The 19th Edition of the Bucharest Early Music Festival begins on Sunday, November 10th, and runs until November 28th.

Our guest today on Perpetuum mobile is Laurențiu Constantin, director of the Bucharest Early Music Festival. Good evening!

Good evening!

Mr. Constantin, this weekend marks the start of the Bucharest Early Music Festival with a concert at Sala Radio. To begin, could you tell us more about this event, and then perhaps give us a brief overview of this year's edition of the festival?

Hidden is the name of our opening concert-Hidden: In-between Mozart & Haydn. While music history remembers both Mozart and Haydn, theyhad two Flemish contemporaries, particularly Leemans, who were equally talented. But music history, with its selective memory, is sometimes unjust. The Belgian ensemble "Terra Nova Collective"is coming to Bucharest for the first time with a program dedicated to these composers-a program that explores the fine line of transition between late Baroque and very early Classicism. It's an extremely delicate boundary. Generally, this area is seen as the point where the path splits upward into Classicism and downward into Baroque. What is particularly interesting is that the ensemble's conductor is of mixed Romanian-Flemish heritage (with a Romanian mother and Flemish father), born and raised in Belgium. Even more exciting is that this concert brings violinist Mira Glodeanu to Bucharest-a rare presence, unfortunately, on Romanian stages.Mira Glodeanu is a distinguished baroque violinist and is considered today among the world's top 5-6 baroque violin performers.

Before the interview, I commented that the music world is small, and you replied that the early music world was even smaller. I suppose this conversation shows both how small it is and that the best things come in small packages.

Yes, and there's more to it. Early music, at least for us-the Bucharest Early Music Festival and the colleagues who began and built this festival-is about love. And love createsecosystems. In the case of early music, we're talking about a deep passion that goes beyond mere profession or vocation, driving you to seek new interpretations and innovative, surprising productions.Exceptional chamber ensembles keep emerging, especially from Basel's Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, the world's leading early music school, and every year I'm amazed by these musicians and their performances. I hadn't heard of them before-they're just young, twenty-year-old kids-and they're exceptional! And this fervor, this intense creative energy, is what breathes life into this European, and also Romanian, early music ecosystem.

Speaking of colleagues… I remember my high school classmates, especially the girls, who were initially drawn to the world of early music. You could see exactly what you described-the burning passion for this field. You mentioned fresh interpretations earlier. People might not realize that there are pieces from 400-500 years ago that no one has played in ages, and these can indeed have novel interpretations. How exactly do these novel interpretations come about?

I would start with our festival's slogan, which also reflects our credo: 'Discover the newness of old music.' We're not simply dusting off scores from a few hundred years ago; we're here to bring out the freshness of these works.Early music possesses certain qualities.First and foremost, early music-particularly Baroque and Byzantine-is deeply connected to the classical ideals of beauty.As such, it is timeless. No matter the era, it will continue to be performed and rediscovered. I don't think people will sing or listen to the songs of today's pop divasin 30 years, but the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, Vivaldi, Rameau, or Buxtehude, which captivated audiences 300-350 years ago, will still be enjoyed for centuries to come.

In addition, the music we see in facsimiles... is only half of the truththat comes alive on stage. The other half belongs to the musician. And early music performers, especially those specializing in Baroque, adhere strictly to the principle thatyou must first learn to follow all the rules, almost with the devotion of a zealot. Only then can you allow yourself to take any liberties you want.

Early music is generally a highly academic type of music. We have a clear understanding of how it was performed, including the instruments, style, the tuning systems used, and so on.Today, modern orchestras tune to a pitch of 440 hertz, whereas early music revolves around a tuning of415 hertz, the frequency of the A note. However, certain wind instruments, especially in the French tradition, are tuned to a range between 390 and 396 hertz. We know this because, while you can tune a harpsichord or a bowed string instrument, you can't tune a wind instrument like a transverse flute or recorder, which is simply a piece of wood with a cap at one end and some holes, with no keys. Flute keys appeared much later; in this older technique, you cover each hole with the fingertip, and even a half-millimeter change in pressure can affect the sound quality-or lack of it, as the case may be. In contrast, modern flutes have keys that seal the holes completely, stopping the air from flowing.

The world of early music, with its instruments, composers, and highly specialized musicians, is fascinating. It's rare to find a musician who performs both Romantic or Classical music and Baroque in this field. This hyper-specialization narrows your focus to a specific area, so you develop certain technical skills, musical techniques, interpretative style, and a particular aesthetic. For instance, the richer, more legato sound, appreciated in an Italian bel canto interpretation, is a world apart from the emphasis on precision and perfect intonation in Baroque music.Even slightly off intonation is consideredalmost blasphemous in Baroque. Articulation… in early music, there's a much stronger respect for the way the music was originally conceived and scored by the composers.

