Cosmos:
Three Modern Visions
A journey from Debussy's sound-images to Bartók's Mikrokosmos to George Crumb's Makrokosmos — performed by Madalina Danila.
From the intimate to the infinite
The music, up close
Madalina Danila
Romanian-born concert pianist Madalina Danila has captivated audiences across Europe and the United States with her profound musicality, technical mastery, and wide-ranging repertoire. Her doctoral research at Temple University — under the guidance of Lambert Orkis and Sara Davis Buechner — is devoted to George Crumb's Makrokosmos, making this program the center of her artistic life, not an occasional excursion.
In 2024 she received a special prize from legendary violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter at the Ruhr Klavierfestival in Germany, one of Europe's most prestigious piano festivals, where she gave her solo recital debut. Her competition triumphs include the Best Performance prize at the International Piano Competition in Vigo, Spain, and multiple first-place awards at the Charleston 20th Century Music Competition. As one-half of the celebrated Mada & Hugh Piano Duo, she has won first prizes at the 2023 Charleston and 2024 London International Competitions, and she is a core member of Trio Casals alongside violinist Timothy Schwarz and cellist Ovidiu Marinescu. She has performed Crumb's complete Makrokosmos, Book I at Rock Hall, Temple University, and introduced the work in her New York debut at the Romanian Cultural Institute.
Three visionaries
American composer, Pulitzer Prize winner (1968), and longtime Pennsylvania resident who taught for decades at the University of Pennsylvania. His Makrokosmos I & II (1972–73) — twelve fantasy-pieces after the zodiac in each volume — are among the most performed works of the American avant-garde: music of ritual, mystery, and cosmic scale, written in Crumb's famously beautiful symbolic scores.
Hungarian composer, pianist, and pioneering ethnomusicologist. His Mikrokosmos (1926–39) — 153 progressive pieces — builds an entire musical world in miniature, from a child's first notes to virtuoso concert works, fusing folk song with high modernism.
The French composer whose two books of Préludes (1910, 1913) reimagined what the piano could paint: twenty-four fleeting sound-images — drowned cathedrals, footsteps in snow, fireworks — that dissolved the certainties of nineteenth-century harmony.
Simple to present
What people are saying
"Madalina Danila is an immensely gifted and accomplished pianist and musician who has that rare ability to emotionally move audiences through her probing renderings which fuse the musical message with her deeply personal vision."
"For me Madalina is a symbol of talent and diligence and hard work. She consciously develops her repertoire, which includes both past and present compositions of music literature in all styles. There is no doubt: she is on the right track to success!"
"Madalina is one of the most devoted and passionate musicians I know. Her constant dedication to her art and the mastery of her instrument and of many of music's secrets, make her one of the most special talents I have witnessed in my lifetime."
Three masters, one cosmos
Makrokosmos, Vols. I & II
Twelve fantasy-pieces after the zodiac in each volume — Crumb's landmark cycle for the modern piano, music of ritual, mystery, and cosmic scale.
Mikrokosmos
Selections from the 153 progressive pieces — an entire musical world in miniature, from folk song to high modernism.
Préludes, Books I & II
Selections from the twenty-four sound-images that reimagined what the piano could paint.
Available for presenters
High-resolution files available on request for programs, posters, and listings.
The poster
Program artwork for Cosmos: Three Modern Visions.
Bring Cosmos to your stage
To engage Madalina Danila for Cosmos: Three Modern Visions, contact:
Fees available on request.