“George Enescu” International Competition
The “George Enescu International Competition began in Bucharest.
Mihai Pelin, 05.09.2016, 13:41
The 2016 “George Enescu” International Competition opened on Saturday at the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest with a Gala concert given by winners of the previous editions: Anna Trifu on violin, Valentin Radutiu, cello and Mihai Ritivoiu, piano, jointly with the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Horia Andreescu. For 3 weeks, 19 concerts and several recitals will be given by nearly 200 young artists from 38 countries. They will have to perform works by George Enescu and to convince an international jury that they are the best.
Structured around a new concept, this year’s Competition also brings established artists on the same stage, from jury members to winners of previous editions who have built an international career, as well as the winners of the 2014 competition. The director of the company that organizes the event, Mihai Constantinescu, gave us more details:
Mihai Constantinescu. “Apart from the three stages of the competition, we have six recitals by three jury members and three winners of previous editions of the competition, and a gala concert featuring three Romanian winners of past editions, and the work that won the 2014 edition of the composition contest.”
Apart from the live coverage of the event by Radio Romania and the public television channel, this year live television broadcasts will be aired abroad. “Live your dream!” is the challenge launched by the 2016 George Enescu Competition. The power to bring one’s dreams to life is precisely what drives the young competitors to train, to learn, work and perform in front of the jury and the public. An original app also gets the public involved, enabling anybody to post their own dream on the Competition web site.
A large-scale event, the George Enescu Competition has grown over the years into a platform for promoting young talents in the international music scene. The Culture Ministry is a traditional partner in the event, and the combined prizes of the four sections, violin, cello, piano and composition, reaches 115,000 euros.
The competition is held every two years, alternating with the George Enescu International Festival. Also held every two years is the only international festival of radio orchestras, RadiRo, organised by Radio Romania between September 24th and October 1st. Taking part in this year’s edition are 6 major symphonic orchestras from Europe and Asia.
