The George Enescu Festival in Bucharest
The George Enescu Festival, the international celebration of classical music, continues in Romania
Ştefan Stoica, 09.09.2025, 13:50
The George Enescu Festival, an international celebration of music, continues these days in Romania. The Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Alain Altinoglu, performed on Monday, and the soloist of the evening was violinist Julian Rachlin. The program included the Violin Concerto in D minor op. 47 by Jean Sibelius and the Symphony No. 8 in C minor op. 65 by Dmitri Shostakovich. The Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, whose performances on Monday and Tuesday marked the halfway point of the event, was founded in 1929 as one of the first radio symphony orchestras in Germany. With a history spanning 95 years, it successfully manages the challenges of a top modern orchestra.
The 27th edition of the ‘George Enescu’ International Festival takes place in Bucharest and other cities in Romania until September 21. It marks 70 years since the death of the great Romanian composer, and this year’s edition of the international festival will be an opportunity to bring to the fore his artistic legacy and its profound impact on universal classical music. Over 4,000 artists from Romania and around the world have been invited to participate in the event as part of nearly 100 concerts and performances for all audiences. Among the most important invited artists are conductors Keri-Lynn Wilson, Ustina Dubitsky, Daniele Gatti, Sir Andras Schiff, Ivan Fischer and Cristian Mandeal, pianists Rudolf Buchbinder, Martha Argerich and Lucas & Arthur Jussen, cellists Kian Soltani, Sol Gabetta and Andrei Ioniţă.
The ‘George Enescu’ Festival will offer 45 performances of George Enescu’s creations, including the Oedipus Opera, performed by the Bucharest National Opera, directed by Stefano Poda. Adding to that are Enescu’s symphonies, the Romanian Rhapsodies, the Suites for orchestra, the Concerted Symphony for cello and orchestra, the Ballad for violin and orchestra and many other chamber, choral and solo works. This year’s edition brings great artistic diversity, with over 80 orchestras and groups from 28 countries, including symphony orchestras, choirs and chamber groups, as well as related events such as exhibitions devoted to George Enescu and innovative VR projects.
For the first time, the festival expanded beyond traditional concert halls. Thus, the Control club in the capital-city, established as a space for alternative music, hosted events featuring international artists and top Romanian ensembles, offering a different kind of musical experience – free, experimental, intertwining with jazz, electronic music and contemporary percussion. Since the first edition of the festival held in 1958, Radio Romania has co-produced the George Enescu Festival. (VP)
