On Thursday, April 4th, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Târgu Mureș will hold a concert dedicated to the 111th anniversary of the construction of the organ at the Palace of Culture in the city. György Levente, the manager of the Philharmonic Orchestra in Târgu Mureș, provided us with details about this event, and more.

Mr. Gyorgy Levente, 111 years since the inauguration of the organ at the Palace of Culture in Târgu Mureș, one of the largest organs in Romania! What can you tell us about the history and construction of this instrument?

The instrument was commissioned in 1911 by Mayor Gyorgy Bernady from the Austrian company Rieger and was inaugurated in 1913. It is a pneumatic organ and was restored three years ago.

Now, on April 4th, Maestro Gheorghe Costin from Timișoara will conduct an anniversary concert, and organist Molnar Tunde will perform a piece by Eduard Terenyi, a composer from Târgu Mureș. Also, a young organist who is currently pursuing his master's degree at the "Gheorghe Dima" Academy in Cluj-Napoca, Lokodi Lehel, will complete the program with Guilmant's Symphony No. 1.

What is the uniqueness of this instrument and what does this organ represent for the cultural life of Târgu Mureș?

We are absolutely delighted to have such an instrument! From my information, as I am a new director here, it is the third organ in the country. The first organ, the largest one, would be in the Radio Hall in Bucharest; then, in Sibiu, which is currently undergoing restoration, and the third would be the one in Târgu Mureș. I am striving to organize a season dedicated to the organ. Last year, we had 5-6 concerts, and among them was "In memoriam Gyorgy Ligeti"; we also included it in the two Christmas concerts in December, and it sounded absolutely fantastic with the orchestra.

Also on Thursday, April 4th, there will be a recital by the Quartet of the Târgu Mureș Philharmonic at the headquarters of the Romanian Cultural Institute in Vienna, as part of a series of events promoting the concert that will take place on November 8th, 2024, at the Golden Hall of the Musikverein. Please provide us with more details about this event!

It's a cultural diplomacy project, on November 8th, Târgu Mureș - Vienna. It will be a great pride for all of us to see nearly 80 members of the State Philharmonic Orchestra from Târgu Mureș performing in the capital of classical music for the first time in the institution's history.

On November 8th, the program will include works by the two great composers Enescu and Bartok, as well as pieces by Piazzolla. As we know, throughout history, Enescu and Bartok had strong connections both with Vienna and Târgu Mureș. Therefore, the name of this project is "The Spirit of Romania in Vienna." And what binds the concert halls of Vienna and Târgu Mureș the most is the organ; both there and here, they were built by Rieger.

I want to thank the co-organizers, the representative of the Iunona Community Development Association, Mr. Ovidiu Maior, who gathered the necessary financial support, and Mr. Ciprian Bonta, the musical secretary, as well as Mr. Pablo Boggiano, who will be the conductor of the evening. I also want to thank the Romanian Cultural Institute (ICR) for their support both from Bucharest and Ambassador Hurezeanu, who supports us from Vienna.

We're going to promote this event on November 8th now, on April 4th, for the press. We're going with a quartet from the Philharmonic, not the official one, "Tiberius" but the "Bohemia" Quartet, who will join us and perform works by Enescu, Bartok, and Ligeti. The State Philharmonic Orchestra of Târgu Mureș will celebrate its 75th anniversary next year; so, it will be an anniversary year. We are glad to be among the four orchestras to reach Vienna - as far as I know, Cluj was the first to come, then the Youth Orchestra with Maestro Mandeal, and last year it was Maestro Daniel Jinga with the Bucharest Opera. This year, we're also making it to Vienna!