I navigate the ocean of music, in all its depths.
Below is a curated list of projects and concerts I have been involved with over time.
As you will notice, I find music everywhere: in art, poetry, photography - each with its own unique melody. I do not consider myself a conventional pianist because I believe my role extends far beyond my concerts. I see it as my responsibility to help others discover music and find their own rhythm.
— April 2024I was invited to share my perspective on music and how we can explore its depths on the OFF the BEAM podcast.
This recording is only in Romanian, and I will leave the episode link here, just in case.
— March2024For three days, organized by BEAM studio, 50 participants attended a course on significant intersections in music history.
The sessions were held at the MuFA Room, the only professional listening room open to the general public in Romania. In this event, I did not perform; instead, I took the role of a teacher. Drawing on my musical expertise, I curated a series of pieces to lead the audience on a journey through the vast oceans of music, spanning from the songs of a tribe in Papua New Guinea to compositions by Mozart, Ligeti, Arvo Pärt, and many others.
— May 2020I was Head of Piano at SOPM (School of Popular Music), an award-winning music school in the Channel Islands and this was the video presenting my work there.
— May 2023The 'Chopin Unplugged' Concert at Bánffy Castle in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, was a truly special event.
Nearly two centuries ago, Carl Filtsch, the gifted pianist from Sebeș and future favourite student of Chopin, stayed at Bánffy Castle. Recognizing his talent, the Bánffy family supported him in reaching Paris, where Chopin resided. In Alexandru Negriuc's recital, three compositions by Carl Filtsch will also be featured. Please watch the full 50-minute video to get a sense of the amazing atmosphere we have created there.
— November 2022“To See the Sea” was an exhibition held at the "White Cuib" art gallery in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, featuring a collection of Polaroid art portraying the sea, captured during travels to and from my concerts.
“–What are you shooting there? There’s nothing! — I've heard this expression many times while I was on deck, trying to photograph the sea. I'm Alexandru Negriuc, a pianist, and I played for six and a half years on cruise ships.”
“Yes, one might say these photographs are about the sea or about nothing. Both answers could be correct, except in this case, nothing is something very soothing and beautiful, which ventures out of the comfortable zone of pure aesthetics, devoid of content. I've never been at sea, but I suspect this is how it looks amidst storms. A vast expanse of water in various shades of blue, green, gray, and black, always in motion, mesmerizing, which you can feel/see well in these minimalist polaroids. Small photographs that could fit in your pocket, tiny fragments of something enormous, overwhelming.”
— May 2016A portrait of me was created by a media station in Romania.
While the interview is in Romanian, the main message expressed is this: “My piano casts an unseen net over the audience. Some escape it, others don't. Some sink deeper and are burdened by the weight of the knots between the sounds, while others remain in touch with reality. While I am playing, I rely and get touched by the breaths of all those who listen. The distances and pauses between the sounds of my piano are filled with their thoughts, their memories, their joys, their despairs. I feel how their state intensifies, how they sigh slowly and prolongedly.”
— October 2016Art Performance at the “White Cuib” gallery. The musicians' study room is the place where they refine their skills and deepen their knowledge, a space for perfecting compositions and musical excerpts.
Through this project, I aimed to dispel some idealizations and misconceptions about a pianist's life. Visitors had the chance to get a glimpse of the work that's done prior to a concert, the relationship between the pianist, the piano, and the musical scores, in an intimate space with no audience, applause, or cameras. Visitors got to see the mistakes, the repetition, and all the effort that is usually invested for those 60 minutes of spotlight in a concert.
— April 2015In Pursuit of the Rare: performance in the Enescu Concerts Series at Romanian Cultural Center (ICR) London.
I delivered a programme full of exuberance and discovery, which included, along with established works by Beethoven, Rachmaninov, Chopin and Enescu, little known scores by 19th Century Transylvanian child prodigy Carl Filtsch, who died at only fifteen. The recital is preceded by a conversation on the life and work of Carl Filtsch, Chopin’s favourite pupil and Liszt’s protégée.
— April 2015I played Carl Filtsch (1830-1845): Mazurka and Sergei Rachmaninoff (Rachmaninov 1873-1943): Prelude No. 4 in D major Op 23 No. 4at St Peter's Church Notting Hill.
Videos produced by music-chamber.com
— August 2014We took the piano in the streets at the event „Pianul evadat” (“The escaped piano”)
This event was part of FânFest - Roșia Montană, the largest civil society festival in Romania. Launched in 2004, FânFest played an essential role in the Save Roșia Montană Campaign, providing visibility and gathering the most active part of civil society in Romania. Watch the video here.
— August 2013I composed the song “Sleep, dear floer” performed by Jubilate Choir.
The song talks about a request to fall asleep, an exhortation addressed to a flower that remained the same as in the summer, not understanding that the late autumn wind portends the bad weather that will soon bring its end.