Vasile Moldoveanu was one of the greatest voices of the International Opera, acclaimed on the stage of the world, but ignored and sentenced to death in communist Romania. Friend with Pavarotti, Moldoveanu paid with the exile the desire to follow his dream.
Tenor Vasile Moldoveanu Photo: Archive
Vasile Moldoveanu was not only an exceptional tenor, but also a symbol of artists sacrificed by the communist regime. Although he climbed the world’s most important scenes, including Metropolitan Opera in New York, where he held 105 shows in 10 years, Romania treated with contempt.
In 1974, a military court was sentenced to death, after the artist refused to return to the country in Germany. The choice of artistic freedom instead of submission to an oppressive system was interpreted as a betrayal.
Convicted for dreaming free
Vasile Moldoveanu has never been a member of the Communist Party, a choice that brought him numerous obstacles. With difficulty, he managed to obtain a visa to go to Germany in 1972 in 1972. There, invited by the Viktor Vladarski and Friedrich Pasch agencies, decided to stay in the West. The gesture was considered “betrayal”, and Romania was convicted of death, writes Newsweek.
Applause in the West, silence at home
After a promising debut at the Romanian Opera in Bucharest in 1966, in the role of Arlecchino in Pagliacci, Moldoveanu managed to sing only seven seasons in Romania. In the early 1970s, he left permanently and built an impressive career in Europe and America.
It was the main voice in the production of Rigoletto directed by Roman Polanski in Munich and was invited to the big international scenes: Palais Garnier in Paris, Vienna State Opera, Washington or Denver. At the Metropolitan Opera in New York, he played ten important roles: from Pinkerton to Rodolfo, from des Grieux to Don Carlo. Some shows were broadcast live on television and brought him the appreciation of the whole world.
Friendship with Pavarotti: “We loved each other and respect”
Established in New York, where he had bought an apartment, Vasile Moldoveanu became close to Luciano Pavarotti.
“We loved each other and respect each other. We met at the premiere, then we were singing alternatively: one evening, an evening “, The story of the tenor with nostalgia.
This relationship of friendship and respect between two giants of the Opera remained unknown to the Romanian public, which only in the 2000s began to find out who was really Vasile Moldoveanu.
Discreet return home
After the 1989 Revolution, Moldoveanu returned discreetly to Romania. He never asked for official recognition, but offered free courses in Iasi and the Romanian Athenaeum, generously sharing the experience of the new generations.
He spoke in interviews about the suffering of exile, about career and about deep love for music.
In 2012, Romania finally recognized the merits, granting the order “Star of Romania” as a commander.
The painful lesson of a late recognition
The story of Vasile Moldoveanu remains a testimony to how Romania has treated its values: a world-class tenor, applauded in New York, Paris, Vienna or Rome, but almost forgotten by its own country. He was friends with Pavarotti, loved by the international audience, but marginalized for decades of the regime who convicted because he wanted to sing freely. “You can’t be a prophet in your country“He said with resignation.
It may not have been a prophet, but it was a voice that crossed the continents, despite the ideological walls and ignorance. Today, his name deserves to be written in golden letters in the history of Romanian music, even if for many, there is still an unspoken story.
