RadiRo, the festival dedicated to radio orchestras
The International RadiRo Festival, which got under way in Bucharest, is the only event of its kind to be entirely dedicated to radio orchestras.
Mihai Pelin, 22.09.2014, 13:16
Bucharest is playing host to the second edition of the International Festival of Radio Orchestras. Five prestigious orchestras from Europe, alongside famous musicians and conductors, are giving concerts at the Radio Concert Hall until next Saturday. The programme is dedicated to the music of Richard Strauss, in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the German composer’s birth. On Saturday, more than 1,000 spectators attended the opening concert given by Finland’s Symphonic Radio Orchestra, its first in Romania. Sunday saw the performance of the Romanian National Radio Orchestra conducted by Cristian Mandeal, the honorary director of this year’s festival. Here’s Cristian Mandeal himself:
“My presence here is connected, first and foremost, to my role as conductor of the National Radio Orchestra. Our concert is, in my opinion, on a par with the concerts given by the other international orchestras in the festival in terms of the quality of our music. In our programme, we also play tribute to George Enescu by performing his Rhapsody no. 2, a must in a festival of this kind.”
Other highlights in the festival are the concerts given by the Radio Symphony Orchestra in Prague, on Monday, followed by the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra on Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, Romania’s National Radio Orchestra again climbs on stage, featuring violinist Alexandru Tomescu, one of the most celebrated Romanian musicians today, who plays on a 1702 Stradivarius violin. Closing the RadiRo Festival will be an exceptional performance from the French National Orchestra conducted by Vassily Sinaisky.
