Golden Stag International Festival – a half century tradition

The greatest Interpretation International Festival in Romania had its debut on March 5th 1968 on the stage of Brașov Drama Theatre.  Part of the first team organising the first edition were personalities such as the festival directors Tudor Vornicu and Ilie Mănescu, the artistic director Valeriu Lazarov, orchestra conductor Sile Dinicu and the hosts of the show, actors Stela Popescu and Iurie Darie.

Constantin Drăghici opened the festival with a recital and the Romanian competitors were Dan Spătaru, Margareta Pâslaru and Anca Agemolu.

22 singers from 28 countries competed at that time in order to win the Trophy which finally went to Belgium with Jacques Hustin.

Although the Festival was at its early beginnings, it was known as “The East European festival looking like a Western European festival!”

The event rapidly integrated in the agenda of the Grand International Festivals and its second edition was broadcasted by 25 televisions from all around the world. This was also the year when the first Trophy went to a Romanian competitor. It was awarded to Luminiţa Dobrescu  – she won the Golden Stag Trophy in 1969 with the song “Of, inimioara” – “Oh, little heart”.

Therese Steinmetz (Netherlands) in 1970 and Anne Louise Hanson (Sweden) in 1971 are the winners of the following  editions.

In 1972, after four consecutive editions, the Festival stopped for 21 years, being organised again only 1992. The 5th edition of the event marked an important change in its history – instead of being organised indoors, the stage moved outdoors, in Brașov’s famous and beautiful Piaţa Sfatului.

After the Romanian Revolution in 1989, “Golden Stag” launched new stars in international music: Trie Utami (Indonesia), Arina (Lithuania), Worthy Davis (USA) and Cramps in The Leg (Russia), the winners of the Festival’s editions from 1992 to 1995.

In 1996, after 27 years of wanderings, the Stag came back home thanks to Monica Anghel.

Indonesia got the Trophy for the second time in 1997 with Meiske Shakila Sherhalawan. Then, there were another 3 years of interruption of the event.

The Festival comes back to life in 2001 with the performance of Romania’s representatives, the Proconsul band, who managed to convince the members of the jury that they deserve the Grand Trophy of the Golden Stag.

The Trophy remains at home for one more year thanks to the Paula Seling, Romania’s representative in 2002, who shattered all hopes for all the other competitors from all around the world.

2003 is the year when Chinese soloist Sho Baoliang wins the public, the jury and the Prize as well.

Eleanor Casar from Malta wins the “Golden Stag” Trophy in 2004.

In 2005, the Golden Stag Trophy went to Italy. Linda, born to a Romanian father and an Italian mother, has been compared many times to Anastacia, because of the resemblance of their voices. Her song, “Aria, sole, terra e mare”, has been appreciated even before the Golden Stag Festival, being awarded already at the famous San Remo Festival.

The Golden Stag 2008 stayed in Romania thanks to Razvan Krivach’s performance, who won the public’s sympathy and the votes of the jury with the song “Too much love will kill you”.

In 2009, the Golden Stag Trophy went to Italy with Antonino.

Until 2009, the year when the most recent edition of the Festival took place, TVR organised 17 editions of the Golden Stag on the Brasov stage. Great names of the musical industry climbed on the stage in Piata Sfatului.  Among those, Diana Ross, Amália Rodrigues, Julio Iglesias, Sheryl Crow, Tom Jones, Vaya con Dios, Coolio, Christina Aguilera, Kenny Rogers, Ricky Martin, Kelly Family, Patricia Kaas, Joe Cocker, Simply Red sau Steve Vai, James Brown, Culture Beat, Paul Young, Boy George, Ray Charles, Toto Cutugno, Kylie Minogue, Zucchero, INXS, UB 40, Cyndi Lauper, Vaya con Dios, The Kelly Family, Boyz II Men, T.A.T.U, Scorpions, Simple Minds, Pink or Nino D’Angelo.

With a tradition of half a century, while becoming a national brand and a real ambassador of Romania, the Golden Stag is getting ready for its 18th edition in the year of Romania’ s Centenary.

