The 22nd edition of the “George Enescu” International Festival kicks off

Considered to be Romanias most important cultural event, the “George Enescu International Music Festival is underway in Bucharest.

Mihai Pelin, 31.08.2015, 13:33

The “George Enescu International Music Festival, one of the largest and most outstanding events of its kind in Europe, kicked off in Bucharest on Sunday. A real musical feast, eagerly awaited by music lovers, the festival will unfold within three weeks. Over 3,000 prominent foreign and Romanian musicians will perform on stage. The participating orchestras include the San Francisco Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, conducted by the world famous Zubin Mehta, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Bavarian State Orchestra, Staatskapelle Dresden, London Symphony Orchestra, Saint Petersburg Orchestra, Monte Carlo Philharmonic and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam. The Enescu Festival will go on, as it is part of our identity as a nation, said culture minister Ionut Vulpescu in the opening message.

“The George Enescu Festival started out in troubled times and grew over the years, overcoming many difficulties and adversities, reached maturity and will continue to exist. Its strength and importance derive from this continuity. It is our commitment and obligation to Enescu and Romania, because the festival is now part of our identity as a nation.

The opening concert was given by the Romanian Youth Orchestra, which performed Romanian Rhapsody no.1 by George Enescu, being accompanied by the Choir of the George Enescu Philharmonics and the Radio Childrens Choir, under the baton of Estonian conductor Kristjan Järvi. If the opening of the “George Enescu Festival was placed under the sign of youth, hope and fresh perspectives of the Romanian performing art, the Romanian Athenaeum hosted the first concert in the midnight concert series, given by the Marin Constantin Madrigal National Chamber Choir.

Estonian-born US conductor Kristjan Järvi also referred to the opening night of the George Enescu International Music Festival, saying that culture is a political platform and if the Romanians want to have a great country, culture can help them achieve that. Most concerts will be broadcast live by the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation, a co-producer of the festival, which is held under the high patronage of the Romanian Presidency. Actually, president Klaus Iohannis was among the music lovers attending the event. Organised for the first time in 1958, three years after George Enescu passed away, the festival was interrupted in 1971 by the communist regime, but it was resumed after the fall of communism in Romania. Since then, it has been held every two years.