This may reveal my lack of knowledge, but when I first learned about historically informed performances, I made a connection with jazz. I understood that we start with a score, but as you mentioned, half of it is written and half is improvised. I've looked at jazz standards and know that half of it is written… Miles Davis and Duke Ellington had the same notes… and I need to workwith those same notes and be at least as good as they were. Is this a valid analogy?

That's absolutely correct. Baroque music heavily relies on improvisation. What sets it apart from jazz is that it's a highly academic form, as I mentioned, with fairly precise rules.The technique is called basso continuo or figured bass. There are guidelines for making these improvisations, but those rules of harmony and chords leave you with a great deal of freedom. The chords aren't written out-at most, there are numbers in the notation-and as a performer, you improvise between the long notes and those numbers. And you might be surprised to find that in well-known pieces like Vivaldi's Four Seasons, different violinists might play different cadenzas or you could hear unexpected improvisational touches in the bass part of the ensemble, making you think, "That's not in the score!" Well, it's not in the score; you have the figured bass, and beyond that, the musician has freedom, which is perfectly normal and accepted.

Speaking of jazz! The early music audience in Bucharestand throughout the country, and to some extent across Europe, isn't as closely related to the classical music audience you'd find at the Romanian Athenaeum or Sala Radio. Sociologically, they're more similar to the jazz audience-in terms of age, education, interests, and their pursuit of something unique. This audience is composed of curious listeners; a fire burns within them… That's the case even for snobs, who are actually a highly respectable part of the audience, because they approach this music with respect, sometimes even shyness, and they buy a ticket, which is a sign of respect in itself. The snob is an explorer, and that makes them respectable and, I'd say, worthy company.

You've already made a distinction between early music, classical music, and jazz. Setting aside the sociological side of the audience, I'd like to ask… what does the phrase "early music" actually mean? From what I understand, it covers an impressive span of years.

Early music goes back before the year 1000, with scores surviving from even earlier. In the Western tradition, it refers to music from the time of Mozart and earlier, including Baroque, Renaissance, Ars Nova, Ars Antiqua, and so on. It also encompasses Byzantine music, Gregorian chants, and ancient musical traditions from Mediterranean cultures, the Near East, and the Caucasus.

In the Romanian and Balkan regions, early music extends even to the 19th century.It's generally agreed that around 1900 in Romania, we started categorizing certain music as "early." Musicians like Barbu Lăutarul and Zlotea Lăutarul fall into this category. This early music traces its origins back to figures like Dimitrie Cantemir, Hieromonk Makarije, and institutions such as the Putna and Cozia Schools. It also includes the work of people like Anton Pann, and urban folk artists like Barbu Lăutarul.

That's exactly what I wanted to ask... what's the connection between Barbu Lăutarul and the Putna School?

In that music, you'll find phrases, and cadences characteristic of psaltic music-that is, Romanian Byzantine music. During Stephen the Great's time, a distinctive style of church musicdeveloped at Putna, with Eustație leading that school. This Byzantine-inspired church singing had a significant influence over all of Moldova and beyond, reaching Russia and the entire Slavic-speaking area east of Moldova, including modern-day Russia and Ukraine. The so-called putnevski, "Putna style," was performed in churches long before the advent of Western-influenced recitatives with wide chords, which are now commonly associated with Russian church music.

In that sense, I find it fascinating… We knew about the Putna School but didn't realize how widespread its influence was. Do you have any recommended resources on this topic? What would you suggest we read?

Vasile Vasile, a researcher, has written entire volumes on the subject, as have Father Sebastian Barbu Bucur and Adrian Sârbu, a professor at the "George Enescu" National University of Arts. I would also highly recommend an exceptional paleographer, Filoteu Bălan-a hieromonk and outstanding researcher. While Father Filoteu Bălan's work primarily focuses on recovering Paisius'heritage,particularly in relation to the psaltic music school active during Paisius Velichkovsky's time at the Neamț Monastery, hehas also contributed significantly to research on the Putna School.

You also mentioned music from the Caucasus. I have to admit, I know nothing about this. What kind of music are we talking about?

