My guest tonight is someone well-known to you from Radio România Muzical. Liliana Staicu, welcome back to our studio.

Nice to see you! Thank you very much for the invitation.

The reason for our meeting today is that you are the director of the Radio Romania Cultural Center for Projects and Events and you are responsible for the activities of radio music bands, among other things. And this week...?

This week we have two, actually three season openings. We are talking about the Radio Big Band; tomorrow evening, this ensemble, which in recent years has established a very well-defined profile in the Romanian music scene, opens its season. The Radio Big Band with a program dedicated to American saxophonist Wayne Shorter. On Friday, the National Radio Orchestra will open its season. The 97th season of the National Radio Orchestra opens with an All Ravel program. And on Sunday, the Folk Music Orchestra. So, three season openings in just a few days.

Yes, it was a busy week after a busy summer with the Enescu Festival, which was a marathon for music lovers, artists, and our bands, who were actively involved, as usual, in the Enescu Festival. I would like to talk a little about our ensembles' performance at the Enescu Festival and about the events that took place at the Radio Hall during the festival, especially since the organizers promised that the Radio Hall would play a more active role in this 2025 edition, with a greater impact on the audience. How was it, practically speaking? How did it feel from the audience's point of view? I mean, were the halls full for those 1 p.m. concerts or not?

Yes, the organizers promised and kept their word in the sense that here, at the Radio Hall, this year's Celebration Series took place, which was in fact the hallmark of this edition of the festival, Anniversaries. Specifically, several renowned European ensembles performed at the Radio Hall, namely the Orchestra de la Comunitat Valenciana, the Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, which presented an absolutely spectacular program, an opera in concert, and then the Danish National Symphony Orchestra with two programs, one of which featured Alexandru Tomescu as soloist.

The audience came in large numbers here, to the Radio Hall, and what makes me happy is that there were many who discovered the Radio Hall for the first time on this occasion, which is also extremely important for us, because, you see, there are still people, I can say, even among those who are content creators, influencers, people who influence public opinion, who were here at the Radio Hall for the first time. They also shared their impressions online, which is very important to us in our desire, in our work, to attract a different kind of audience to the concerts at the Radio Hall.

In addition to these, of course, there were also several Romanian ensembles, but this time, the Radio Hall had a much more important role in the festival, and we hope this trend will continue. Maestro Cristian Măcelaru promised us that the next edition will be even better.

Musical groups were also present at the festival, of course.

Yes, as usual.

With interesting programs. How were they received? What was the reaction after our bands' concerts?

Overall, it was a very good reception from both the audience and music critics. Basically, the Radio Chamber Orchestra opened the concert series at the Romanian Athenaeum with a program featuring maestro David Grimal, who, as listeners already know from last season, is the artist in residence of the Radio Chamber Orchestra. The series at the Athenaeum was closed by the National Radio Orchestra with an opera recital program featuring Sonia Ionceva.

In addition, the National Orchestra gave an absolutely exceptional performance in the series of concerts at the Palace Hall, with a production that was a premiere in Romania, namely the concert version of Shostakovich's opera Lady Macbeth, as we know, on an anniversary. An extremely difficult creation, both vocally and instrumentally. The Radio Academic Choir was also part of this production and received nothing but praise from the audience. This production of Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth was a real success.

And now let's talk about the season...

I would also like to mention that, in addition to these ensembles, the Radio Big Band also participated in the festival. This is worth mentioning because the Big Band was part of the festival's new series, Enescu in Control, with a program at this club that included several works by Enescu orchestrated in a jazz style by Simona Strungaru, and a second concert in the festival square. But what is important is that, in the official program of the festival, the Radio Big Band was present in the Enescu in Control series.

Enescu in Control, a new series introduced in this edition.

It was very interesting, extremely diverse, only four concerts, on Wednesday evenings, starting at 10 p.m., but each one was very well planned, distinct, a truly exceptional program, and the reception from the audience surprised me.

I would like to mention one more thing: before the concert started, I was standing with some of the Big Band musicians at the entrance, and one of them said, "It's so strange, the Radio Big Band in a club, on Wednesday evening, at 10 p.m., and the audience is coming." I mean, it was something completely unusual for everyone, but this whole production was truly an experience.

Let's talk now about the 2025-2026 season, because I think there are many attractive things in this season. You said that the Radio Big Band starts tomorrow, the National Radio Orchestra on Friday, and the Radio Chamber Orchestra starts its season next Wednesday. Interesting programs. We're talking about a Ravel program with hits, so to speak, the Waltz and the Bolero.

We had to mark, in a certain context, the 150th anniversary of Ravel's birth. So we put together a program of hits, with two guests, whom I can describe as young, because Gabriel Bebeșelea is still an artist in his creative youth, in perpetual creative youth, but also Eva Garet, who, at 19, is already a recognized name, and look, the audience is reacting, as tickets have been sold out for several days now.

So, a Ravel program, and we continue with the Radio Chamber Orchestra, with two other hits, one more popular than the other, namely Vivaldi's Four Seasons.

But with an exotic presence, I would say.

