George Enescu International Festival 2025 - Program, artists and tickets
At the first press conference for the 27th edition of the George Enescu International Festival, the artistic director, Maestro Cristian Măcelaru, presented the themes and development directions of the event, which has become Romania’s cultural brand.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of George Enescu’s death, an opportunity to bring to the fore both the great composer’s artistic legacy and his profound impact on universal classical music. More than 4,000 artists from Romania and around the world will be in Bucharest for the “richest” edition of the festival to date: over 95 concerts and performances will take place over 29 days, grouped in seven main series for all categories of classical music lovers.
“In the concerts of the main program in Bucharest, the Enescu Festival will include more than 45 performances of George Enescu’s works, including the Opera “Oedipe” in the production of the Bucharest National Opera, signed by Stefano Poda. Under the baton of conductor Tiberiu Soare will be internationally renowned musicians such as Ionuț Pascu as Oedipus, Ruxandra Donose as Iocasta, Ramona Zaharia as Sphinx, Bogdan Baciu as Creon, and Paul Curievici and Vazgen Gazarian as Laios and the High Priest. The Symphonies, Romanian Rhapsodies, Orchestral Suites, Concerto Symphony for Cello and Orchestra, Ballade for Violin and Orchestra and many other chamber, choral and solo works will be performed by some of the world’s leading orchestras.
This year’s edition brings, along with Oedipus, another opera performed by the Valencia Orchestra under the baton of James Gaffigan on the stage of the Bucharest National Opera: Maurice Ravel’s Spanish Hour, on the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth. Seven other operas in concert version will be presented on the stage of the Palace Hall or the Romanian Athenaeum, said Cristian Măcelaru, artistic director of the festival.”
In addition to the well-known Concert Series at the Palace Hall, the Athenaeum Concerts, the Midnight Concerts, the Concerts at the Radio Hall, the Concerts at the Auditorium Hall of the MNAR or the appreciated series of concerts for families and children at the Odeon Theatre, Maestro Cristian Măcelaru proposes for this anniversary edition an innovative program, which will especially attract young audiences, grown up in the digital age, dominated by technology and image, but not necessarily familiar with classical music. The new series of performances combining music and visual arts – the JTI Immersive Experience – will take place at the MINA Museum on Thursday and Friday evenings from 20:00.
The 27th edition of the festival honors important moments in the life, creation and work of great musicians, composers or orchestras invited to Bucharest in 2025: alongside the works of Enescu, we will listen to works by Dmitri Shostakovich (50 years since his death), Pierre Boulez (100 years since his birth), Maurice Ravel (150 years since his birth), Arvo Part (90 years since his birth). It is also the 100th anniversary of the birth of the conductor Marin Constantin, as well as the 45th anniversary of the founding of the Bremen Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, the 100th anniversary of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Transilvania Philharmonic Orchestra in Cluj Napoca and so on.
Present at the event, Mrs. Natalia Intotero, Minister of Culture, gave assurances that she will make every effort to ensure the necessary resources for this deployment of forces:
“The George Enescu International Festival is much more than just an artistic event; it is a symbol of Romanian cultural value, an occasion to celebrate the legacy of a classical music genius, George Enescu. Under the High Patronage of the President of Romania and with the support of the Ministry of Culture, this festival has become an international benchmark for artistic excellence. This year we continue to support educational activities for students, pupils and young artists through internship programs, masterclasses and volunteering, strengthening the Enescu Festival’s position as a promoter of young talent and an example of the close link between education and culture. It is also a source of pride that the festival manages to attract visitors from all over the world, stimulating not only culture, but also the national economy through tourism and increased revenue. The Ministry of Culture will always stand by this special project, supporting culture and the promotion of Romania’s image on the international stage with continued commitment.”
In her turn, Mrs. Cristina Uruc, ARTEXIM interim manager, presented both organizational details and novelties in the approach of this edition, announcing also that Mrs. Gilda Lazăr is the new Director of Communications for the George Enescu International Festival and Competition:
“I am delighted to announce that this year’s edition of the Enescu Festival brings extraordinary diversity, with over 80 ensembles from 28 countries, including symphony orchestras, choirs and chamber ensembles performing in Bucharest and across the country, prestigious international collaborations and related events such as exhibitions dedicated to George Enescu and innovative virtual reality projects. The ARTEXIM team will expand in the coming months to handle an impressive logistical effort. We are determined to continue to attract and inspire young audiences through innovative initiatives such as immersive experiences and partnerships with contemporary artists. I am pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Gilda Lazăr as Communications Director of the George Enescu International Festival and Competition, as I am convinced that she will make a valuable contribution to the promotion of the two most important strategic cultural projects in Romania.”
