On the 11th of October the first chamber recital registered in the new Tuesday Evening Season of the "George Enescu" philharmonic takes place. Musicologist Cristina Sârbu, the programme coordinator, provides us more information in an interview given to our colleague, Ioana Țintea.

How is the program of the new Tuesday evening Season of the "George Enescu" Philharmonic outlined?

As we've always outlined it or at least tried to outline it every time. If I'm not mistaken, we're on season and I'm very proud of it. We started this project 14 years ago intending to offer the small hall of the Romanian Athenaeum to Romanian students who studied abroad and who, thus, had the opportunity to come and present themselves. At the same time we were provided with the joy of watching their career development closely. They obtained a lot of spectacular achievements. Many of those who are now on the big stages of the world were also on the small stage of the Romanian Athenaeum, during the Tuesday Evening Season.

The pandemic has passed, so we are slowly recovering. And I would like to recommend some of the recitals which will take place from now on until December because there will be a lot of interesting things presented.

The first one is now, on October 11th with Diana Alexe from Vienna. A soprano full of refinement and sensitivity, with many prizes won at competitions in Austria, Poland or Slovakia including the Second lied Prize and the Prize for the "Best Dvorak interpretation" at the "Antonin Dvorak" International competition in the Czech Republic. Diana Alexe settled in Vienna in 2018 and is a member of the Chorakademie Wiener Staatsoper and is completing her master's degree at Musik und Kunst Privatuniversität in Vienna. Her most recent activities are "Gilda" in Rigoletto by Verdi at the National Opera in Cluj and the Opera in Desau and the role of Zerlina in the "Don Giovanni" opera in the Angelika-Prokkop-Sommerakademie at the Musikverein Graz. So her career just started, it's true, but it's a very promising start.

On November 8th, we will have Alexandru Plăcintă from Glasgow. I've been watching Alexandru Plăcintă from Iași for quite some time, now from Glasgow and I haven't been able to bring him until now, but I'm sure that his recital will be a great event.

I haven't had singers on my stage for a long time, but now look, in November we will have another soprano, namely Alexandra Anușca - a soprano who sang in Birmingham, Budapest and Vienna. Again, a very special and interesting person who I believe will prepare some pleasant surprises for us.

The winners of national and international competitions also find their place in the Tuesday Evening Season. Also, in November we will have the winner of the Piano Star competition, Mario Victor Lucaci.

Mr. Florian Mitrea pays special attention to this project and has sent us many times some of his students whom we've enjoyed having very much. I've been waiting for Anelise Gămulescu for 3 years and now we will be able to applaud her on December 6th.

On December 13th, also from maestro Florian Mitrea, Luca Newman from Great Britain, who is quite young, but his fingers already attacked large scores. For example, in his recital there is Beethoven - Sonata in A major, Polonaise in F sharp minor by Chopin, Prokoflev - selections from Cinderella.

So here we are trying to present, in addition to the performers we invite, interesting programs because yes, one of the tasks I've taken on in the Tuesday Evening Season is also to bring the chamber music back into the attention of the public from Bucharest.

How can a young musician perform a recital in the Tuesday Evening Season? What are the selection criteria?

In the beginning, Mr. Marin Cazacu and I were the ones who invited the musicians who caught our attention. Mr. Marin Cazacu retired, now it's only me; I'm an open person, I follow the young international music life and if a performer catches my eye, I invite him. This doesn't mean that if somebody close to me whom I've perhaps mistakenly overlooked sends me a solid CD and shows me that he/she is worth it, I'll invite them with great pleasure.

So, the point is.. the musicians who sing are not the ones who want to sing, but the ones who are invited. But, if somebody thinks he/she is good and worthy of the Tuesday Evening Season, which you at the radio take over and put on station - he/she must be at least above average… I have nothing against it if he/she will convince me to invite him/her with the CD.