In 2021 the pandemic gave me the opportunity to transform myself from concert pianist into a first time film producer, script writer and presenter so that I could make a documentary about my musical hero, the Romanian-born conductor and composer Constantin Silvestri. Fifty years ago, destiny chose me to become a Romanian exile in London. The feeling of empathy of one exile to another is a very special thing. Only THEY know what it is to miss your country of birth and be separated indefinitely from the people you love and from a past which defined your personality and achievements. Even more tragic when life deserts the exile in hospital in an unfamiliar city at the age of 55, just when he was at a turning point towards universal fame.

Silvestri became an exile in 1958 and was offered the post of Principal Conductor with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (1961-1969), which he famously elevated from a modest seaside town orchestra to one of international standard. He became a British citizen, died of cancer in London and is resting in St Peter’s churchyard in Bournemouth. The Romanian Revolution of 1989 gave me the chance to discover the remarkable works of the legendary conductor and Romania’s most important composer after George Enescu.

A lovely story is behind the creation of my films. Their genesis was a consequence of the pandemic and of a serendipitous event: my chance encounter with the distinguished British film editor Nicolas Gaster. When I told him about my wish to put on film the symbiosis between Silvestri’s life and his compositions Nicolas said: ‘Anda, I would be delighted to make these films with you in memory of my grandfather, who was born in Bucharest!’ (As it happens, Moses Gaster was one of Romania’s most learned and respected linguists and a Silvestri contemporary.)
I am a concert pianist with an international career and have performed in the Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Radio/TV broadcasts and recordings. I was awarded the decoration Commander of the Order of Cultural Merit by Romania’s President and the European Women of Achievement Certificate 2003 ‘in recognition of an outstanding contribution to pan-European understanding and progress that provides an inspiration to others’.

After winning the Debussy Piano Competition in Paris, my performances have been praised for their artistry, sensitivity, passion and imagination. Antoine Goléa, the Doyen of French music critics wrote: 'Yet another pianist, you may think. No, of this calibre the world can never have enough.'

Fascinated by Silvestri’s life and music, his humanity and charismatic persona, Silvestri became my hero in 1990. My Wigmore Hall concerts featuring the UK Premières of his compositions established Silvestri as a ‘composer awaiting thorough investigation’ (International Piano) and I was interviewed by Martha Kearney on Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4 and David Mellor on BBC Radio 3.
My late husband, journalist John Gritten, wrote Silvestri’s authoritative biography 'A Musician Before His Time' and together we started a never-ending campaign to revive Silvestri’s memory, more especially in Britain and Romania. I was moved when as the concert’s soloist, I stepped onto the stage of Bournemouth Winter Gardens - the concert hall where Silvestri worked and raised spectacularly the profile of the orchestra up until the end of his life. I didn’t have the chance to see Silvestri conduct but John was present in 1957 at his debut in the Royal Festival Hall with the London Philharmonic and didn’t forget his performance nor the audience’s unusually long and rapturous ovation.

As artistic director of the London Schubert Players, I produced large projects financed by the EU, British Council and cultural institutions in Europe, Asia, the Americas and Africa. Most memorable were: Invitation to Composers, an EU ‘success story’; Romanian Musical Adventure, the first festival of Romanian composers in UK; and unique ventures transcending our regular concert life and reaching new, meaningful facets of humanity.

Had I been a filmmaker then, I would have immortalized our breathtaking experiences and enlightening human interactions. We taught at Woodstock school up in the Himalayas and were escorted by Indian armed police and militia in battle fatigues courtesy of the Hon. Secretary of the Delhi Symphony Orchestra, who happened to be Inspector-General of Police for all India! We played for Romanian orphans and took part in remembrance ceremonies for the Norwegians, British, French and Russians who died in WWII in Namsos, Norway. As an official Royal Navy war reporter, John survived the bombing of the Allied convoy in the Namsen Fjord in 1940. He inspired us to perform at the memorial events in Namsos, meet the unforgettable war veterans and hear their powerful stories.

www.andaanastasescu.co.uk
www.londonschubertplayers.co.uk
https://www.youtube.com/@andaanastasescu4732/videos