I find it difficult to talk about a programme that I have worked on. I imagine that each person who creates something might feel the same reluctance to talk about the fruit of his or her imagination…

One law of creativity states that each new idea is born out of a mix of old and new, mysteriously blended inside the human brain. This is exactly what happened in the case of ‘The universe of music’ programmes.

In 2004 I was invited to see for myself how things went on in an Irish classical music radio station which enjoyed huge ratings at the time. One if the ideas that the local director had was to bring personalities from other domains to talk about their interests in music, and his first choice was a famous soccer sportscaster.

Then I figured that we could have a similar format at Radio Romania Music; however, I failed to find any music loving sportscasters in Romania, so I turned my attention to spokesmen in the cultural area, people who could be an example for all those who have not yet dared to enter into the realm of classical music.

In November 2005, the cycle had its debut, with the first four programmes being done with Victor Rebengiuc. My voice cannot be heard in those recordings, because I initially thought I could turn a dialogue into a monologue, which turned out to be a bad idea as I soon found out. Next we had a series a dialogues with Horia Roman Patapievici, Nicolae Manolescu, Vlad Alexandrescu, Octavian Paler, Constantin Balaceanu-Stolnici and Marcel Iures. Each of these emblematic figures were allotted four or five shows, depending on how many Saturdays there were in that particular month of broadcast. My guests were at first intimidated upon hearing that they had to attend so many two-hour meetings, but they all found out eventually that time flies in a heartbeat when you skillfully blend together music with an interesting conversation.

In June 2006, as I became unavailable, the show was taken over by my husband, Tiberiu Comandasu, who brought the first series to an end together with director Alexandru Dabija. Starting with October 2006, Tiberiu Comandasu’s guests have been Neagu Djuvara, Sorin Dumitrescu, Pavel Susara, Ana Blandiana, Alexandru Tocilescu, Teodor Baconsky and Theodor Paleologu.

The 2008-2009 series brought in front on the Radio Romania Music microphone the likes of Mircea Mihaies, Dan C. Mihailescu, Mircea Cartarescu, Alexandru Dabija, Vladimir Tismaneanu and Mihai Sora, and the next season, 2009-2010, Vlad Zografi, Tudor Chirilă, Mihail Neamţu, Radu Paraschivescu, Marina Constantinescu, Ioana Pârvulescu, Medeea Marinescu.

I think that there is a lesson to be learned from everything that we do in life. I have learned many things by working on this cycle on programmes, where I have invested all my passion for classical music, my favorite works, the ideas and the less known things about my guest’s lives. I have learned that it is a great privilege to spend even a few hours in the company of enlightened minds; I have learned that what you know and how you chisel your own soul is directly proportional to how modest you are and how much common sense you possess.

I am eager to receive your opinions regarding the programme at cristina.comandasu@radioromania.ro. The programmes may be heard now on Saturday and Sunday, at 22.