With the occasion of Radio România's 95^th anniversary on the 1^st of November (the 1^st of November 1928 being the start date of the broadcast), the National Radio Orchestra performed an anniversary concert on Friday, the 3^rd of November 2023.

Given this occasion, the British conductor, Rumon Gamba, returned on the Radio Hall's stage, which was not enough to hold the large and enthusiastic audience who wanted to attend this special event.

The evening began with a Romanian creation - "The symphonic prelude" by Ion Dumitrescu, and the British conductor's performance offered us a real visual performance in terms of his dynamic and confident play of gestures.

next on the stage was the violinist Alexandru Tomescu, who mentioned in an interview with our station that Radio Romania is his second home, having been Radio Orchestra's soloist for over than 20 years. The musician performed Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Orchestra and Violin Concerto in D major, a well-known and well-liked piece by the ones present. The audience rewarded the soloist with a long round of applause and enjoyed the encore offered by Alexandru Tomescu - Niccolò Paganini's Caprice no. 24.

Here are some impressions of the first part of the night:

"It was an extraordinary programme! I did not even expect such a combination." - Ileana Ionescu, pensioner.

"The concert was very nice! What can I say, an unique performance!" - Rodica Chiriac, mechanical engineer.

"I really enjoyed it. I really like AlexandruTomescu. I always try to come to the concert when he is in the programme, because I'm really moved by the way he performs. Moreover, as he said, today is a special day… I really enjoyed it and I am looking forward to the second part." - Emilia Cojoc, environmental consultant.

"We really liked it! We had come all the way from Cluj for this concert." - Robert Lucaci, freelancer.

during the break, there were presented to the public two recently released albums that illustrate through music the artistic past and present of the institution: a CD called "Ballet Music" dedicated to Mihail Jora, the first musical director of the Romanian Broadcasting, and an album that comprises recordings made by Alexandru Tomescu and the pianist Sînziana Mircea with pieces by Beethoven, Brahms and Enescu.

during the release of the two albums, the pianist Ilinca Dumitrescu was also present, a promoter of MihailJora's creations, and she declared: "I was present at a remarkable evening! Firstly, hearing my father's "The symphonic prelude" 110 years after he was born, really moved me and brought me joy. The conductor Rumon Gamba, whom I have seen and listened to now for the first time, had a very good and unique performance, I liked it. Then the concert performed by Alexandru Tomescu - remarkable! A full hall, full of success… you've seen. So, a beautiful and fit evening for the Romanian Broadcasting. I'm happy that such an enthusiastic audience came to this anniversary concert. This is how it should be at every concert, starting with a Romanian piece. Perhaps it would be good for us to choose the classics of Romanian music as first acts, whom the audience clearly enjoys."

The last piece of the programme was Symphony no. 6 "Pastoral" by Ludwig van Beethoven, when the musicians of the National Radio Orchestra stood out with numerous solo moments played at a high professional level.

At the end of the night, we gathered more opinions from the ones present:

"It was magistral! I really appreciated the violinist's sensitivity, refinement and the fact that the conductor was simply like a piece of candy - theatrical as well as sympathetic." - Ana Ioniță Roman, pensioner, former teacher.

"It was very well sung and they really impressed me. The pieces were exceptional" - Emilian Beju, pupil.

Photo credit: Barcan Photography