma_id=983
| title = Frau Prof. Mariana Sirbu
| work = [[Hochschule für Musik und Theater Leipzig]]
| date = 2011
| access-date = 8 August 2023
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120218212416/https://www.hmt-leipzig.de/index.php?liste_lehrende&ma_id=983
| archive-date = 18 February 2012
}}</ref>

<ref name="metason">{{cite web
| url = https://music.metason.net/artistinfo?name=Cvartetul%20Academica
| title = Cvartetul Academica
| website = music.metason.net
| date = 2023
| access-date = 7 August 2023
}}</ref>

<ref name="Muziekweb">{{cite web
| url = https://www.muziekweb.nl/en/Link/M00000241458/CLASSICAL/Mariana-Sirbu
| title = Mariana Sîrbu
| website = [[Muziekweb]]
| date = 2023
| access-date = 7 August 2023
}}</ref>

<ref name="Presto">{{cite web
| url = https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8015563--enescu-violin-sonatas-nos-1-3
| title = Enescu: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1–3
| website = prestomusic.com
| date = 2023
| access-date = 7 August 2023
}}</ref>

<ref name="QEC">{{cite web
| url = https://queenelisabethcompetition.be/fr/laureats/ioana-cristina-goicea/4804/
| title = Ioana Cristina Goicea
| website = [[Queen Elisabeth Competition]]
| date = 2023
| access-date = 7 August 2023
}}</ref>

<ref name="Radio Luna">{{cite web
| url = https://www.radioluna.it/news/2023/08/lutto-nel-mondo-della-musica-si-e-spenta-la-violinista-mariana-sirbu/
| title = Lutto nel mondo della musica, si è spenta la violinista Mariana Sirbu
| work = Radio Luna
| date = 3 August 2023
| language = it
| access-date = 7 August 2023
}}</ref>

<ref name="Strad">{{cite magazine
| url = https://www.thestrad.com/news/violinist-mariana-sirbu-has-died/16826.article
| title = Violinist Mariana Sîrbu has died
| magazine = [[The Strad]]
| date = 3 August 2023
| access-date = 7 August 2023
}}</ref>

<ref name="tiscali">{{cite web
| url = http://web.tiscali.it/quartettostradivari/inglese/curricen.htm
| title = Quartetto Stradivari
| work = tiscali.it
| date = 2023
| access-date = 7 August 2023
}}</ref>

}}

== External links ==
* {{AllMusic|id=mn0002209720}}
* {{discogs artist}}
* {{YouTube|fhGmhDVKizA|W.A. Mozart - Quintetto per 2 viole KV515 Do Magg. - Quartetto Stradivari (2013)}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sirbu, Mariana}}
[[Category:1940s births]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing]]
[[Category:2023 deaths]]
[[Category:Musicians from Iași]]
[[Category:20th-century Romanian classical violinists]]
[[Category:20th-century women musicians]]
[[Category:21st-century Romanian classical violinists]]
[[Category:21st-century Romanian women musicians]]
[[Category:Women classical violinists]]
[[Category:Romanian women violinists]]
[[Category:George Enescu National University of Arts alumni]]
[[Category:National University of Music Bucharest alumni]]
[[Category:Academic staff of the National University of Music Bucharest]]
[[Category:Romanian expatriates in Ireland]]
[[Category:Academic staff of the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig]]

Mariana Sîrbu - Revision history

imported>Jevansen: Moving from Category:20th-century classical violinists to Category:20th-century Romanian classical violinists using Cat-a-lot