Romania – Ștefan Relu Mihalache, better known throughout Romania and much of Europe as Concert-R, turned 44 on June 9. Rather than simply cut a cake and blow out some candles, he did much more. The former Eurovision contestant and chart topping singer-rapper celebrated by performing a sold-out concert for fans, just as he’s done for the past seven years.
Held at Bucharest’s imposing Palace Hall, “Ziua lui Stefan” (The birthday of Stefan), the two-and-a-half-hour-plus show was an energetic and emotional production celebrating what Concert-R calls “Urban Lăutăresc, a beautiful fusion of urban and fiddle music.”
Setting a lively and engaging atmosphere for the show, while artfully reflecting the range of music performed on stage was a flexible, richly colored lighting design by Robert Rogojinschi that featured 20 CHAUVET Professional Color STRIKE M motorized strobe-washes supplied by Set-Up.
Adroitly matching his lighting with video content from his collaborator Claudiu Stan, Rogojinschi created looks that were not only festive, but also deeply reflective of the music being performed on stage.
“Half of the show was timecoded, and half was live busked,” said Rogojinschi. “I work well with Claudiu, who not only created the video content, but also operated the show. We really wanted to have live cameras transmit feeds on certain sides of risers to provide the best possible dynamics to the show.”
Rogojinschi also wanted to accent the rich, traditional Balkan brass music element of the show. His rig’s Color STRIKE M fixtures, in addition to providing dynamic eye candy for the birthday concert, also did justice to the show’s more classical elements.
Positioning eight of his Color STRIKE M units on the front truss and the remainder on four risers, Rogojinschi relied on the motorized fixture to create everything from dynamic strobing effects to bold monochromatic washes. “The Color STRIKE M played many roles,” he explained. “One of the things I really counted on them for was to highlight individual performers. I also wanted them to accent the brass instruments involved in classic Balkan music.”
“I set up the Color STRIKE M the way I did because I wanted each instrumentalist to have his or her ‘own stage,’” continued Rogojinschi. “We had these artists in a position that was at a good height, so they would not be hidden or masked in the background of dancers or choir. We wanted them to be seen in their true consistency and performance throughout the show. Naturally, we also wanted to highlight Concert-R, who is beloved in Romania. This was a national celebration, and I was very honored that our lighting was part of everything.”