We're talking about Georgians, Armenians, and their music, which is generally known today in our region and Europe mostly for their spectacular performances: their incredible dances, uniforms, and dancers who move with such fluidity as if they're floating. But if we look past that visual display, or simply close our eyes and listen to the music-even the slower, more melancholic pieces, not just the upbeat and battle-like ones-we can recognize fragments of Byzantine musicsang in mode threein the "papadic" style (a tempo similar to adagio or largo). The Byzantine Empire was a cultural melting pot. Byzantine music, in particular, absorbed influences fromPersia, modern-day Iran, the Caucasus, Armenia, and, to some extent, the West. This is how the so-called Byzantine culture and music evolved. Every Orthodox country has its own version of Byzantine-inspired music. In our country, it's known as psaltic music. The Serbs have their own distinct style. The Greeks believe they are the purest of all, considering themselves the heirs of Rome on the shores of the Bosporus.Byzantine music also evolved and was renewed in interesting ways in the Russian, Ukrainian, and Caucasian regions. Last but not least, there were once unique features of Byzantine music in Anatolia, back when the peninsula belonged to the Greeks.

I'd like us to shift back for a moment to the sphere of cultivated music. As listeners, how can we recognize a historically informed interpretation, especially when we're dealing with a recording? If I'm in a store buying CDs, I won't immediately know how they sound, but once I get home and listen, how can I tell? I'm asking because there are numerous recordings of music by Mozart and his predecessors performed by artists who don't adhere to the principles of historically informed performance. How do we distinguish between them?

The first and simplest way to tell is that if you're passionate about this field, you'll look for specific names. The first clue is the ensemble or music director. Once you become somewhat familiar with this area, especially with the diverse types of early music, you'll realize that such a musician-especially a renowned one-only performs music in a specific way, based on historical documentation.Another clue,though unfortunately modern packaging makes it difficult, is to read the booklet or at least the back text.Sadly, CDs today are shrink-wrapped, and sellers aren't thrilled if you tear open the plastic. The safest approach is to buy only if you're sure. Make a mental note or jot downthe name of the musician or ensemble and then look them up. The internet is full of all kinds of performances. If you see evidence of meticulous musicological research, it's a good sign. Early music requires extensive work beyond the stage, including research to ensure accuracy. In fact, all reputable ensembles and ensemble leaders have at least one person doing this research. The most well-resourced, like SIMA or Savall's Hespèrion, have musicologists dedicated to this.

I remember last year, Jordi Savall came with Hespèrion, and before the festival, I received a text for a concert on Villancicos, music rooted in the Iberian folk tradition. He sent me a very comprehensive17-page document thatsurprised me. It was incredibly well done. A festival isn't quite a musicological symposium; it's something slightly different.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to have something like this in the future, especially if there are people who do this kind of work.

We've had such initiatives in certain festival editions, especially relatedto Byzantine music, and we'll do it again this time. This year's festival will feature a conference by the European Early Music Network, with a few talks by academics and experts. I confess we're more drawn to another path-if we put in extra effort beyond concerts and performances, we'd prefer to invest in education.We would like to focus on education for the general public or for young musicians transitioning from the modern violin to the baroque violin, and so on. I must admit this direction appeals to us more. The National University of Music has some exceptionally skilled members on its faculty, who can do this, and if they want to contribute to our festival, we would certainly welcome them as partners.

You mentioned those young musicians who want to transition from modern violin to baroque violin... Is there an ongoing interest in this shift every year?

There is. Early music has a few fundamental needs. One is the need for education, another is the need for instruments and scores-which has been partially addressed since the creation of imslp.com, where you can find facsimiles-and there's also the need for a stage. A musician, particularly one who's training to become a professional, needs to perform; they need a stage, a spacewhere the music they're studying can be brought to life, allowing them to fulfill their calling. Otherwise, they'll only practice with their teacher or by themselves in the practice room, and it's just not the same. That's really frustrating! This music is meant to be shared on stage.

As long as we manage to meet at least some of these needs, we're helping these young musicians fulfill their vocation. After all, there isn't a lack of musicians. If you want to reach a certain level of mastery, you first study in Romania, but then you need to go to Western Europe, where there are manyexcellent schools.

But it's not so much the schools that matter, it's the teacheryou choose to follow. If you want to learn baroque guitar or theorbo and study with Xavier Diaz Latorre, you have to go to Basel. On one hand, it's the opportunity to study with a true master.These skills aren't acquired in a typical classroom setting; they're cultivated through a master-apprentice relationship. It's about hands-on experience, observation, and direct interaction with the teacher, rather than simply taking notes.

