Violinist Alexandru Tomescu and pianist Iulia Toma will perform a recital in Iași, on the 23rd of March 2023, as part of the festival marking the debut of the new Radio România Muzical frequency in Iasi.

Salut d'amour is the title of the recital you will perform on the 23rd of March, on the occasion of the opening of the new Radio România Muzical frequency in Iași. What does it mean for you, as someone close to our station, to be part of this festival, at this important moment for Radio România Muzical?

I am very happy to be present in Iasi with pianist Iulia Toma for this important moment for Radio România Muzical. It's my radio station of soul, my favourite radio station, and every time I travel around the country, I suffer when I see how the frequency is lost because it still doesn't have national coverage. The opening of this frequency in Iasi is a very important step in this direction. Iasi is, without a doubt, a very important cultural capital of Romania and I believe that the radio station România Muzical will have many loyal listeners throughout this area of Moldova.

You have played with pianist Iulia Toma in the past. How would you describe the collaboration?

We are colleagues at the West University of Timisoara, at the Faculty of Music and Performance. We also played here in Timișoara, at the Philharmonic and, of course, on the stage of the Athenaeum, in the Vară Magică Festival. Iulia is a remarkable pianist, with a very special sensitivity and full of commitment and temperament in everything she does. That's why I also chose this programme with musical works related to love, because I felt that together with her I could give life to such beautiful music.

I would like to talk now about the concert you played on the 4th of March in the United States at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica. You performed with pianist Alexandra Dariescu and soprano Angela Gheorghiu. Was it your first time on this stage?

Yes, indeed. It was my first time on the Broad Stage. It's a relatively new concert hall, built 15 years ago. I understand it's a stage dedicated to opera singers. And, indeed, it was an absolutely remarkable evening. It's the first time I sang a whole evening with the famous soprano Angela Gheorghiu. For me it was an unforgettable experience. We prepared a whole programme of works in which the violin accompanied Angela Gheorghiu's voice. The hall was packed to capacity; it was an incredible success. I learned a lot from the experience with this very great musician.

March brought a new phase of the Listen to 5 minutes of classical music project. As an ambassador of this campaign since 2018, how important do you think its presence is in Romanian schools, but also in unconventional spaces where it takes place?

I think music should be part of our lives every day first of all, obviously during this campaign's popularization period, but also outside it. I'm a parent myself, my little girl is in first grade right now and I think music education adds so much to the experience our children have in schools. Music teaches you to be more empathetic, it teaches you how to listen to those around you, it teaches you some rules of social interaction that are absolutely necessary in any kind of society we live in. Last but not least, music brings beauty to our lives. How could we not want that for our children!