My guest this evening is our colleague Cristina Comandașu, the manager of Radio România Muzical - a station that today, I remind you, celebrates its 28th anniversary.

Welcome, Cristina! Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday to you, too, Happy Birthday to all of us!

And Happy Birthday to the listeners who are with us!

Radio România Muzical was a big challenge 28 years ago. Now it's a certainty. How do you think this happened?

It happened with hard work. Very simple! Like all things that take time, like in the story of the Master Manole. It's true. You have to sacrifice something, you have to work, believe and get better every day. And you, the team, altogether... know that very well.

On the 24th of March in 1997, when I walked into this studio with the team at that time, we were cheering each other on and saying, "Let's make it through! This is not an experimental station! This is not a temporary frequency! RRM will exist!" And then, if you had asked me, I would have said: "If Radio România Muzical holds on for 5 years, it will be a great success."

Well, it's held out and it is a great success, isn't it?

Yeah, I think it is, too. Why do you think it held out?

Once, because people here believed in it. And second, because there is a need for classical music in Romania. Quite simply! I've spent a lot of these days and months thinking about the importance of our work, of those of us who work at Radio România Muzical, because sometimes people say: "And? 2% market share is maybe too little!" Although if we take it like that, after all, this is the audience that BBC Radio3 has in London or maybe even smaller in Germany, where there is a tradition of hundreds of years with classical music. But I, especially in these times when we are questioning what it means to be human versus machine, or artificial intelligence, or social networks, or all these confrontations that are all around us, I very much believe that classical music has a lot to say about us as humans. And we, humans, are not just a body, we're not just a computer, I mean a brain, we're more than that. That something, I don't know, that some have called spirit, others have called it something else... in any case, more than a body and a computer in the head. Well, music feeds exactly that thing in us, and classical music does it in the best possible way.

We have to say, you were talking about market shares - 2%, we are competing here with some commercial stations that rely on advertising. We don't really broadcast that kind of stuff.

Yes, people may not understand that 2% market share in Bucharest is about the same as a commercial radio station, but we don't do anything commercial here.

You started to do something extra this year about this relationship with the listeners. It was a first face-to-face meeting with listeners in Iași. And could you tell us how Radio România Muzical was received there? We know that there is a new frequency.

There is a new frequency there and it wasn't by chance that I wanted to meet people from Iași for the first time. Precisely because it's a new frequency and that gave us a fresh start, just like Radio Romania Muzical is now. The echoes are extraordinary! I was very happy that so many people came and answered to my questions. The idea of these Radio România Muzical meetings is to get to know each other face-to-face. We can imagine from here, from the microphone, who are the people listening to us at home. And those at home can't imagine who we are, those who speak here. But in a world in which we tend to become just a picture on a social network, even a fake one sometimes, I think this face-to-face meeting is essential. And there is something else. I very much believe that we can evolve if we also take into account the opinion of those who listen to us every day. I also believe very much in the nice echoes that came to us, for example today, and in constructive criticism, because constructive criticism can help us to be better. Not to be trolled on Facebook, but to be told, "Look, this is wrong, or this is what you could maybe do better, or, look, I would see it like this." And that allows us to think, to reflect, to be better.

Beyond the microphone, we, Radio România Muzical, go out in front of the public, in front of romanians with different projects which are, in my opinion, very valuable. First of all, an educational one, because this role is extremely important and we have seen what has happened in recent months, about education and how important it is. Here, we are talking about music education through this "Listen to 5 minutes of classical music" project. I even read a message earlier from a 10-year-old boy, who told us that there is no other music for him, there is no other station. Is this an exception or do you think we can change this trend?

I have no idea if we can change anything! Now why not be honest?! What we have to do is to do our job well every day. I believe that. And, in the end, reality confirms it. If you work professionally and believe in what you do well, then you succeed.

I don't know if this project will change education in general in Romania, which, unfortunately, is the way it is and we all know how it is. But, if at least 10% of the 250,000 children who take part in this project every year will later remember and when they grow up, they will let the seed planted in them when they were small blossom, that will change Romania. But any education project needs time. And you should know that there are already children who, since more than 10 years ago, have gone through the "Listen to 5 Minutes of Classical Music" school and now go to concerts, or listen to music, or, in any case, know how to say what is good music and what is bad music. And this is already very important.

