Enescu Festival. September 1 to 23 One of the most important festivals of classical music in Europe, the International George Enescu Music Festival, will be holding its 18th edition this autumn. This event takes place every few years and has a long and convulsive history. It was designed to honour the memory of one famous Romanian composer who lived in the first half of last century- George Enescu Read More >>
This month, a very special event will make Bucharest and six other Romanian cities, the centre of the music world. The George Enescu International Classical Music Festival and Competition, named after the great Romanian composer of the 20th century, will feature over 60 indoor concerts and shows, in Bucharest alone, during September, with another 25 events in the participating cities. A further 50 shows will be presented in the open-air Festival plaza in Bucharest.
Starting September 1st and continuing to the 23rd, Bucharest along with the cities of Sinaia, Brasov, Cluj, Iasi, Sibiu and Timisoara will be the proud hosts of some of the world most famous orchestras which will perform during the International Classical Music Festival and Competition, George Enescu. With this year’s 18th edition, the Festival is once again emphasizing its main calling – that of a main worldwide promoter of Romanian composer George Enescu’s work and of the Romanian contemporary classical music as well. Another goal of the festival is as a launching platform for new valuable artists and musicians, as well as the promotion of classical music values through modern ways of expression. For this year’s edition, the Ministry of Culture will spend 22 million RON (approx. 7 million Euro). An additional 600,000 Euro, coming from donations and sponsors will complete the festival budget. The artistic direction of the festival will be in the capable hands of Ioan Holender, the Romanian-born director of the Vienna Staatsopera. The first Enescu Festival was organized three years after the death of the composer, in 1958. The Romanian communist authorities of the time decided to cash in the advantages of the fame that the Romanian composer, in exile in Paris, at the time of his death, enjoyed. Designed to honor Enescu, but also, hoping to gain some international good will for the local regime, the festival benefited from the beginning from the participation of major international classical music artists and musicians of the time. During the following years, the festival had an irregular periodicity (every couple of years), until it was stopped (during the 80s), only to be reborn after 1989.
Festival Venues In Bucharest, the festival’s shows and concerts will take place in four major venues: Sala Radio Hall, Romanian Athenaeum (photo above), Festival Plaza and Sala Palatului. The Romanian Ministry of Culture recently spent over 10 million Euro to renovate the Sala Palatului, which underwent major reconstruction work during this summer.The Main Hall was renovated and a new “small hall” – Sala Mica, with a capacity of some 1000 places was added. According to Festival organizers, the Festival will feature 36 different George Enescu works, 95 Romanian contemporary and 145 international classical music works, as well as the finals and the Laureates Gala of the International Classical Music Competition George Enescu. This year will be the first time that Enescu’s opera “Oedipus” will not be performed during the festival; according to Holender, “it is difficult to stage such a grandiose show, like the Oedipus-versions directed by Andrei Serban or Petrica Gheorghiu, in the opera venues available in the country”. George Enescu’s famous opera “Oedipus” will be staged at the Opera de Paris, during the 2010-2011 season. “Nicolas Joel, the new director of the Opera de Paris confirmed to me that Enescu’s play will be performed at the Garnier Hall, said Holender. It will be an important event, as it will be the first time since 1936 that Enescu’s “Oedipus” is performed in Paris, the very city where the opera had its premiere in 1936. This year, the Festival in Bucharest will start September 1st, with a gala concert of the Bucharest National Opera orchestra, directed by Gheorghe Costin. The concert will feature fragments from different operas, such as Mozart’s “Marriage of Figaro”, Verdi’s “Macbeth”, Puccini’s “Tosca” and Rossini’s “Barber of Seville”; the concert will take place at the newly refurbished Sala Palatului in Bucharest, starting 8 pm.
Top International Orchestras Nine international and eight local symphonic orchestras as well as five international choirs will participate in the festival this year. The closing gala of the George Enescu festival will take place on September 23rd, starring the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra and the local George Enescu Philharmonic Choir and the Madrigal Choir in a special concert featuring George Enescu’s “Symphony no. 1” and Car Orff’s “Carmina Burana”. Aside from the shows scheduled in Bucharest venues, some 25 other performances will take place in Sinaia, Brasov, Cluj, Iasi, Sibiu and Timisoara. The open-air Festival Plaza, traditionally organized in the space between the Romanian Athenaeum, the Central University Library and the former Royal Palace (the National Museum of Art of Romania), will host from symphonic concerts to classical opera and multimedia shows. The International Classical Music Competition (featuring three sections – piano, violin and composition) is scheduled between September 2nd and 9th, and is open to young artists from all over the world. This year’s prizes for each section vary from 5,000 to 15,000 Euros (the first prize). A special music and literary night is scheduled for September 11th, when different cultural personalities from various domains are expected to discuss the New York 9/11 events and the consequences it had on their lives. Tickets for the Bucharest concerts were available starting last month, August 1st, and cost between 30 and 100 RON, while festival subscriptions cost from 200 to 800 RON. For the complete program of the festival, go online at www.festivalenescu.ro
Enescu Festival. September 1 to 23 One of the most important festivals of classical music in Europe, the International George Enescu Music Festival, will be holding its 18th edition this autumn. This event takes place every few years and has a long and convulsive history. It was designed to honour the memory of one famous Romanian composer who lived in the first half of last century- George Enescu Read More >>
Enescu Festival. September 1 to 23 One of the most important festivals of classical music in Europe, the International George Enescu Music Festival, will be holding its 18th edition this autumn. This event takes place every few years and has a long and convulsive history. It was designed to honour the memory of one famous Romanian composer who lived in the first half of last century- George Enescu Read More >>
Side Story
Events & Attractions - Sept 2007
Enescu Festival. September 1 to 23 One of the most important festivals of classical music in Europe, the International George Enescu Music Festival, will be holding its 18th edition this autumn. This event takes place every few years and has a long and convulsive history. It was designed to honour the memory of one famous Romanian composer who lived in the first half of last century- George Enescu Read More >>
Side Story
Events & Attractions - Sept 2007
Enescu Festival. September 1 to 23 One of the most important festivals of classical music in Europe, the International George Enescu Music Festival, will be holding its 18th edition this autumn. This event takes place every few years and has a long and convulsive history. It was designed to honour the memory of one famous Romanian composer who lived in the first half of last century- George Enescu Read More >>
Enescu Festival. September 1 to 23 One of the most important festivals of classical music in Europe, the International George Enescu Music Festival, will be holding its 18th edition this autumn. This event takes place every few years and has a long and convulsive history. It was designed to honour the memory of one famous Romanian composer who lived in the first half of last century- George Enescu Read More >>
