Founder and president of the International "George Enescu" Society in Vienna, Associate Professor PhD at the "George Enescu" National University of Arts in Iași, initiator of the project that led to the restoration of Enescu's house in Mihăileni (a place that now hosts the music season Concerts on the Siret River), member of the Union of Composers and Musicologists of Romania, the highly acclaimed pianist Raluca Știrbăț has the merit of having carried out a number of actions and projects that have brought value to Enescu's legacy. We recall these projects and their significance.

Ms. Raluca Știrbăț, you have an internationally successful concert career, but you are also among those musicians who have been actively involved over the years in projects and actions aimed at promoting Enescu's work and preserving his heritage. You have both the will and the ability to move mountains. I know you don't like being in the spotlight when it comes to this topic, preferring instead to bring attention to everything necessary for George Enescu's unique personality to be fully appreciated. I would like us to go over what you have managed to achieve over the years in this regard, and the national and international impact it has had. If I'm not mistaken, one of the first steps was the German translation of the volume Enescian Masterpieces by Pascal Bentoiu, in 2015?

First of all, thank you for the invitation and for the beautiful introduction. Regarding Enescian Masterpieces, that was actually one of the later steps, if I may put it that way. The first steps in the Enescian realm naturally began at the piano. Since childhood, whether consciously or not, and certainly consciously later on, my dream was to perform and record the complete works for piano, both in concert and on disc. Starting with the first CDs released with GramolaVienna in 2011, then in 2013, and later in 2015, I completed the full recording across three albums with Hänssler Classic in Germany. And somehow, simultaneously, in fact in the very same year, I translated Pascal Bentoiu's book into German, together with two exceptional translators: Larisa Schippel and Julia Richter. The volume was published by the prestigious Berlin-based publishing house Frank & Timme.I must say that for me it was a very important moment - something I had hoped for and dreamed about for years because, at that time, there was practically nothing on Enescu in the German-speaking specialist literature, apart from a very concise yet substantial volume by Dieter Nowka. I was also fortunate that Maestro Bentoiu lived to see and hold this translated volume in his hands. It brought him immense joy in the final weeks of his life. I believe it was also that same year when I published the first volume of Enescu's piano scores with Grafoart Publishing House in Bucharest and I'm happy to mention that, as always, Radio România Muzical supported us at the launch event in November.I finalized the complete edition of Enescu's solo piano works with the second volume, which includes his youthful creations - Suite No. 2, Op. 10, the Nocturne in D-flat major, and all his early works without opus numbers, many of which were unpublished or previously released in less-than-ideal conditions. Now, all pianists, whether Romanian or international, have full access to this edition, which not only corrects previous errors but also features a bilingual Romanian-English foreword, footnotes, and more - everything that Enescu's music has long deserved.

Exactly. What you pointed out is very important: these volumes include the scores of Enescu's solo piano works, both those with opus numbers and the early ones. So, the two volumes released in 2016 and most recently in 2024 are now available to the public, including musicians everywhere.

That's right. I would encourage students, professors, teachers from schools, high schools, and conservatories to purchase these volumes, especially as they are priced affordably. Musicians should understand that scores are meant to be bought, not copied. A score belongs in a musician's library - it's something to which one might return even after many years. It's a completely different experience working from a well-presented volume that includes a beautiful foreword. I forgot to mention that we also included a few facsimile pages and rare photographs, some from my personal archive. We tried to make the volumes as interesting and appealing as possible, offering an extra boost of inspiration for young musicians - and not just for them.

Between these two periods in which you worked on publishing the scores, you also released your own book George Enescu - The Piano Works, regarded by key figures in Romanian musical life and beyond as a landmark publication and a breakthrough for Romanian musicology. Please tell us about this book, which I assume is, in a way, a revised version of your doctoral thesis?

Exactly. It was published a few years after I defended my PhD and represents an extended, much enriched, completed, and corrected version of my thesis. It's essentially the distilled essence of all my work, experience, and emotional connection with Enescu's music.It is, first and foremost, a musicological study focused on formal, harmonic, and stylistic analysis. However, I also tried to touch on as many aspects as possible related to the practical approach - musical and pianistic - and all the experiences I've had while working with his music. Things like Enescu's specific pedaling techniques, his phrasing, his timbral qualities, and so on.