Maestro Cristian Măcelaru will conduct the festival’s opening concert at the George Enescu Philharmonic in Bucharest. Among the guest artists for the 27th edition are conductors Keri-Lynn Wilson, Ustina Dubitsky, Marta Gardolińska, conductors Daniele Gatti, Sir Andras Schiff, Ivan Fischer, Klaus Mäkelä, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Daniel Harding, Giovanni Antonini, Paavo Järvi, Lahav Shani, Petr Popelka, Cristian Mandeal, Tarmo Peltokoski, Gabriel Bebeșelea, Constantin Grigore, Vasily Petrenko, Manfred Honeck, Gianandrea Noseda, pianists Rudolf Buchbinder, Martha Argerich, Jean Yves Thibaudet, Kirill Gerstein, Lucas & Arthur Jussen, Alexandra Dariescu, Leif Ove Andsnes, Alexandre Kantorow, Nelson Goerner, Daniel Ciobanu, Luiza Borac, Jan Lisiecki the violinists Anne Sophie Mutter, Isabel Faust, Nemanja Radulović, Augustin Hadelich, Ioana Cristina Goicea, Alexandru Tomescu, Christian Tetzlaff, Daniel Lozakovich, the cellists Kian Soltani, Sol Gabetta, Gautier Capuçon, Andrei Ioniță, Valentin Răduțiu, Marc Coppey the sopranists Asmik Grigorian, Pretty Yende, Kristine Opolais, Jennifer Holloway, Magdalena Kožená Rachel Willis-Sørensen, mezzo-sopranos Judit Kutasi, Ruxandra Donose, Ramona Zaharia, tenors Benjamin Bernheim, Gerhard Siegel, Nikolai Schukoff, baritones Bogdan Baciu, Ionuț Pascu, basses Vazgen Gazaryan, Alastair Miles, Riccardo Novaro, Andreas Bauer Kanabas etc.
Some of the most prestigious orchestras, choirs and chamber ensembles have been invited to support the program dedicated to composer George Enescu, further raising the standards of artistic quality that festival audiences are accustomed to: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestra of the National Academy Santa Cecilia, Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, WDR Symphony Orchestra of Cologne, Tonhalle Orchestra of Zürich, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Staatskapelle Dresden, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Il Giardino Armonico with the NFM Wroclaw Choir, Sinfonia Varsovia, Accademia Bizantina, Les Siècles or Ensemble Intercontemporain, Latvian Radio Choir, Estonian Chamber Choir, London Voices, Radio Choirs and Orchestras, George Enescu Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra, Arcadia, Belcea, Lenkoro, Ad Libitum Quartets, etc.
The development and promotion of young Romanian musicians and laureates of the George Enescu International Competition, as well as their international collaboration, are two of the main objectives of the Enescu Festival. Thus, the Romanian Youth Orchestra is invited to perform a concert with the renowned Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, under the baton of conductor Manfred Honeck, and a solo concert under the baton of conductor Christian Reif, both at the Sala Mare of the Palace. The winners of the 2024 edition of the George Enescu International Competition are programmed alongside internationally renowned orchestras and musicians such as the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra and Renaud Capuçon, the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Lahav Shani, or the Orchestra Camerata Regală, under the baton of Alex Amsel, a participant in the conducting masterclass of the Enescu 2024 Competition.
The program will include international premieres and major reinterpretations of masterpieces from the universal repertoire. There will also be exhibitions, lectures, a symposium dedicated to George Enescu, with the participation of musicologists, composers, students and classical music lovers, together with traditional and non-traditional partners. They will provide an opportunity to explore new perspectives on his works and share recent research on the composer.
Subscriptions for the concert series have gone on sale from January 21, 2025, 09:00 on www.eventim.ro, with individual tickets going on sale from February 15, 2025.
The George Enescu International Festival takes place under the High Patronage of the President of Romania, being a cultural project funded by the Romanian Government through the Ministry of Culture and organized by ARTEXIM.
