2025 “George Enescu” International Festival begins
The 27th edition of the "George Enescu" International Festival opens in Bucharest this Sunday
Ştefan Stoica, 22.08.2025, 14:00
It’s been 70 years since the death of the great composer George Enescu, and this year’s edition of the international festival named after him will be an opportunity to bring to the fore both his artistic legacy and his profound impact on universal classical music. Over 4,000 artists from Romania and around the world will be present in Bucharest to take part in the 27th edition of the “George Enescu” International Festival between August 24 and September 21.
During the 29 days of celebration of classical music, over 95 concerts and performances will take place, for all categories of audience. The most important guest artists include the conductors Keri-Lynn Wilson, Ustina Dubitsky, Daniele Gatti, Sir Andras Schiff, Ivan Fischer and Cristian Mandeal, the pianists Rudolf Buchbinder, Martha Argerich and Lucas & Arthur Jussen, the cellists Kian Soltani, Sol Gabetta and Andrei Ioniţă.
The ‘George Enescu’ Festival will include over 45 performances of George Enescu’s works, including the opera ‘Oedipus’ produced by the Bucharest National Opera and directed by Stefano Poda. Enescu’s symphonies, Romanian rhapsodies, suites for orchestra, Symphony Concertante for Cello and Orchestra, Ballade for violin and orchestra and many other chamber, choral and solo works will also be performed by some of the most important orchestras in the world.
This year’s edition boasts great artistic diversity, with over 80 ensembles from 28 countries, including symphony orchestras, choirs and chamber groups, performing both in Bucharest and across the country, as well as related events such as exhibitions devoted to George Enescu and innovative VR projects.
On the other hand, the festival extends beyond traditional concert halls. Control nightclub in Romania’s capital city will host events where international artists and top Romanian ensembles come up with a different kind of musical experience—free, experimental music in a dialogue with jazz, electronica and contemporary percussion. The ‘Enescu in Control’ project is a novelty in the festival: an opening towards a cultural space that, in the last 17 years, has become a landmark for alternative music in Romania.
Since the festival’s first edition in 1958, without interruption, Radio Romania has been close to the Enescu Festival, as a co-producer. Radio Romania Music, the only radio station in the country devoted to classical music, acclaimed nationally and internationally, airs 63 of the concerts taking place in Bucharest. Thanks to the involvement of Radio Romania Music, 11 of the Enescu Festival concerts are also included in the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) Summer Season, which brings together recordings and live broadcasts of the most important European festivals, such as the BBC Proms, Richard Wagner at Bayreuth or the Salzburg Festival. Radio Romania orchestras and choirs will also perform at the festival. (AMP)
