Did you know that the Bach family played an important part in the world of music for almost 200 years, and that 50 of its members were musicians, the most renowned of which was Johann Sebastian BACH? In late January, the concert held by the RADIO CHAMBER ORCHESTRA aims to takes us on a delightful trip back to the 18^th century. Among the three scores scheduled will be that of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, one of the five sons of the famous composer, who went on to pursue a musical career.

On Wednesday, 29^th January, at the Radio Hall, you may thus listen to three special works from the 18th century: Giovanni Battista Sammartini’s Concerto in A major for harpsichord, two violins and basso continuo, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s Concerto in D major for harpsichord and strings and Joseph Haydn’s Mass in C major - In tempore belli. The last score was written in a time of fearfulness felt by the Austrian people against Napoleon’s invasion, so the Mass can be regarded as a conjuration of divine support against Bonaparte.

The event will take place under the baton of conductor CRISTIAN BRÂNCUŞI, a founding member and conductor of the Radio Chamber Orchestra since 1990, providing musical directing for hundreds of concerts with the most varied of repertoires, from pre-classic to contemporary works. An important part of his career were the concerts he conducted in South Korea in 2003 and 2005, where he accompanied the Radio Chamber Orchestra, being later invited to conduct for the Jeonju Philharmonic Orchestra. Always having a propensity for avant-garde music, Cristian Brâncuşi often conducts concerts in such events as the International New Music Week, Worldmusic Days and others and has composed works of his own (scores for chamber, symphony and vocal-symphony music). The special guest of the evening will be CIPRIANA SMĂRĂNDESCU, the harpsichord soloist. Awarded a Bachelor of Arts Degree cum laude in harpsichord, both in Bucharest and in Vicenza, she is an almost constant presence, as a soloist, in concerts, recitals and various chamber music ensembles. She played the harpsichord, clavichord and pipe organ in concerts or prestigious festivals in Italy, Romania, Spain, Austria and France. She performed as a soloist in numerous harpsichord concerts, alongside the Aliusmodum ensemble - of which she is a founding member and the Italian Baroque Orchestra.

You will also have the opportunity to give a good hand to ELENA STANCU, soprano, and GEANINA MUNTEANU, mezzosoprano, both highly regarded on stage both as soloists and as members of the George Enescu Philharmonic Choir, in Bucharest; also, to NICOLAE SIMONOV, tenor, a lyrical artist of the The Academic Choir of the Romanian RadioBroadcasting Corporation and of the Cantemus chamber ensemble, and BOGDAN TALOŞ, bass, a soloist of the Comic Opera Berlin that is present in the Romanian musical world on both lyrical and concert stages. This event also enjoys featuring the Academic Choir of the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation and is produced with the support of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Bucharest.

Tickets are available for purchase on www.bilete.ro, in the Post Offices of the Romanian National Post Office Company, in all Inmedio stores bearing the “Bilete.ro”sign, and at the Radio Hall ticket desk.

For more concerning the National Radio Orchestras and Choirs, please visit www.orchestreradio.ro or www.orchestreradio.com.