The other side of this "Listen to 5 Minutes of Classical Music" project, that in unconventional spaces... I want to tell a story - in a DIY store, I went in three years ago, and the workers there were listening to Vivaldi himself, and they said, "Ah, they've put that squeaky thing on again!" In the meantime, things evolved in the sense that we needed more materials, and at some point I walked in and recognized the worker who had said it three years ago, "that squeaky thing". A customer asked him to help him, and while he was helping him, he listened. And he was listening to, if I'm not mistaken, "Spring" from The Seasons again. And the customer says, "Uh, do you play classical music here?" "Yes, of course. We play classical music here. You like it, don't you? We love it too."

Yes, after all, you know how it is, they keep saying that we have to give the public what we think they like. No, we have to give them what's of value, so that people come to appreciate it. It's very simple! If you eat French fries all the time, you can't appreciate foie gras.

We were talking about supporting young artists and the Heirs of Musical Romania project is very important. The scholarship has been announced.

It has been announced. I see the registrations are starting to come in.

How do you see this side?

I see it as essential. That's why I did it. I admit that I also did it because there is private financial support for it, because we have to keep in mind that all Radio România Muzical projects are done with money attracted from sponsorships, not from budgetary sources. But I did it because, for once, we need young musicians and I think it is the role of the public media to support them at the beginning, because, afterwards, if they have already launched themselves, it is too late. They need help at the beginning. And to give them not only money, because it's not just about money, it's also about these chances to play in different places, to make special recordings, to have records released, to be talked about... This is an extraordinary thing. And what's amazing is that virtually none of them have failed to live up to expectations. To varying degrees, everyone has confirmed on their level.

What can I say! Now, looking back to when we started in 2018 and the names that have evolved and who they are now... Cadmiel Boțac, from the first fellowship, then, this year in November, he's going to release the second record that I did with Casa Radio Publishing House and it's going to be amazing. I have no idea, I don't know... There are so many names...

I want to say that the people I talked to here in the studio, the scholarship holders of the project, valued more than money - money is important - the experience. For example, Petru Pane and Daniel Dumitrașcu appreciated the experience in the recording studio, where they had never made special recordings of such a high level. And the fact that they were going out on certain stages that they hadn't been on before. They've never been to Oradea, they've never been to Iași, they've only played in Bucharest, but here they are, at this age, they were able to see and get in touch with the audience in the country.

And these things are important. People don't realize how hard it is to train as a top musician. And what we're aiming for here is the experience of a talented international musician. I mean, we don't work to Romanian standards, so to speak, we work to international standards and we want to showcase exactly those talents that can cope on the international scene, where the competition and the level are very high. That is the truth. I do not like to lie to ourselves, to say more than the truth. But, indeed, we still have a few young people, not very many, who can compete at an international level and we must support them. I think it should be state policy, if you ask me, to support, as a form of cultural diplomacy, these values. Because last week, I was in Düsseldorf, awarding a prize to a Romanian for the 'Symphonic Record of the Year'. Of course, it was Maestro Cristian Măcelaru, but he was joined by violist Vlad Bogdănaș from the Danel Quartet. We have given awards in previous years to soprano Aida Pascu - "Young Artist of the Year" at the International Classical Music Awards or to Sebastian Androne-Nakanishi for "Composer of the Year" there. These people are ambassadors for Romania, for us, for everyone. What we are doing is not for Radio România Muzical, for a small, restricted matter, no! It is for this country.

That's right. And since we were talking about the ICMA awards, you are part of the ICMA jury, you represent Radio România Muzical. We must say that in two years...

Now we can officially announce it, because it was officially announced at this year's gala. In two years, the ICMA Gala will come to Romania. It was my proposal, accepted by the jury and the board to be organized at the "Transilvania" Philharmonic in Cluj. There, as we know, a new concert hall will open this fall. It is an opportunity for everyone to have such a big international gala in Romania. There will be more romanians honored, but I will announce that later.

Back to the station, 70-80 international concerts and shows. We are ranked number one in the EBU for broadcasting such events. Which is very important for us, to get in touch, to bring listeners in touch with the big stages. Because that's what we do.

