The special programme organized by Lanto Communication, which featured the Romanian Youth Orchestra conducted by Cristian Mandeal, had an excellent credit on Saturday night (15^th December, 2012). Magic Winter - and a fairy tale charm - enveloped the hall of the Romanian Athenaeum when Bogdan Băcanu and his young colleagues of The Wave Quartet played the version for four marimbas of the Concerto in C major, BWV1064, written by Johann Sebastian Bach for two harpsichords. It was more than an auditory experience, it was a full-on aural and visual show. Next was Emmanuel Sejourné's concert in Bogdan Băcanu's view, followed by an encore of the marimba band, which sounded a bit exotic, picturesque and glamorous.

The second half of the night reminded us of the joy of a musical and social event, characteristic of the winter holidays; widely available pages, with an orchestra that was incredibly spectacular and the ensemble was much challenged. We could believe that conductor Cristian Mandeal wanted each such miniature to offer a real lesson of interpretive art to the young members of his orchestra, who have shown exuberance and youthful enthusiasm, often translated into commendable energy - an excellent quality of sound when they played pages by Rogalsky and Strauss, perhaps a sound that was more desired in Ravel's Bolero or in Edvard Grieg's pages. It was an impeccable night, a night of wintry magic at the Romanian Athenaeum.