Today, on the 12th of April, conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong will conduct the National Radio Orchestra, preparing a concert with a Debussy-Beethoven-Bartok program. The soloists of the evening will be represented by pianist Sînziana Mircea, violinist Alexandru Tomescu and cellist Ștefan Cazacu. Conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong is going to offer us more details about this event in an interview by Ana Sireteanu.

Mr. Lecce-Chong, after your European debut from last autumn's Enescu Festival, you are returning to Romania in order to conduct the National Radio Orchestra. What do you expect from this collaboration?

Well, I am very glad to be back here. The Enescu Festival has been a very busy period for me, involving numerous meetings with orchestras and many rehearsals. Thus, let myself be so absorbed by rehearsals and had no chance to truly see the city or get to know the orchestra as I would've wished to. Even so, it was a wonderful period, with wonderful music. It's a given that I am very glad to be here.

We are preparing this iconic and beautiful program, and, for me, it is always a pleasure to be able to reconnect with an ensemble that I have already had the occasion to previously work with. Moreover, this program is a delight for musicians as well, since it manages to put each and every instrumentalist in the spotlight, while uncovering their distinct personalities. We find ourselves during our second collaboration and I hope that our trust in one another has grown exponentially. This program is the perfect way to help us grow together.

Friday's program displays a journey through the entire history of music, but not a chronological one. How would you describe this journey?

I see it as true celebration for orchestral music, for the way in which composers wrote for the orchestra, starting, of course with Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, a work considered to be Modernism's unleashing from the 1900s, right at the beginning of a century, a piece which, in a way, redefines the orchestra. I believe that the Prelude is a perfect match for Bartok, as we are talking about two composers who unveil another perspective of the orchestra, presenting it wonderfully. And yet, of course, the thing that I like about Debussy is that he uses an orchestra of small proportions, very transparent, even ethereal I would say, giving you the opportunity to truly appreciate each and every instrument for the 10 minutes that the piece lasts.

We have a larger orchestra for Bartok's concert, but even so, the composer takes his time to highlight each and every instrument. Thus, I believe that these two pieces - one who debuts right at the beginning of Modernism and another, Bartok's concert - maybe one of the most famous pieces of the 20^th century. They fit together wonderfully.

As for Beethoven, the way he uses the orchestra is absolutely magnificent. The triple concert has always been one of my favourite works, and the way in which he uses these three solo instruments and how he introduces and separates them from the orchestra at certain times - I believe that this is what makes this concert be considered one of his best concerts. I wish it was performed more often, so it is a pleasure to be here and work on it.

Do you believe that within Beethoven's triple concert you could find the same way the composer tackles with his violin and piano concerts? Which are the main challenges for the orchestra in this piece?

Absolutely! I believe that, maybe because of the three solo instruments themselves, he goes even further. Let us discuss the structure of the piece. Within that long introduction for the orchestra, where he doesn't rush to introduce every solo instrument, he offers the necessary time for each of them to display the theme. If it wasn't for the second part, which is pretty short and marks the transition towards the third movement, I believe that this concert would have lasted for about an hour. I think that Beethoven realized that in the first movement he brought together so much musical material, that he must've thought: "It's alright, this will suffice.", so he made the other two movements much shorter. Even so, I believe that the first part is one of his best movements. It's about the power of the orchestra, the simplicity of the themes, and the way in which he introduces and expands on the thematic material is, in fact, the same as in the Violin Concerto.

As for the orchestra, I think that, in the case of Beethoven, everything is about contrast. It is so often that he asks for many different characters in a short interval, from the orchestra - he goes from majestic sonorities to delicate ones with agility, after which he switches to something cantabile and then, immediately, to a Scherzando. There is always a multitude of distinct characters in Beethoven's orchestra, so, in order to perfectly emphasize each of them, I always try to mark contrasts, characters, the dynamic and the whole sonority of the orchestra.

You are an advocate of contemporary music, encouraging young composers to follow the path of creation by asking them to send pieces that you will eventually present with the orchestras that you conduct. You had interesting projects together with Eugene and Santa Rosa Symphony, such as "First Symphony Project" sau "Santa Rosa Symphony presents", both of them expanding on the audience's taste for contemporary music. What do you think that is the best way to promote such kind of music in concert halls?

Thank you so much for asking this! I think that the best part of my work is probably interacting with composers and bringing out all the incredible music that is written for the orchestra. It would be impossible for me to do my job if I didn't believe that the next masterpiece is one piece away and that, the more we ask for numerous pieces, the more we are actively supporting many composers, the more we will find the music that we will resonate with in the next 100 years. Thus, this is a very important thing to me and I believe that we should invest in music. It's not only about a financial investment, but also a time, energy and focus investment coming from the orchestra, as well as an investment from the audience, in order to bring these pieces to life, as no new work exists unless it has been heard by the public. And what I always try to do is to create an experience for the public to feel like they are a part of history, that they contributed to this piece. This is the greatest duty of an orchestra and the public. This is the most sacred thing, that we have been doing for the past 300 years - to gather in the concert hall, to create and listen to a musical piece that no one has ever heard. We do not know what is going to happen if we do not perform this piece in a concert. And when you think about the fact that by doing so, we join history, we join those who, before us, made the same thing for Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms and Mahler's music. All these composers, musicians and music lovers, all of them have taken part in this act, and it is so important for us to do the same, because it is not about how great the piece is, but it is about believing in what we do. It's about believing in art and in the fact that it must keep on growing.

One of your other interests is creating challenging programs for your concerts, such as joining classical music with film music, for example. Do you think that this might be a solution to attract more young people to classical music concerts?

I do believe so. The reason I do this is because I enjoy surprising people, but I also like broadening my horizons concerning classical music, since this impacts all that is around us. I believe it to be incredibly satisfying to be able to bring to life programs in which people appreciate our art in new ways. There is no barrier keeping you from enjoying Beethoven or Mahler or any other great composers. You don't have to be older in order to enjoy a certain thing; I believe that it is linked to the way in which we think about this music. If we think about it as a separate thing from the audience, if we say that our music is sacred and it's above all, and no one is good enough for it, then the audience will turn away from us. Generally, I try to view music and the public as they are and to, simply, just enjoy it. There is no correct way to appreciate the music that we create. The most important work that I do where I live involves the people I meet, to which I speak about my music. These are wonderful conversations and so much more when they take place within the concert hall, where we can create a truly welcoming and fun atmosphere for our audience. This is the best way to appreciate any kind of music, be it film music or concert classical music.