In celebration of the International Week of New Music (SIMN) tomorrow, May 24th, 2024, the Radio Hall in Bucharest will host a concert by the Radio National Orchestra, with pianist Adriana Toacsen performing as the soloist. The esteemed conductor Cristian Mandeal, who will be leading the orchestra, granted an interview to our colleague, Sarah Natsis, during a rehearsal break for the evening's performance.

Mr. Cristian Mandeal, the Radio National Orchestra is participating again this year in the International Week of New Music. What do you believe is the impact and importance of this festival, considering it brings contemporary music to the audience?

It's only natural for the music of our times to be promoted just as the well-known, older music is. People evolve, they don't regress, or at least they should evolve. New music keeps pace with the times;it's the truth. Often, people are overwhelmed by contemporary music. I think there is a kind of prejudice, a reluctance to slightly adjust-in the good sense of the word-one's perspective and to align with what contemporary music is doing, which actually reflects the current society from which it originates and serves. Contemporary music exists as it is, with its issues, sensitivities, and the accumulated experience of hundreds of years of music, which has been evolving continuously. It's difficult to predict where it will stop. We don't even know if that will ever happen. But that's not what matters.For now, we have music that is written in our days, and we are even more interested in the music written in our country since we have the Union of Composers, a large organization with hundreds of members, well-prepared individuals who have produced and continue producing music and who must ultimately be promoted. So, this is an important moment, I would say, in the season of the Radio National Orchestra, which is, first and foremost, a wonderful orchestra meant to serve national music above all.

How would you describe the program for tomorrow evening? Is there a common attribute among the works you will present to the audience?

It's hard to say. I believe the common attribute is contrast rather than unity, as we are presenting three composers-Mihaela Vosganian, George Balint, who sadly is no longer with us, and CălinIoachimescu-each with their unique personality, as it should be. Each composer brings something new, and while all three pieces are interesting, they exhibit different musical languages and attitudes.

What can you tell us about pianist Adriana Toacsen as an artist? Have you collaborated in the past?

No, this is the first time we're performing together. Adriana Toacsen is a lecturer at the National University of Music Bucharest, and what I know about her is that she is a very accomplished pianist. In any case, it's to her great credit that she took on such a task, learning an extremely difficult concert that has never been performed before, like this one by George Balint. I hope for the best.

How are the rehearsals for the concert going?

It's a tiring process in the sense that, of course, the concert entails an unusual volume of work compared to other concerts featuring standard repertoire pieces. Each composition has never been performed, so they need to be deciphered, learned, assimilated, and ultimately delivered in their deep musical sense, not merely mechanically executed like written texts. The orchestra is excellent and highly competent, but the challenge of tackling a demanding programis one I believe would be typical for any orchestra on Earth. We are trying our best, and I am hopeful things will fall into place convincingly before the concert.