An almost equally important thing is that it's an environment where you can truly immerse yourself. You're working alongside people who share similar interests, and you begin to adopt certain standards. What does historically informed performance mean, what are its parameters, and what rules do you need to master before you allow yourself (which is an absolutely honorable thing) to take liberties and experiment? You can do that too, but if you want to be treated as a respected musician, first and foremost, you need to learn to fully respect all the rules, so no one will think you're unreliable, and only then can you do whatever you like. And there are many musicians who've followed this path. I'll give you an example: a certain Jakub Orliński, a countertenor, who is now one of the top performers in Europe. He's still young, and he's also a professional breakdancer and does other amazing things. He's done some extraordinary baroque opera productions, some of them in a modern style, incorporating dance, breakdancing, and street dance...

And were they well received?

Yes, the productions received the highest praise! Leading musicians of early music performed on stage. The audience's reaction said it all. The fact that musicians of this caliberinclude such elements in their ensembles and performances... it's a form of acceptance, and nothing is harder than earning the respect and acceptance of your professional community.

No one is a prophet in their own land!

Exactly. It's an old truth.

Speaking of old things... your entire descriptionabout the environment where you can truly immerse yourself, the colleagues who provide validation, the master you must learn from, the elitist audience, and your remark about the Greeks, makes me think of classical, ancient literature-Homer with the Iliad and the Odyssey, Virgil with the Aeneid. It makes me think that there are people who dedicate their lives to this-reading, translating from Ancient Greek and Latin-and it's also an environment, an ecosystem where a young person can find validation for their interests. My only question is: what are we aiming for in early music? I'm sure it's about authenticity, but is that authenticity tied to the text, the composer, and the period, or is it about the performer asserting their own personality?

Early music is centered around the concept of authenticity. Any serious performance of early music is an expression of authenticity. Above all, authenticity means reproducing the musician's intent as accurately as possible. I say"musician" because nowadays we distinguish between composers and performers... In the past, the musician was a multifaceted figure-composer, teacher, performer, virtuoso, and ensemble leader. Today, musicians tend to be more specialized, and some may even hide behind these specializations. The goal is to recreate and revive what existed before.

The second aspect of authenticity is what you give. Early music is generous. There is no such thing as art for art's sake; it's art that you offer to the audience, the listeners, and your fellow musicians. And that's where you can add your own personal touch. Let me give you an example. There's a violinist named Sato, who studied in the U.S. and now lives in Europe. He plays with Holland Baroque, and they completed the "All of Bach" project, which reintroduces all of Bach's works. Sato, with his violin playing, almost reinvented the sound, adding his own personal authenticity to the performance and delivering unexpected sonorities that no one can contest as authentic.I've listened to a fair amount of Baroque music, but Sato's performance was a completely different experience. There's a unique energy and scientific precision in his playing that creates an extraordinary atmosphere! That's a prime example of how you can fulfill your true vocation. I dare to say that the composer, in this case Bach, is largely at the mercy of the interpreter. And Sato succeeded in reinventing things, bringing out qualities I've never heard anywhere else.

One last question: could you share some of the names we'll hear at the Bucharest Early Music Festival?

Here's a quick rundown of the lineup. First, we have the "Terra Nova Collective," followed by the "Codex Ensemble'" from Sfântu Gheorghe-a group dedicated to reviving early music, particularly Renaissance music from Transylvania, including pieces related to Ioan Căianu, though not exclusively. Next, we'll have the "Orkiestra Historyczna,"who've joined us before, and Martyna Pastuszka, an outstanding violinist. Their performance is not to be missed! I'll leave it there to be fair to the others. One of the world's leading ensembles, "Il Giardino Armonico," will be present as well, featuring flutist Giovanni Antonini and cellist Giovanni Sollima in a joint project.Then there's harpsichordist Raluca Enea, our artistic director, possibly the most accomplished harpsichordist of her generation and a specialist in late French Baroque music, particularly Rameau, on whom she completed her doctorate. Lastly, I'd like to mention "Sempre," a Baroque ensemble from Bucharest. Though they'd worked together for some time, it was five years ago, during the pandemic, that they formally came together. One of their most successful programs was "Sempre Vivaldi," which inspired their name. They're a group of talented musicians from Bucharest, with two from Cluj, a cellist from Miercurea Ciuc, and other exceptional musicians, like Raluca Enea on harpsichord or Rafael Butaru on violin, concertmaster of the Philharmonic and the Opera, whose talents for Baroque…

…I, for instance, didn't know about them!

He studied Baroque music and is continually refining his craft. Rafael is a well-rounded musician for his age, but he remains a student, pursuing his work with humility and diligence. He's spent time learning with Mira Glodeanu and others like her, driven by a deep desire to learn. In his formative years, he studied Baroque music both abroad and in Cluj.

We should all aspire to be this kind of dedicated student!

Mr. Constantin, thank you so much for joining us here at Radio România Muzical!