Pianist Toma Popovici will perform a solo recital on the stage of the Romanian Athenaeum this Sunday (March 9th, 2025) at 7:00 PM. Toma Popovici has an extensive concert career, having participated in prestigious events such as the George Enescu International Festival, the Rockport Chamber Music Festival, and the Murten Classics Festival, among others. Alongside his career as a soloist, he is also dedicated to teaching, holding masterclasses both in Romania and abroad.

On Sunday evening, Toma Popovici will present an all-Chopin program. He will juxtapose Chopin's four ballades with the composer's final piano sonata-Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58.

This Sunday, you will perform an all-Chopin program. What is your perspective on the four ballades, which are considered key works in the piano repertoire and emblematic pieces of Romantic aesthetics?

I chose this all-Chopin program for two reasons: first, because this March marks 215 years since his birth; second, because he is one of the most beloved Romantic composers for piano. When structuring this recital, I titled it Four Stories and a Novel. I believe this program-the ballades and the B minor sonata-represents an encyclopedia of Chopin's musical universe, encompassing everything from the virtuosity of his études and concertos to the poetry of his nocturnes, the grace of his waltzes and salon pieces, and the narrative depth of the ballades, which truly feel like stories.

The four ballades form an arc across Chopin's entire compositional output-starting with early Chopin and gradually showcasing the development of his style, his way of structuring and composing, culminating in the fourth ballade, which belongs to his later works. This final ballade is much more complex in writing-more polyphonic, profound, and dramatic.

And the "novel" you mentioned-Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58, his last piano sonata-how do you see this work?

It is also a compendium of Chopin's language. The first movement resembles a ballade, with its narrative, storytelling expression. The second movement has the grace of a quick waltz. The third movement is a true nocturne, uniquely poetic, while the final movement combines drama, virtuosity, and brilliance. It is one of the most challenging and demanding works in the entire piano repertoire.

What connects you to Chopin's music in general?

There's a lot to say. My first encounter with Chopin's music was long ago, back in the1980s. There was a radio program on Program 2 (the equivalent of today's Radio Romania Cultural) called The Melomaniac's Hour, airing between 3:00 and 4:00 PM. It had a weekly theme, and I listened to it eagerly because it was one of the few opportunities to hear great artists-records were nearly impossible to find. I remember one of those weeks was dedicated to Chopin, and that's when I had the chance to hear legendary pianists: Dinu Lipatti, Arthur Rubinstein, Martha Argerich, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, performing his ballades, scherzos, and sonatas. I also remember Maurizio Pollini playing the études. Another defining moment was when someone brought me two records from Moscow featuring Arthur Rubinstein's 1964 recital. That was when I discovered Chopin's Sonata in B-flat minor, a completely atypical work-different from the Chopin language I was familiar with at the time. That recital was entirely focused on Chopin's repertoire-études, mazurkas, nocturnes. Later, throughout my pianistic journey, I studied his works-starting with études, moving on to ballades and sonatas.

How does it feel to return to the stage of the Romanian Athenaeum?

I wouldn't exactly call it a return-it is, in a way, a debut as a soloist. I have played chamber music there before, and I've performed with orchestras in other contexts, but not with the Philharmonic Orchestra. This will be my first solo recital on the grand stage of the Romanian Athenaeum, and I feel honored by this opportunity.