On November 15th, the Romanian Athenaeum will host a special recital as part of the "Heirs of Musical Romania" series, initiated and organized by Radio România Muzical. The performers will be Maria Marica, the violinist who won first prize at the 2022 "George Enescu" International Competition, and pianist Daria Tudor. On this occasion, Ioana Țintea had a conversation with Daria Tudor.

Daria Tudor, the recital you will be performing on Wednesday, November 15th, alongside violinist Maria Marica, is taking place under the auspices of the "Heirs of Musical Romania" project. What significance does this initiative by Radio România Muzical hold for you?

It's a project I'm grateful for. It's an honor for me to be part of it. It's the project that brought me home, doing what I love the most, namely chamber music. It's not the first time I'veparticipated in this project. And through it, besides returning to the stages in Romania, I've met wonderful people with whom I've shared the stage, who have opened doors to new repertoires for us musicians, as well as for the home audience. And here we are, on November 15, for the first time on the stage of the Athenaeum! I'm glad that this project is reinventing itself, and I'm grateful to be re-invited, thanking them in any way possible.

Have you had the opportunity to perform with violinist Maria Marica before?

Yes. We have known each other for a very, very long time. We are from the same generation, but musically, we only connected in 2023, still under the umbrella of Radio România, in a special recording session that took place in July.

I would like you to tell us about the pieces you will perform on the main stage of the Romanian Athenaeum alongside violinist Maria Marica. The program includes works by Schumann, Prokofiev, and Franck. How did you plan the program?

First of all, Schumann's Sonata is a joy for me because I am rapidly approaching the completion of the duo repertoire written by Robert Schumann. On one hand, and on the other hand, it is an extremely rarely performed piece, a work we are convinced has not been played on Romanian stages for a very long time, if ever. Two parts of this sonata - Intermezzo and the fourth part - are the sections that Schumann composed for the more well-known F.A.E. sonata and later composed the other two parts (the first and the second). Works of a complexity that is difficult to describe in words and, at the same time, for both musicians and the audience, a piece that can be anything but comfortable. And on the other side of the recital, we have Franck's Sonata. It's been a long time since I last played it, and I'm excited to discover a "new" sonata. Many would say, "We told you it wasn't time for Franck's Sonata!" I think it's such a versatile sonata that has its place in everyone's lives at any age and certainly opens well-locked boxes in people's hearts. The bridge between these two major works is represented by Prokofiev's five melodies for violin and piano.

With what thoughts are you anticipating the reunion with the audience in Romania?

With great joy, with gratitude that classical music exists and will endure regardless of what happens in the, let's say, real world, that we, as musicians, are there as sincerely as possible, trying on a much cleaner, more direct, and less risky path to speak about the important things that surround us. And we hope to meet an equally open audience. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity and eagerly await Wednesday, November 15th.

After the recital at the Romanian Athenaeum, what's next on your agenda?

A very dear recital on December 12th in Ploiești, which I will perform with pianist Florian Mitrea, featuring an absolutely wonderful Christmas program. Then, I will conclude my studies in Berlin and continue to enjoy the positions I currently hold, positions I have obtained. But I am eagerly awaiting the end of the exam period to be able to say that a very important part of my life has concluded. And then, the project I have with mezzo-soprano Verena Tonjes, a project called "Songs of the Clown," which premiered at the Staatstheater Mainz in June 2023, has been reselected by the same theater for the current season. So, throughout the season, there will be performances of our own project, our child, "Songs of the Clown."

Photo credit: Mark Taratushkin