The harp was the ‘star’ of the recital on 19^th November, 2013 in the Small Hall of the Romanian Athenaeum. And when it is handled with spectacular technical ability, such as that of young musician Miruna Vidican, the harp roused the interest of music lovers who were enthusiastic about the recital that was part of the fifth Tuesday Evening Season. Miruna Vidican proposed an interesting journey, from Baroque creation to works by Bach and Handel to Romantic repertoire, including works by Tchaikovsky and Faure, and it ended with a Romanian composition – Pastoral Sonata by Carmen Petra Basacopol. A disciple of valued harpist Ion Ivan Roncea, she is herself a mentor in the ways of the harp for the students of the ‘George Enescu’ High School in Bucharest. A member of the Romanian Youth Orchestra – an ensemble that is already well-known in the Romanian music area, Miruna Vidican proved that harp can be a solo instrument of orchestra-like complexity of colour. Nervous at her first performance on the stage of the Small Hall of the Romanian Athenaeum, Miruna Vidican confessed:

‘I am preparing for a competition in Saint Petersburg, which has an established programme, and I wanted to perform it here. I thought I should take a chronological approach, from Bach to the contemporaries. I also included a Romanian composition – Pastoral Sonata by Carmen Petra Basacopol’s – a composer who writes a lot for harp and I considered it was a sort of gratitude from my part to perform this opus… I love harp and music in general, so I strive to convey a message as much as possible. I felt very good, the audience received me very well, the applauses were warm… I felt at ease and I loved playing here. The acoustics is extraordinary and the instrument is a very good one, so I had all the necessary conditions.’

Miruna Vidican – a young sensible and talented musician who gives life to the harp, turning it into a solo instrument, interesting by the multitude of sonorities, revealed through wonderful technique. Her soloist journey charmed the audience, who rewarded her with well-deserved applauses, so she returned to the stage several times.