Raluca-Ioana van Staden: ”Congratulations, Maria van Staden. You are from the country of Lipatti … and of Celibidache!’

”Congratulations, Maria van Staden. You are from the country of Lipatti … and of Celibidache!’’ said two members of a prestigious jury in Salzburg, at the end of the Gala Concert, where my daughter played Bach. Romania of Mos Ion Roata is a country blessed by God with fruitful earth, intelligent and talented people, the country of Enescu’s Rhapsodies, Porumbescu’s Ballad, Brancusi’s Infinity Column, the country of the big discoveries of Vuia, Teclu, Ripan and Paulescu, the country where Aslan demonstrated that there was “youth without ageing”, the country of our children, of the young people, who returned to Romania after graduating from brilliant universities all over the world, to build the Romania of tomorrow, because, for all of us, Romania is the only place which means home.