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Interview with pianist Luiza Borac
On Friday, January 17th, 2025, during the Radio musical season, the pianist Luiza Borac will perform as a soloist of the Radio National Orchestra. The musician discussed about her return to the stage in Bucharest with our colleague, Ioana Țintea.
Mrs. Luiza Borac, for the concert taking place on Friday, January 17th, you have chosen to perform Rhapsody in Blue for piano and orchestra by George Gershwin. Is your choice linked to the 100 years anniversary of the first performance of this score?
Yes, for sure. It is an important anniversary, 100 years since the first performance in New York, the composer playing the piano. It was a great success from the very first moment, and already in the first year, in 1924, the musical work has been performed more than 80 times. An unusual musical phenomenon, because this success has lasted to this day and has influenced many composers.
Rhapsody in Blue captures the vibrant and sparkling atmosphere of America during the 20's. From your perspective as a performer and messenger of the composer, which do you think is the message that Gershwin wanted to transmit through this musical work?
I think it is very important that this symbiosis between classical music and jazz music took place for the first time in such an unusual, different manner. George Gershwin was a genius piano-player. I have to say that he only lived for 38 years, all his apparitions were sensational and he hadput together in this work, elements of great virtuosity which still remind us of the lisztian or Rahmaninov's virtuosity; Rahmaninov was present at that historical moment at the first performance andhe also managed to combine all the important jazz elements. Probably the message was about exposing the music in its universality, but from the way he expressed himself, he wanted to encompass the American music spirit in the most complex way possible. It is a dynamic work and I stress again the idea of his personal description. He had the idea during a train trip to New York and Boston, admiring the American landscapes, being astonished by the rhythm of the train, the essential element of this work being the rhythm. He said that, at first he wanted to express that particular rhythm and then all the other elements came along. It is a very dynamic work, but, as I said, the symbiosis with the classical music has shown the ground for an extraordinary beauty which Leonard Bernstein compared to the melodicism of Tchaikovsky, for example in the middle part there are also very romantic themes. It is awork which combines in an unusual manner, many elements of music.
What doesit mean to you to be back on the stage at Radio Hall and to meet the public in Romania again?
As always, it is a great joy, as ever, a special moment alongside the Radio Orchestra I've got beautiful memories in unforgettable concerts and yes, I look forward with enthusiasm to meeting the public in Romania again.
The conductor is Mathias Foremny. Have you collaborated with this German musician before?
Yes, I had the privilege to collaborate with him a few years ago, during a series of concerts alongside Gewandhaus Leipzig Orchestra, an orchestra that he had been conducting for many years with great success. He is a highly appreciated conductor, who has a vast experience and I am very glad that we can perform this program together.
Translated by Diana Sitaru,
University of Bucharest, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, MTTLC, year I
Corrected by Silvia Petrescu