Romania’s famous George Enescu International Festival is set to expand in 2025 across the country and in the Republic of Moldova.
Alongside the main program held in the capital, in emblematic halls such as the Romanian Athenaeum, the Radio Hall, the Bucharest National Opera, the Bucharest National Theatre, and others, the Enescu Festival reaches over 20 cities in Romania and Chișinău, through concerts and related events organized in collaboration with partner institutions.
“From Arad to Constanța, from Cluj-Napoca to Iași, from Sibiu to Timișoara, from Satu Mare to Chișinău, the Enescu Festival reaffirms its mission of making music accessible to as wide an audience as possible,” the event press release states.
The program for the 27th edition of the festival brings together hundreds of invited artists and dozens of events: symphonic concerts, chamber recitals, exhibitions, conferences, and screenings of opera and ballet performances, productions of the Royal Ballet and Opera from London, and others.
In Cluj-Napoca, the Transylvania State Philharmonic Orchestra, under maestro Cristian Mandeal, presents Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis. The WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, conducted by Cristian Măcelaru, brings to the stage works by Enescu, Bartók, and Rachmaninov, with violinist Wakana Kimura, laureate of the 2024 Enescu Competition. The Belcea Quartet and the Leonkoro Quartet will also perform, while pianist Jan Lisiecki leads the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, alongside Tomo Keller.
In Brașov, music lovers will enjoy the recitals of pianist Luiza Borac, the concerts of the Giocoso Quartet, the Brașov Philharmonic Orchestra, and the presence of the National Chamber Orchestra of the Republic of Moldova, conducted by Cristian Florea, with soloist Ilian Gârneț.
In Arad, pianist Alexandra Silocea brings to Romania for the first time the concept Klimt Meets Bösendorfer – Ver Sacrum, a multidisciplinary experience that combines music, poetry, and visual arts, on a limited-edition Bösendorfer piano, while the Arad Philharmonic, under conductor Alex Amsel, presents a full Brahms program with pianist Roman Lopatynskyi, winner of the 2024 George Enescu International Competition.
In Constanța, the Casino will host artists from Romania, Germany, Istanbul, and others. The concerts are organized as part of the partnership between the Enescu Festival and SEAS.
Timișoara hosts seven concerts with major European ensembles, namely the WDR Cologne Orchestra, the Valencia Community Orchestra, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and the Romanian Chamber Orchestra. The Belcea Quartet and the Leonkoro Quartet will hold a special chamber music concert, while Ensemble Intercontemporain, conducted by Pierre Bleuse, marks Boulez’s centenary.
In Iași, the Moldova Philharmonic Orchestra performs Enescu’s Symphony No. 2, conducted by Jiří Rožeň, while the Ad Libitum Quartet, alongside pianist Sina Kloke, offers Brahms and Shostakovich.
In Sibiu, audiences will hear the Sinfonia Varsovia, pianist Rafał Blechacz, and conductor Marta Gardolińska, as well as exceptional recitals by the renowned violinists Augustin Hadelich and Daniel Lozakovich, alongside pianist David Fray.
The list of cities continues with Bacău, Brăila, Craiova, Oradea, Pitești, Ploiești, Satu Mare, Râmnicu Vâlcea, Târgu Mureș, Târgoviște, Tulcea, Sinaia, Liveni, Dorohoi, as well as Chișinău in the Republic of Moldova, each bringing its own contribution, from major international orchestras to chamber recitals, from memorial exhibitions to contemporary creations.
The George Enescu International Festival is one of the largest classical music events worldwide, organized since 1958. The 27th edition takes place between August 24 and September 21, 2025, and marks 70 years since the death of the great Romanian composer and musician, George Enescu. This year’s theme is “Anniversaries / Celebrations,” and the program includes over 100 concerts performed by over 4,000 artists from 28 countries.
(Photo source: press release)
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