That's right. I've been very keen on this idea of being the world leader in live broadcasting - that's what we're talking about - because, again, I'm very keen on value. And these concerts, once they give us free access to places where we would otherwise have to pay hundreds of euros, they create standards - I mean, anybody in the guild who listens can figure out pretty much what the level is today, how this market is moving, where everybody should be positioned and where to go. And then, after all, it is also an opportunity for cultural diplomacy, because it was not only said once, for example, in the live broadcast from the Tohhnale in Düsseldorf that this broadcast comes from Rumänisches Radio, it is also taken over by Rumänisches Radio.

Yes, it's important that Romania is also in Europe in this form and that we serve values that have brought well-being and this life that we should appreciate more in my view.

Mine too! We are not neglecting internal events. And I'm referring here, first of all, to the Enescu Festival - a new edition is coming. Radio România Muzical has always broadcast most of the festival events. This year, how are we doing in terms of numbers so far? What is the pulse? I know that Cristina Uruc, manager of Artexim and executive director of the Enescu Festival, has promised right here in this studio that she will take all the necessary steps to ensure that we receive broadcasting rights for as many concerts as possible.

Now it's also about the human resources involved from our side to take over the concerts, because maybe it would be good to know that the teams we work with are small and getting smaller. After all, Radio România Muzical is kept alive by just 23 journalists today, which I would put in balance with other radio stations. BBC Radio 3 has 70 employees plus just as many freelancers, Bayerischer Rundfunk Klassik has 200 employees. Just to give you an idea of the level of work carried out by every journalist back here. The same serious human resources situation is also true of music directors and sound engineers. So, we're going to do the best we can by moving with the human resources we have. In any case, at least two-thirds of the total number of concerts - there are, anyway, more than 90 concerts this year - if not live, will be recorded and will be available for listening later, maybe even better. I know that the festival goes to great lengths to pay for the broadcasting rights not only of the artists, but also for the scores - there are a lot of scores in protection there - and that means substantial budgets for broadcasting rights. But, yes, I think there will be a real celebration between the 24th of August and the 21st of Septermber, during the Enescu Festival, on Radio România Muzical.

In less than two hours, you'll be at St. Joseph's Cathedral. There, Alexandru Tomescu will give a special recital for Radio România Muzical Day. Can you tell us how this event came about?

I attended Alexandru Tomescu's concert last July, when he had this program as part of the Stradivarius Tour, and I was extremely impressed. I, like him, love Bach's music. Someone asked me at one point, I don't know if I've ever said this here on the radio before, what music would I take with me to the other side? And I said, Bach's Goldberg Variations. That's the truth. That's what I'd go to the other side with. But I believe first of all that Bach is for this world, this world that needs calm, tranquility, the transcendent, that strength that comes from that violin that plays several melodic lines at once, just like our life. So, I said to Alexander, "Look, I'm thinking for our day, let's have Bach." And he said, "Of course!" I wasn't too sure if we'd be able to do that because of budgets, but he said, "Let's do it! I'll sing. Where? Come to St. Joseph's Cathedral." The people there welcomed us very warmly and, yes, in less than two hours, Alexandru's violin, which will be the Stradivarius Elder Voicu himself - he made the effort to bring the Stradivarius violin there - will be playing Bach for us and our souls.

And for all listeners, it will be broadcast live on Radio România Muzical.

One last question, Cristina. How do you see Radio România Muzical ten years from now?

Honestly, I haven't gotten that far. Generally, my plans are about two years ahead.

A stretch of the imagination, let's say.

What we are doing now, and perhaps it would be good to know, is that we are trying to prepare for the future. At the moment, we have a Radio România Muzical academy where we are trying to train new journalists, because if there is a great threat we are facing, it is precisely the fact that there are fewer and fewer people prepared to work at Radio România Muzical, at the level of competence required and at a level where they can handle the stress and the workload, in short.

So if I wish for something in ten years, it is to maintain the quality of the programs as it is today through the efforts of those who work here, without too much artificial intelligence.

Thank you, Cristina! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to our team, Radio România Muzical! And, Happy Birthday to the listeners of Radio România Muzical, who are with us as in life, for better and for worse!

Happy Birthday, everyone!