Now on its sixth
\ntour, the Traveling Piano, offered by Radio Romania, as well as the pianist who
\nis the main character of the story, have unveiled their secrets. We asked
\npianist Horia Mihail what the circumstances were that prompted him to join the
\nproject.<\/p>\n
\n
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The story goes like this: six years ago I
\ndiscovered in the basement of Radio Romania two concert pianos that were used
\nback in the ’50s and ’60s in concerts at the Radio Hall. So, I went to the
\nmanagement and said the pianos should be brought back to life, to help those
\ncultural establishments where there were no pianos for them to use.
\nUnfortunately, the cultural infrastructure is quite scarce in Romania. The idea
\nwas received with open arms by the public radio broadcaster, and here we are
\nnow, at the sixth edition of this project. There are four traveling
\ninstruments, and these pianos travel with me to various places where there are
\nno concert pianos, to bring to life masterpieces composed by Franz Liszt,
\nMozart, Beethoven and, this year, Chopin. These pianos stay for a while in
\nthose concert halls, and they are used for various musical events, to the
\ndelight of the audiences there. <\/p>\n
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\n
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In six years of
\ntraveling, Horia Mihail has played Beethoven and Mozart, as well as Brahms,
\nLiszt, Schumann and Rachmaninov in 2015. This year, the traveling piano is giving
\nlife to Romantic pieces by Chopin. <\/p>\n
\n
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Where has the
\nTraveling Piano taken Horia Mihail so far? <\/p>\n
\n
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So far Sannicolau Mare, Romania’s
\nwesternmost city, in Timis County, has hosted the traveling piano, as well as
\nMedias in Sibiu County. At present another three cities, Roman, Tulcea and Deva
\nhave also been included in the circuit. Our fourth traveling piano will reach
\nAlba Iulia, where I will also be for a short period of time. The idea was to take
\nthe high-profile events held in large cities such as Bucharest, Cluj or
\nTimisoara to smaller cities as well, to places with a less vibrant cultural
\nlife. Cities like Tulcea, Roman, Deva and soon Alba Iulia, are already on the
\nmap of major musical events in Romania.<\/p>\n
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\n
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The project is
\ndevoted to a different composer every year. Brahms combines strictness with
\nfreedom of expression and an innovative rhythmic structure. Liszt, in its
\nexpansionist approach to the keyboard, is always in search of new spaces, each
\nof his works looking to grasp the full absorbing power of the piano, seen as a
\ngenuine microcosm. Schumann’s works, on the other hand, are more passionate,
\npoetic and inward-looking, seeking to reveal the true and secret nature of
\nthings through music, making him the most iconic representative of Romanticism
\nin music. Rachmaninov, with his singular style and unmistakable melodic
\ninnovation, marked by tumultuous and painful lyrical undertones, saw music as
\nthe direct result of a troubled, anxious and introvert mind.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
We asked Horia
\nMihail why he chose Chopin for this year:<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
It was
\nsimply a decision I made on the spur of the moment. It is brilliant music, and
\nChopin’s music is well known and easily recognized everywhere in the world. It
\nis pure and sincere music. Pure art. A kind of rhetoric that goes straight to
\nthe hearts of the listeners.<\/p>\n
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