With an exotic presence, he is a very young violinist, 20 years old, named Guido Santana. He is Brazilian but has been studying in Europe for a long time. He is currently studying in Germany with Mihaela Martin and is the winner... the only South American, the only Brazilian to have won the Fritz Kreisler Competition when he was 17. He was recommended to me at one point by an agent in the UK. I followed him and found that he is on an extraordinary rise, and I am sure it will be a wonderful concert with Barbara Dragan conducting. And, of course, in addition to Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony.

Beyond these first concerts, what other recommendations do you have for this first part of the season?

I would say, first and foremost, concerts featuring guest musicians, especially young soloists. I am referring here to James Zijian Wei, a young Chinese pianist who won the Queen Elisabeth Competition a few years ago and last year won the famous Cleveland Competition. We have a partnership with the Cleveland Competition, and from this position we invited him to perform here at the Radio Hall. On November 14th, in an all-Beethoven program, he will perform Beethoven's Concerto No. 3. Then, three young Romanian musicians whom we know very well, Cadmiel Boțac, Maria Marica, and Cornelius Zirbo, will also perform a Beethoven work, the Triple Concerto. Vlad Stănculeasa, the already famous Romanian violinist, returns to the Radio Hall with Glazunov's Concerto. And these would be my recommendations in terms of young musicians. I wouldn't forget Szymon Nehring, the pianist who won the Rubinstein Competition, I think in 2018 or 2019, with an extraordinarily beautiful career. He will be here with Brahms' Concerto No. 1 in a program we are producing in collaboration with the Polish Institute, as part of the Romania-Poland Cultural Season.

And since you mentioned David Grimal, he's coming back too, right?

Yes, of course. He will return several times during the season, but right at the beginning of the season, he will be conducting and, of course, performing as a guest soloist with the Radio Chamber Orchestra on November 12th, with a program featuring Leo Weiner, Carl Hartmann and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. And since we mentioned David Grimal, I would like to highlight this series that we started last season at the Radio Chamber Orchestra, trying to breathe new life into and change the profile of this unique ensemble in Romania, because it is practically the only chamber orchestra with a permanent season. And I am referring to this idea of play and conduct, meaning musicians, usually soloists, who also play the role of conductor. David Grimal is one of them. Then, in this first part of the season, we will have cellist Anne Gastinel as a guest, also with a program in which she will perform Schumann's Concerto, but also other works together with this ensemble, or Mexican pianist Ricardo Castro, who also has a beautiful conducting career, also as a conductor and soloist with a Mozart-Beethoven program.

So, I think these are interesting solo and repertoire choices. I wouldn't forget Javier Perianes either, he's already one of the stars of this instrument. He will come in December to perform Chopin. And let's not forget that the entire month of December will be dedicated to the holidays; all of our ensembles will have concerts-the Children's Choir, the famous, traditional Christmas concert, which is already sold out. This is always the case with the Radio Children's Choir's Christmas concert. Then, the Radio Big Band will also have a Christmas Concert with Italian saxophonist Stefano Di Battista as a guest, the Radio Chamber Orchestra with Ruxandra Donose as soloist... And we will end the season with the National Orchestra, also with a Christmas concert, the National Orchestra and the Academic Choir with Nicolae Moldoveanu conducting.

What can you tell us about the year 2026? Can you give us some highlights?

Yes, we will continue this Play and Conduct series with the Chamber Orchestra. Some of our guests who have become dear friends of our orchestras will return, and I am referring to mandolinist Avia Vital, who will return with the Chamber Orchestra in the second part of the season, and conductors Sascha Goetzel and Christoph Konig. We will prepare interesting programs, including symphonies by Mahler and works by Strauss. We will also try to bring some big names from the world of opera to the spotlight; obviously, the traditional annual opera gala on Monday will not be missing. And throughout January, the Radio Chamber Orchestra's concerts will be dedicated to Mozart, as there will be two concerts featuring Mozart's complete works, the second of which will also include Mozart's Requiem.

So, here we are, with more exciting things to come in 2026 here at the Radio Hall, during the radio music ensembles' season. Tickets for the next part of the season will go on sale...

Tickets for the second half of the season will go on sale at the end of November.

As a comparison, practically speaking, in terms of price, how do we compare to tickets for other musical institutions in Bucharest?

I think we're doing well. We've tried to do well in the sense that, as we know, all prices have gone up, and not just prices, but also VAT, which has had a major impact on ticket prices for cultural events in general. We tried and succeeded in ensuring that, at least for this first part of the season, we would not change ticket prices. They are the same as those at the end of last season. Basically, we had a price increase in April and chose to remain at the same level so that we could offer the widest possible audience the opportunity to purchase tickets and be present in the concert hall.

We have an extremely rich season, with at least two concerts every week, if not three, on the stage of the Radio Hall. It is a large hall, practically the largest in Bucharest.

And with amazing acoustics.

With extraordinary acoustics, but the fact that it is a large hall and the season has many events, it is not easy, rather difficult to bring in the audience and fill this hall week after week, twice or three times a week. That is why we have tried to keep ticket prices the same, so that we can bring audiences to the hall and have them attend as many of our events as possible.

I believe that the season passes were also affordable, but they are now sold out, and only individual tickets are available for all concerts until December inclusive. These tickets can be found on bilete.ro or at the Radio Hall Ticket Office.

Liliana Staicu, I wish you and your colleagues in the radio music ensembles a successful season!

Thank you!

With full venues and many artistic achievements.