Tuesday, 29^th January, the Romanian Athenaeum's Small Hall was once again a launchpad for the young musicians who make up the Axis Mundi Trio: violinist Rafael Butaru, clarinet player Aurelian Băcan and pianist Eva Butean. Three talented musicians who studied at the music school in Cluj and who have well-defined careers at present: Rafael Butaru is concertmaster of the orchestra at the Romanian National Opera in Cluj-Napoca, and Aurelian Băcan plays the clarinet in the Transylvania Philharmonic, both musicians being part of the Youth Orchestra, as well. For her part, Eva Butean is a tenured piano teacher at the "Sigismund Toduţă" Music High School in Cluj-Napoca. In 2008, they made up the Axis Mundi Trio, and on 29^th January they played for the first time on the concert stage of the Small Hall of the Romanian Athenaeum, as part of the Tuesday Night Season.

'It was a surprise and great honour to play here at the Athenaeum. I, for one, have never played here and I have really wanted to get here… it was beautiful, we wanted to have a good time. It is a difficult programme, which we have rehearsed a lot and I hope we managed to please the audience.' - pianist Eva Butean

It was a programme that included 20^th century works, which are difficult for a violin - clarinet - piano trio both from a technical and an interpretive point of view; a repertoire including composers such as Stravinsky, Bartok, Khachaturian, which the Trio played when they participated at the 4^th edition of the International Competition "Saverio Mercadante" in Bari, Italy, at the Chamber Music with Clarinet section, where they were awarded the first prize. Along with the audience, I listened to Igor Stravinsky's Soldier's Tale - a version specially created for this type of ensemble by the Russian composer during the First World War -, the Suite for Trio - Clarinet, Violin, Piano by Armenian composer Alexander Arutiunian and Les Kaches - esprits des rochers, by clarinet player and composer Aurelian Băcan.

'It was an attractive programme, a very difficult and provocative one, but I hope we have managed to do what we put our mind to. My own composition is the mirror of my soul. When you sit down and compose music you are the most honest with yourself and then you can convey exactly what you feel. It is a composition that combines several movements such as jazz, pop or rock. We have played as a trio for a long time, and I composed this piece because my partners insisted.' - clarinet player Aurelian Băcan

Overall, it was a difficult programme, which was however performed very well by young Cluj musicians who make up the Axis Mundi Trio - violinist Rafael Butaru, clarinet player Aurelian Băcan and pianist Eva Butean - whom the audience rewarded accordingly.