On Sunday, 3^rd March, 2013, the National Radio Orchestra performed for the first time since its foundation, in the Republic of Moldova: after 85 years of activity that will be fulfilled along with Radio Romania's anniversary on 1^st November, our musicians were applauded by the audience that filled the nearly 2,000 seats at the National Palace in Chişinău. Young couples, families, children of pre-school age came to the concert and applauded the program based on the Russian and Romanian music: 5^thSymphony in E minor by Tchaikovsky, Piano Concerto no.2 in C minor by Rachmaninoff and RomanianRhapsodyno. 1 by Enescu. The rapturous applause brought about commentaries among musicians on how rare it was to receive such respect, politeness and to offer absolute delight as that evening conducted by Yuri Botnari, a musician who was born in Chişinău, guest conductor of the Moscow State Philharmonic Orchestra, did. With gestures that seemed almost words, showing that he was utterly aware of the effect he should seek in the compositions, Yuri Botnari conducted accurately and with sheer artistic emotion - and none of them overshadowed the other.

After Tchaikovsky's 5^thSymphony - a compendium of contrasting moods that were crossed below their surface by a current of anxiety - I listened to Vladimir Ovchinnikov's Opus with which he won in 1987 the Piano Competition in Leeds: Concerto no. 2 conducted by Sergei Rachmaninoff, a musical surface that vibrates permanently in which the protagonist and its companion are actually the same unique embroidered fabric. Vladimir Ovchinnikov dedicated the performance held by the National Radio Orchestra to the memory of the pianist Van Cliburn, who unfortunately passed away on 27^th February.
George Enescu's Romanian Rhapsodyno. 1, perhaps one of the compositions with the most affective grip on the audience nowadays, crowned the event. Enescu's genius in choosing and turning into urban art the motifs that appear in the folklore has a great impact on both the performers and listeners. All moments of the evening were applauded passionately, and after the National Radio Orchestra played the final parts of Enescu's Rhapsody, the audience stood up and showed their highest praise. The conductor Yuri Botnari ended the event with the two encores of Tchaikovsky's music and only then did the nearly 2,000 people - who had come to the National Palace in Chişinău in order to see the National Radio Orchestra performing its first concert in Moldova - leave.