From the 18^th of November till the 7^th of December takes places the National Theater "The Violin and Enescu", a project that brings on stage new and modern instruments, built for the hands of today's artists. The tour reunites together the violinists Gabriel Croitoru, Simina Croitoru, Paul Răducanu and Mircea Dumitrescu, alongside the pianists Alexandru Burcă and Clementina Ciucu-Ristea. Violonist Gabriel Croitoru, with more details:

Mister Gabriel Croitoru, the title of the series' recitals you are embarking on the 18^th of November is called "The Violin and Enescu", a new challenge. I would like to begin our conversation right from this point. What would you say is this edition's novelty?

The novelty is, of course, that in this tour's edition - The Violin and Enescu, we are showcasing modern instruments on the stage, some of them for the first time, others not.

I am convinced that the audience will truly appreciate the craftsmanship of the current luthiers who have contributed to this tour through their work, because, as you can see we are playing on modern violins.

Which are the main differences between a historical old violin and a new one?

The old ones are already certified by the fact that it passed 300 years since their creation and they have been on stage. Basically, they have proven their worth over time. The new ones, which are now making their debut on the scene… I hope we will see if they are at the same level after 300 years. However, for the time being, these violins deserve their title as contenders for the status of violins that will prove themselves to be very good over time, I sincerely hope that this will happen.

For now, I can say that an old violin sounds richer, which is absolutely natural because they have been played for hundreds of years, while the new ones we are playing now have undeniable qualities, but they still don't reach the same level, I would say.

Although, it is true that neither of them learned to play on their own, so in the end, it's still the hands that matter,

Tell us about the concert format for this tour. Who are the guest artists who will accompany you on stage.

Firstly, it is my daughter, Simina Croitoru. Secondly, two very talented boys which finished their master degree this summer - Paul Răducanu and Mircea Dumitrescu. And each of us will have the opportunity to show our artistic qualities and mastery in several pieces. Then, we will join forces in the finale to delight the audience with all four violins on stage at once.

In terms of repertoire, what are you offering the audience in this edition of the tour?

First of all, widely popular pieces, each of us having two, and finally we will obviously have a transcription of Enescu's Rhapsody in A major, written for four violins and piano.

For this tour, we have called upon two very talented pianists: Clementina Ciucu and Alexandru Burcă.

After the November 18^th concert in Iași, which city you did you include on the tour map ?

We have performances on 20^th of November in Bristrița, 21^st of November in Deva and 7^th of December at the Romanian Athenaeum.

For the event that is taking place on the 7^th of December at the Romanian Athenaeum, you will have the violinist Liviu Prunaru as a special guest, who has been your partner in the "Duel of the Violins" Tour since 2011. How would you describe this long-standing artistic friendship?

We've known each other for some time, as you said. At first, the idea was appealing to the public, like a violin duel, which is actually a duel between three friends, because we always had Horia Mihail with us.

And, it seems that this concept of a violin duel has been very well received by the audiences in Romania and beyond, because we have presented these different programs in many corners of the world, and I believe it will continue.