Radio Big Band will commemorate Peter Herbolzheimer through the concert which will take place Thursday, the 16^th of May, at 19:00, at the Radio Hall. One of the most well-liked jazz artists in Germany, Peter Herbolzheimer cared a lot about his Romanian origins, even if he left the country during his adolescence. More about his personality and the concert "The Magic of Peter Herbolzheimer" we learn from Simona Strungaru, the conductor of the Radio Big Band, who gave an interview to our colleague Viorel Grecu.

Let's first talk about Peter Helborzheimer, a very important composer and orchestrator. What can you tell us about him, being from the same guild?

I'm glad we're talking about the repertoire designed by Maestro Helborzheimer, because he was a man who truly loved music and who imagined extraordinary sounds, emphasizing the big band very much. He is a man who has left a great legacy for all those who work in this field. We are glad that he supported the Radio Romania Big Band. He came in the last period of his life and conducted some concerts with the big band and left scores for us to have in our repertoire. They are very beautiful works that we learn from every time we play them and sing them again.

For those who don't know, the resonance of the name is confusing, Peter Helborzheimer had Romanian roots and even spoke very good Romanian. Did you have the opportunity to meet him directly or were you aware of his big band collaboration while he was still alive?

Yes, I knew him personally. I was for many years part of the Radio Big Band audience and along with my current colleagues had the pleasure of sitting in with him. I also attended a big band course in Germany with the youth orchestra he conducted with great affection. Yes, he is indeed one of the most active jazz musicians of Romanian origin who has taken this art to the highest heights internationally.

Talking now about Thursday night's concert, you'll be performing compositions and I suspect arrangements that he left behind. We'll also have soloists. How will the evening go?

There are works, indeed composed by Peter Helborzheimer and some arranged by him. The soloists are Sebastian Burneci on trumpet and Eugen Mamot on saxophone. We'll have swing works, we'll have Latin works, Latin jazz, we'll also have some beautiful ballads. It's an evening that celebrates the beauty of jazz in all its many forms.

As seen by Peter Helborzheimer.

Absolutely.