The Iasi Philharmonic is organizing the Romanian Music Festival next Saturday, transforming Iasi into the epicenter of local music. Bujor Prelipcean, manager of the "Moldova" Philharmonic in Iași, gives us more details about this year's edition:

Mr. Bujor Prelipcean, the Festival of Romanian Music in Iași - which has become a tradition for the musical space in Romania - will take place from October 14^th to October 20th. What aspects do you think define the uniqueness of this festival?

This festival was "born" by a brilliant musician from Iași. He is Professor Emeritus MihailCozmei, who was also rector of the conservatory in Iasi and the man who always had a spark of genius in setting up things designed to put Iasi in the spotlight.

I make this preamble because I am thinking of him and of the late Ion Baciu, the former director of genius of the Moldova Philharmonic Orchestra, in whose place, for 30 years, I have been striving to match his performance.

In 1990, when the whole story of this new Romania began, the Romanian Music Festival already had a tradition. It was founded in 1973. This is worth mentioning because, in 1990, this festival was disbanded and went to Bucharest in an unusual form, calling itself the Festival of Contemporary Music, where it lasted until I became the manager of the Iasi Philharmonic. This happened on February 14th, 1999. From that moment on, I began to do everything I could to reopen and bring this Romanian music festival back to Iasi.

As every year, this year's edition includes a wide range of events - from chamber and symphonic concerts to conferences and score launches. In your opinion, what are some of the highlights of the Romanian Music Festival in Iasi?

It is very difficult to choose because the festival's agenda is so rich! It starts on October 14 with one of the best clarinettists in Romania, Mihai Ailenei, who together with Răzvan Dragnea will give us a wonderful recital.

On October 15th, the title of Professor Emeritus and Honorary Citizen of the Municipality of Iași will be awarded to Viorel Munteanu, the former rector of the National University of Art "George Enescu". Then, on October 15th, Ion Bogdan Ștefănescu will give a recital entitled "The Transparent Wings of the Flute" at the Braunstein Palace in Iași at 7pm.

Otherwise, every day is marked by many important moments. Ioana Bentoiu comes here to the George Pascu Hall on October 16th with a very interesting speech. After that, a choral concert by the UNAGE Ensemble, conducted by George Dimitriu.

On Wednesday, October 16th, at 19.00, it's the "Gavriil Musicescu" Academic Choir of the State Philharmonic of Iasi.

On October 17th, again, a lot of events, because the students and their teachers have intervened with all sorts of very interesting things. For example, we have jazz pieces in "Remember Richard Oschanitzky" - Thursday, 6 p.m., with Professor Romeo Cozma and so on.

We come to Friday, in the Gaudeamus Hall of the House of Culture of Students, where the Iasi Philharmonic Orchestra and the "Gavriil Musicescu" Academic Choir with Maestro Radu Postăvaru at the helm and Ion Bogdan Ștefănescu as soloist will have a special program, composed of works by a very good and beloved friend of the philharmonic, whom I met absolutely by chance - he is the son of the man who, in fact, made possible the establishment of the Moldova Philharmonic in Iasi; I am talking about Professor Radu Constantinescu, whose son Ilieș Constantinescu is now in Canada. This vocal-symphonic concert will feature the Symphonic Poem Anotimpurile and the Suite for chamber orchestra, in first performance, by Ilieș Constantinescu. After that, Dan Dediu - Concerto for flute and orchestra "The First World Fear", also in first performance, with our dear Ionuț Bogdan Ștefănescu. Then Viorel Munteanu; he has given us the gift of the 3rd Symphony "Brâncuși's Offering", where we will have some exceptional soloists such as Daniela Goria, soprano in the "Gavriil Musicescu" Choir, Constantin Țaga and the priest Mircea Stoleriu, who is a reciter.

Valentin Șerban will play a wonderful program with George Enescu's Impromptu concertant for violin and piano, Sonata for violin and piano Torso, Sonata III for piano and violin "in Romanian folk character".

And on Sunday, October 20th, this festival will end with "Făclia de Paști" by Alexandru Zirra (conductor, Bogdan Chiroșcă and orchestration - Bogdan Chiroșcă and Ciprian Ion, with a very interesting group of soloists) and "O noapte furtunoasă" by Paul Constantinescu (conductor, Bogdan Chiroșcă and director, Cristi Avram).

So this festival, which is full of novelties, full of beautiful things, shows a superb collaboration between all of us from Iași.

From October 14th to October 20th, only Romanian music will be played in Iași!