"IN THE WONDERFUL MONTH OF MAY" - lied recital, premiere, with tenor ȘTEFAN von KORCH

 May 29, 2026, 7:00 PM 

I.C. Brătianu Hall 

The premiere recital "In the wonderful month of May" offers the audience a sentimental journey into the intimate universe of the lied, a genre of delicacy, subtle emotion, and concentrated poetic expression. The show will have a unique concept that the host soloist - tenor Ştefan von Korch - details: "For this first presence of the lied in the Musical Extravaganza season, I have chosen a form of presentation that will familiarize and open the public's taste for this very specific genre: the recital will include selections from the most well-known and subtle creations signed by Schumann, Schubert or Strauss, in a musical delight that will create a special state and atmosphere."

The recital is an absolute novelty in the Musical Extravaganza season, which brings opera, operetta and the symphonic vocal genre closer to the public, through monthly thematic concerts, under the artistic coordination of the host tenor Ștefan von Korch.

The other premiere of the season will be the presentation in its entirety of the famous work Carmina Burana, outdoors, on July 17 in the Herăstrău Summer Garden.

About ** Ștefan von Korch – Tenor, host soloist **

Tenor Ștefan von Korch is appreciated monthly by the public as the host soloist and artistic coordinator of the Musical Extravaganza season, a pioneering cultural project carried out in the capital, with extensions on the stages of Brașov, Pitești, Sibiu and Craiova.

With a dynamic presence in national and international cultural life, Ştefan von Korch will be present in February on the stage of the Iași National Opera in "The Merry Widow 2.0," directed by Andrei Şerban.

In 2025 he was the only Romanian soloist in the traditional "Los Tres Tenores" concerts in Central America, alongside soloists from Spain and Honduras, he debuted at the Romanian Athenaeum in "Concert at the Imperial Court," opened the Arad Philharmonic season with "Carmina Burana", his "signature" work, in which he also began the year on the stage of the Transylvania State Philharmonic.

He is the unmistakable voice for the tenor line in Carmina Burana – a passage at the limit of the male voice's capabilities, through whose interpretation he navigates with overflowing ease. Thanks to the manner of interpreting this work, he was invited to over 40 performances of Carmina Burana, in the Philharmonic Orchestras and Cultural Institutions in the country, but also abroad, in 2024 he was honored to open the Palermo Classica Festival in this work, with an acclaimed appearance in the press in the peninsula and in Romania alike.

 His name is also linked to over 15 performances at the Bucharest National Opera, where he was invited over time in "The Barber of Seville," "The Elixir of Love" and "Falstaff," but also to the national premiere of the opera "I Puritani," by Vicenzo Belinni, one of the highest scores written for male voices.

He ended 2024 with notable appearances at the Ion Dacian National Operetta and Musical Theatre, at the Sala Palatului and at the Philharmonic Orchestras of Târgu-Mureș and Timișoara. 

 In 2023, he was the only Romanian soloist in the China Tour 2023, alongside the Reino de Aragon Orchestra from Spain.

 He delighted the audience with his voice in 3 national premieres: "I Puritani" and "La Sonnambula," both by Vicenzo Bellini, the vocal-symphonic work "Messa di Gloria" by Rossini, but also in the European premiere of "Traiano in Dacia."

 Over time, he has interpreted the roles specific to his voice from the very well-known operas: "Rigoletto", "The Barber of Seville", "The Elixir of Love", "Don Pasquale", on the stages of the Operas in Bucharest, Cluj and Iași and is a constant presence on the stages of national philharmonics, Mozart's "Requiem", Bach's "Christmas Oratorio" and Mendelshon's "Longesangt".

Internationally, he has performed at the Metropolitan Concert Hall Tokyo, Zhuhai Opera House, Nanjing Poly Grand Theatre and Chongqing Grand Theatre, Opera Kaiserslautern Germany, Teatro Verdi Padua Italy, the concert hall of the Zurich Academy of Music, the National Theatre Bratislava.

About the Musical Extravaganza season

The concerts aim to offer the public the joy of meeting representative names of the lyrical scene, in a more intimate setting, which offers a different perspective on the artistic act compared to that of the imposing opera stage, but also to bring the classical genre closer to audiences of all ages.  Spectators are invited to admire their favorite soloists in a select atmosphere, complemented by a chamber accompaniment, which highlights the performers in a warm and personal light.

The first two Musical Extravaganza seasons, conducted under the artistic guidance of tenor Ştefan von Korch, included over 20 successful concerts, in which they delighted the audience, together with the host soloist: soprano Cristina Maria Oltean, soprano Daniela Bucşan and Oana Maria Şerban, baritones Adrian Mărcan, Lucian Petrean and Fang Shuang, pianist Alexandru Burcă, accordionist Emy Drăgoi, pianist Bogdana Cocîrlea, and the Pitești Philharmonic Orchestra – the most avant-garde in the country.