Radu Postăvaru
Radu Postăvaru (born 1967 in Iași) is a Romanian conductor and composer.
He took piano and conducting lessons as a child being considered in prodigious children category. He attended the "Octav Bancila" Music School and then at the George Enescu University of Arts from Iasi, he studied with Ion Baciu, Vasile Spatarelu, Viorel Munteanu, Adrian Diaconu and Mihail Cozmei, among others. Then at the National University of Music in Bucarest, he studied composition with Dan Constantinescu, conducting with Horia Andreescu where he graduated with a Masters in conducting style.
In the next period he made conducting master classes in Germany with Olaf Koch and conducted in several concerts the Halle Symphonic Orchestra. At this time, he followed a conducting specialization course with the renowned Maestro, Ovidiu Balan.
While he was a student, Postavaru manifested an ever-growing creative preoccupation, sensitiveness and imagination, responsibility in view of the mission of the professional contemporary musician, as a conductor, pianist and composer.
In 1993 he was appointed Music Director of the Radio Iasi, a post he held until 1995. From 1995 Postavaru headed the orchestral and conducting departments at the University of Music George Enescu, teaching there until 2001. Between 1999 and 2001 he was also music master at the Institute of Music “Salmon” from Casablanca, Morocco.
Radu Postavaru was appointed to his first conducting post in 2002 as conductor of the “Paul Constantinescu” Symphonic Orchestra from Ploiesti, Romania. Many orchestras worldwide sought him out as a guest conductor such as Grossetto Symphonic Orchestra (Italy), Philarmonic Orchestra and National Chamber Orchestra from Chisinau (Moldavia), Symphonic Orchestra from Douai (France), Halle Philarmonic Orchestra (Germany), Philarmonic Orchestras from Teplice, Hradec-Kralove, Olomouc (Czech Republic).
He made films and recordings for broadcastings and national radio-televisions from Japan, France, Russia, Germany, Italy, Spain, Morocco, Chech Republic, Poland and Romania.
While Postavaru's conducting repertoire encompassed the standard literature, he may be best remembered for his performances and recordings of Mozart, Beethoven, Berlioz, Liszt, Richard Strauss, Shostakovich and Stravinsky. Particularly notable were his performances of the Richard Strauss symphonic poems, Also Sprach Zarathustra with the National Radio Orchestra Bucarest, Till Eulenspiegel with Bacau Symphonic Orchestra and Don Juan with the Ploiesti Philarmonic Orchestra, sparking a renewed interest in the works of Strauss. Among his musical achievements in recent years include Dvorak New World Symphony with Teplice Symphonic Orchestra, Vltava by Smetana with Hradec-Kralove Philarmonic Orchestra and Ninth Symphony by Shostakovich with Olomouc Symphonic Orchestra. Promoting modern and contemporary music especially the Romanian music in his concerts.
The major compositions by Postavaru include: "Trio for flute, oboe and fagot” (1987); "Quarttet” for strings (1988); "The seasons," sonata for solo oboe and piano (1989); "Five sketches” for small orchestra (1990); Symphonic Poem, words by Lucian Blaga (1990); Lieds for soprano and piano, words by Nichita Stanescu (1991); “Symphonia” for Large orchestra (1992). Some of them have been performed in the concerts of the University of Music from Bucarest, Cluj-Napoca, Iasi as well as in the programme of other symphonic orchestras.
In 1995 Postavaru received Honor Degree from Television and Radio Iasi and in 1996 the Musical Union of Critics from Romania honored Mr. Postavaru with the Special Prize “Constantin Bobescu”. He won many awards in various conducting and composition contests in all the world. He obtained Doctor of Music degree with the topic "Conducting Concepts in Symphonic Poems Interpretation in the Creations of Franz Liszt and Richards Strauss".
Radu Postavaru is currently the General Manager and Principal Conductor of the Philharmonic "Paul Constantinescu" from Ploiesti and guest conductor of prestigious orchestras in the world.