| George Foca-Rodi |
World Premier Performance of Four Symphonic Pieces
dedicated to Sergiu Celibidache
Conducted by Horia Andreescu, Bucharest George Enescu Philharmonic
| Culture cus/vm/cus Romanian Athenaeum hosts world first hearing of four symphonic pieces by American composer of Romanian origin George Foca-Rodi Bucharest, 4 December /Rompres/ - the Romanian Athenaeum played host on Thursday to a special musical event. The Symphonic Orchestra of the George Enescu Philharmonic performed, as a world first, under the baton of conductor Horia Andreescu, four symphonic pieces dedicated to the famous conductor Sergiu Celibidache by American musician of Romanian origin George Foca-Rodi. A pianist and composer known both in America and Europe, acknowledged by the press as "an immensely gifted musician", Foca-Rodi attracted to the Athenaeum music lovers, critics, journalists and fellow musicians, some of whom came to Bucharest precisely for this concert. Although he left Romania more than 20 years ago, George Foca-Rodi, born in Braila, has never stopped championing the Romanian cultural values. "In Washington, when I was invited to perform for the American Government, I played Chopin, but I played George Enescu as well. And these four symphonic pieces were born out of my love for Sergiu Celibidache", Foca-Rodi told Rompres. "The Romanian nation is a nation of aristocrats, of great artists but, unfortunately, only few Romanian cultural assets are known abroad as they deserve. You should do far more for the propagation of these assets, even though the country is short of material means. You must not expect the West to come and discover you. You need to conduct steady, permanent propaganda. In this 'global village' into which the planet is about to turn, Romanian culture has to take its due place and, for this, it has to make itself better known", concluded George Foca-Rodi. |