 

The performances of the „Golden Stag” International Festival:

 

1968

RITA PAVONE

GILBERT BECAUD

AMALIA ROGRIGUEZ

CATERINA CASELLI

BOBBY SOLO

CLIFF RICHARD

CONSTANTIN DRĂGHICI

 

1969

JULIETTE GRECO

CLIFF RICHARD

UDO JURGENS

GIGLIOLA CINQUETTI

ILINCA CERBACEV

MARGARETA PÂSLARU

 

1970

CONNIE FRANCIS

JOSEPHINE BAKER

MEMPHIS SLIM

JULIO IGLESIAS

MARIE LAFORET

RAPHAEL

DOINA BADEA

 

1971

THERESE STEINMETZ

CHARLES TRENET

SERGIO ENDRIGO

ENRICO MACIAS

ALAIN BARRIERE

DALIDA

DOINA BADEA

 

1992

PATRICIA KAAS

JOHNNY LOGAN & LINDA

MARTIN

RICCARDO FOGLI

SISTER SLEDGE

ANGELA SIMILEA

GABRIEL COTABIŢĂ

 

1993

TOTO CUTUGNO

DIONNE WARWICK

KYLIE MINOGUE

JERRY LEE LEWIS

ALEXANDRU ANDRIEŞ

NICU ALIFANTIS

HOLOGRAF

 

1994

JAMES BROWN

BOY GEORGE & JESUS

LOVES YOU

CULTURE BEAT

PAUL YOUNG

COMMODORES

RAY CHARLES

DAVID PALMER

SILVIA DUMITRESCU

LOREDANA GROZA

SFINX EXPERIENCE

MONICA ANGHEL

DIRECŢIA 5

 

1995

STATUS QUO

2 UNLIMITED

THE TEMPTATIONS

MC HAMMER

KENNY ROGERS

BELINDA CARLISLE

IOAN GYURY PASCU

 

1996

TOM JONES

COOLIO

VAYA CON DIOS

SOUL II SOUL

LA BOUCHE

ADRIAN DAMINESCU

TIMPURI NOI

ELENA CÂRSTEA

LOREDANA GROZA

MONICA ANGHEL

NARCISA SUCIU & MIRCEA RUSU BAND

 

1997

DIANA ROSS

SHERYL CROW

BIG MOUNTAIN

ZUCCHERO

GHEORGHE ZAMFIR

IRIS

ŞTEFAN BĂNICĂ Jr.

MARGARETA PÂSLARU

 

2001

CYNDI LAUPER

INXS

UB40

SOCA BOYS

DIRECŢIA 5

HOLOGRAF

3 SUD-EST

ŞTEFAN BĂNICĂ Jr.

 

 

2002

THE KELLY FAMILY

BOYZ II MEN

SCORPIONS

t.A.T.u

PROCONSUL

PASĂREA COLIBRI

IRIS

 

2003

RICKY MARTIN

SIMPLE MINDS

PAULA SELING

COMPACT

HOLOGRAF

NICU ALIFANTIS & ZAN

VAMA VECHE

 

2004

NINO D’ANGELO

THOMAS ANDERS

FLAVIUS TEODOSIU & EUROSOUND SHOW BAND

PINK

AURA URZICEANU

 

2005

JOE COCKER

NATALIE IMBRUGLIA

SLANG

ANALIA SELIS

PAVEL STRATAN

O-ZONE

ZDOB ŞI ZDUB

 

2008

SIMPLY RED

RUSLANA

IRIS

ŞTEFAN BĂNICĂ Jr.

HORIA BRENCIU

NATALIA RODRIGUEZ

LOS VIVANCOS

 

2009

TIZIANO FERRO

STEVE VAI

HOT CHOCOLATE

SISTEM

HOLOGRAF

DIRECŢIA 5

LOREDANA

VAMA

 

 

The winners of the „Golden Stag” Trophy

 

1968 JAQUES HUSTIN – BELGUM

1969 LUMINI]A DOBRESCU – ROMANIA

1970 THERESE STEINMETZ – NETHERLANDS

1971 ANN LOUISE HANSON – SWEDEN

1992 TRIE UTAMI – INDONESIA

1993 ARINA – LITHUANIA

1994 WORTHY DAVIS – USA

1995 CRAMPS IN THE LEG – RUSSIA

1996 MONICA ANGHEL – ROMANIA

1997 MEISKE SHERHALAWAN – INDONESIA

2001 PROCONSUL – ROMANIA

2002 PAULA SELING – ROMANIA

2003 SHA BAOLIANG – CHINA

2004 ELEONOR – MALTA

2005 LINDA – ITALY

2008 RĂZVAN KRIVACH – ROMANIA

2009 ANTONINO – ITALY