The pianist Mihai Ritivoiu, laureate at the George Enescu International Competition of this year and award winner of the Zilele Lipatti Competition organized last year at Radio Romania Music, performed a set of special recordings in the Radio Romania studios between October 3^rdand 5^th, 2011, accompanied by The National Radio Orchestra and conductor Gheorghe Costin. Mihai Ritivoiu has enriched the institution's library with his own version of Concerto No. 2 in D minor, by Serghei Rachmaninoff, a piece he also performed in the finale of the George Enescu Competition.

The recording of this concert, as well as that of Cello Concerto op.104 in B minor, by Antonin Dvořák, with cellist Valentin Radutiu and the National Radio Orchestra, also recently recorded, can be heard in premiere on Radio Romania Music, on November 1^st, the Day of the Radio.

At the end of the 3-day recording, Mihai Ritivoiu has shared some of his thoughts concerning this experience, in an interview:

Mihai Titivoiu, it seems that this second concert of Serghei Rachmaninoff has brought you a series of successes. You have performed it in philharmonics around the country, then it brought you the 3^rdaward at the George Enescu competition and now you have recorded it at Radio Romania Music. What made you choose this work and why do you think it suits your interpretative style?

Concerto no. 2 by Rachmaninoff has been one of my favourites for a while now and, to my mind, it is very rewarding for a soloist. It is very diverse in the expression and types of technique it requires from a soloist, therefore I am glad I have had the chance, having been advised by my professor, Viniciu Moroianu, to approach it. I have performed it twice in the country, then at the end of the George Enescu Competition, and now I have made this recording. I believe that I shown some progress from one performance of the Rachmaninoff concert to another and I am glad that I have had the chance to complete the recordings after having had this experience, with the two concerts and the Competition.

What is your take on your collaboration with the National Radio Orchestra and conductor Gheorghe Costin?

It was an amazing experience, a very good collaboration. I got along perfectly with conductor Gheorghe Costin; he helped me a lot and supported me throughout the recordings, which were not at all easy. It was a very rough experience. The orchestra was very patient and focused while we had to restart different fragments, for various reasons.

To the best of my knowledge, this was the first time you have recorded alongside an orchestra and I would like to know how significant you think this achievement is for your career…

It is a very important step. I have performed my first recording alongside an orchestra with one of the most difficult concerts and it was, so to say, quite a challenge. I may even say that, during these three days of recordings, I have progressed greatly, because it required a huge amount of focus and efficiency that, once acquired, I can use for the rest of my life.