On Wednesday, October 15^th, 2025, starting at 6 PM, at the Romanian Athenaeum, the launch event for the four volumes gathered under the title "Bucharest Philharmonic under the spotlight of musical criticism" took place, written by acad. Octavian Lazăr Cosma. The published volumes by Musical publishing, represents an unprecedented contribution to Romanian musical history.

The work is based on extensive research conducted in the press archives of the time, bringing together music reviews that cover the early period of the Bucharest Philharmonic's activity. Through this meticulous investigation, the author reconstructs a complete, detailed, and nuanced history of the Bucharest Philharmonic, tracing the institution's evolution between 1866 and 1945.

During the event, speeches were given by Marin Cazacu, director of the "George Enescu" Philharmonic, Viniciu Moroianu, pianist and university professor, musicologist Mihai Cosma, coordinating editor of the volumes, and the author himself, Acad. Octavian Lazăr Cosma, who participated via a video recording.

Marin Cazacu, the manager of the "George Enescu" Philharmonic, was the first to speak at the event, which he described as "the most important book launch organized by the institution in the past three years": "We're talking about an epic work, because this is not an ordinary book - it is the history of the Bucharest Philharmonic, from its beginnings up to 1945. The author is someone very special to me, as he was my professor, my PhD supervisor, and he is my friend. For me, reading these pages and following the evolution of this institution is a true source of inspiration, and I hope it will be the same for everyone who reads it from now on." Regarding the book's availability, Marin Cazacu told those present that "this is not a book sold in bookstores; it will be donated to all major musical institutions, starting with the Romanian Academy, the National University of Music Bucharest, the Radio Romania Library, the 'George Enescu' Philharmonic Library, and the libraries of philharmonics across the country." The volumes will also be available online: "Since we consider this epic work the most important study ever written about the history of this institution, we have decided to release a digital edition on the Philharmonic's website, so that younger generations may also read it," added the director of the "George Enescu" Philharmonic.

Pianist Viniciu Moroianu, who was also mentored by musicologist Octavian Lazăr Cosma during his doctoral studies, spoke at the event about his mentor's remarkable achievement: "It is, indeed, a true history of an elite musical institution within Romania's cultural life an institution that started from nothing, from the tremendous efforts of the musicians of that time. The reading is captivating, filled with all kinds of characters, almost like a detective novel, with all sorts of intricate twists and turns." The musician emphasized: "In the preface, the author modestly states that this is not necessarily a single-author book, but rather a work with multiple contributors the music critics of various calibers who chronicled the Philharmonic's activity across the decades since its founding. Of course, there is only one true author the distinguished musicologist Octavian Lazăr Cosma. What is truly extraordinary about this work is the unifying thread of this vast documentary research, and the way the author places everything in its historical context: how the institution went through the War of Independence, the two World Wars, the 1918 occupation of Bucharest, and so on. It is an exceptionally vivid history of Romanian society's mentalities and behaviors of intellectuals and of the artistic world, a history that deserves a place in as many libraries as possible. Therefore, I am deeply happy about this accomplishment, and I invite all of you to take joy in what these pages offer."

Musicologist Mihai Cosma, son of academician Octavian Lazăr Cosma, explained, during the presentation, what this event means to him: "It is a deeply emotional moment for me. These volumes, which my father, Academician Octavian Lazăr Cosma, worked on for many years, are finally being published. He began this endeavor at a time when finding documents was a true adventure. Unfortunately, many of the newspapers cited here no longer exist - some were destroyed because they contained references to the Royal House or political parties. The author managed to identify these newspapers and, through the words of the press and the music critics of that time, to tell us what was happening on the Philharmonic's stage. He also spoke about his own contribution to the volumes: "I took care of aspects related to better organization and easier reading - such as compiling the index of proper names, which I considered essential. The book refers to figures well-known to Romanian society at that time but less familiar to today's younger generation. That is why I thought it's useful to include footnotes briefly explaining who the individuals mentioned in each newspaper article were."

At the end of his remarks, Mihai Cosma spoke about the emotional depth of reading the work: "You may discover some painful aspects, but they reflect human mentalities -they represent the truth of their time. Academician Octavian Lazăr Cosma quotes; he does not retell, reinterpret, or embellish."

Later, Mihai Cojocaru, Artistic Consultant of the "George Enescu" Philharmonic, took the floor, sharing with the audience a few "impressions of a reader from within": "Octavian Lazăr Cosma remains the guardian of the memory of Romanian music. Music is an art that disappears as it is performed. We strive to save from oblivion that which vanishes by the very nature of musical art. Octavian Lazăr Cosma has made this his life's mission. We all know his extraordinary accomplishments in the field of Romanian music history - there are no comparable achievements. Many musicologists have made important contributions, but Octavian Lazăr Cosma has a universal scope; he manages to cover all periods and chapters. He has the ambition, the knowledge, and the ability to do so. It is a lifelong effort, spanning decades. He possesses both the stamina and perseverance - rare qualities - as well as the 'stubbornness' to save, preserve, and present memory in a coherent form for future generations Mihai Cojocaru also spoke about the expressive power of the work: "I was deeply moved to open these volumes and witness the Philharmonic come back to life from times long past. Our privilege as readers is to relive, through the eyes of others, events we know little or nothing about - to rediscover their details, their vitality, their passions. The way, for example, critics compete in stylistic finesse or in displaying their musical culture - it is pure delight. […] It is a pleasure and a joy to discover all kinds of details - not only musical, but also social and political. Octavian Lazăr Cosma knows how to attach to these chronicles details that enrich, season, and complete the broader picture - for instance, excerpts from Eduard Wachmann's correspondence or interviews marking the visits of Maurice Ravel and Igor Stravinsky to Bucharest." Mihai Cojocaru also stated about the complexity of the volumes.

The final statement of the event came from the author himself, the distinguished musicologist Octavian Lazăr Cosma, who addressed the audience through a video recording, speaking about the work behind this accomplishment"The effort was immense, extraordinary - it was truly a titanic undertaking. The volume dedicated to the interwar years is a radiography focused on essence. The first volumes are conceived in an entirely unprecedented way. I structured them around the reviews written by our earliest music critics, thus arriving at a presentation of the Philharmonic's activity concert by concert. The reader will find immense satisfaction in discovering how the 'George Enescu' Philharmonic grew from nothing into the prestigious European institution it is today."

The author also expressed his gratitude to those who made significant contributions to the project: "I wish to thank Mihai Cosma, the musicologist who carried out extensive complementary work. The volumes have also benefited from the support of several collaborators, including Ioana Stavru."

At the end of his statement, musicologist Octavian Lazăr Cosma invited readers to approach the volumes with "great pleasure and joy in their hearts" and called for objectivity from critics: "I expect critics to write what these volumes truly deserve."