Regarding your discography, I'd also like to mention the complete works for cello and piano by George Enescu, a disc nominated at the International Classical Music Awards in 2022 - an international recognition of both the performance and Enescu's music.

Indeed. I must mention Rudolf Leopold, he is a highly regarded cellist in Vienna and Austria, and not only a great fan of Enescu, which makes me very happy, but also a respected teacher. He recently contacted me saying he is working more and more on Enescu with his students. And that's really what it's all about: we have to pass on this music in the most direct and tangible way possible, so it's played and known internationally.As I reflect on this so-called "summary moment" at 70 years since the composer's passing, I can't help but wonder how different Enescu's musical legacy might have been if he had remained in America. He would probably be much better known today. There are so many elements, many misfortuneseven, that Enescu faced, not only during his lifetime but even afterward, which delayed the recognition he so richly deserved. Still, I believe we're on the right path. I see more and more talented young musicians approaching Enescu's world, not only on stage but also through recordings. Things in Romania could certainly be better, but it's not too late.

I'd also like to mention your deeply personal project: the battle you fought to save and restore the Enescu family home in Mihăileni, Botoșani county. It is now open to the public. There, you host a season of concerts and masterclasses under the title Concerts on the Siret River. Since we're at this point of reflection, looking back on all those years of effort, how do you see this now that the project has succeeded and, I assume, had significant international resonance?

That's right. It was a very tough battle, and I'll come back to that in a moment. What matters is that the house was saved. What matters is that music is made there. We run this Concerts on the Siret River festival in partnership with the Pro Patrimonio Foundation, which initiated the project. We are grateful to all our sponsors who choose to support us every year. We host masterclasses, we make music, we hold concerts.

Since we're speaking of heritage houses and composers, of cultural figures who represent our identity both in Romania and abroad, I'd also like to mention the very recent and unfortunate case of the Lipatti house. This time, not in some remote northern village, but right in the heart of Bucharest. The situation is, from what I understand and what I've seen, quite complicated, and there's far too little support from Romanian civil society, and by thatI mean especially musicians. I think around 2,000 signatures have been gathered for the petition… So, it's clear that some things in our society are still not working as they should, despite the growing number of so-called "patriots," if I may put it that way.

What else would you still like to do, what do you already have in mind regarding Enescu?

In the very near future, I'd mention the recital I'll be giving on the 13^th of Maywith a very special program, a recital I also presented in Iași as part of the Concerte la palat (Concerts at the palace) season, on the 25^th of April. This recital will take place in Vienna, at the famous Ehrbar Hall and is dedicated to Enescu and Europe Day, organized by the Romanian Cultural Institute in Vienna. The program… I've titled it Enescu et La Belle Époque, because it features works from that specific period between 1898-1907. I'll be performing pieces by Enescu, Debussy, and Ravel. Let's not forget that this year marks the 150^th anniversary of Ravel's birth, which is a lovely coincidence.I must admit, when I first came up with the program, I hadn't even realized that. I'll perform Enescu's youthful work Regrets, which will be a premiere performance in Vienna, as well as the Suite No. 2, Op. 10, the Nocturne in D-flat major, followed by Ravel's Sonatina (1904-1905), and Debussy's L'isle joyeuse (1905). I find it very important because people often talk, especially in France and elsewhere, about those 'channels of communication' between Debussy's and Ravel's music, yet no one ever thinks of Enescu.Enescu is absent from the discussion, and I want to show that hisSuite No. 2, Op. 10, written in 1903, before the other works in the program, and before many other pieces by Debussy and Ravel, already presents some fascinating elements. Perhaps if we listened to the masterpieces of Ravel and Debussy with different ears, or if foreign audiences listened with ears better trained in Enescu's music, they might have some surprising revelations that would overturn the usual timelines. I won't say more so as not to be misunderstood, but I think you understand the point. In 1903, when Enescu won first prize for this Suite, one of the jury members was Claude Debussy.

As for other projects, I can say that I have more Enescu-related initiatives, truly exciting ones. I'll share more details as soon as I can.