Starting with August 24, for 29 days, until September 21, the XXVII edition of the George Enescu International Festival will take place, and, on this occasion, Bucharest will become the host of first-rate artists of the international scene.
Photo: George Enescu International Festival
“The XXVII edition of the George Enescu International Festival opens the gates of an exceptional sound trip, with the theme” Anniversaries / Celebrations “-a tribute to the great musicians and the reference moments in the history of prestigious assemblies.
This edition marks the 70th anniversary of George Enescu’s death and evokes the memory of other emblematic creators of the 20th century: 150 years since the birth of Maurice Ravel, 100 years from Pierre Bouz or 50 years since Dmitri Șostakovici’s death, ” transmit the organizers of the event to a statement.
Also, during this festival a century has been celebrated since the establishment of the National Symphony Orchestra of Denmark, 80 years of activity of Philharmonia Orchestra, 70 years of existence of the “Transilvania” State Philharmonic Orchestra in Cluj-Napoca, 45 years of Deutsche Kammerpharmonie Bremen and 75 years since The Choir of the “George Enescu” Philharmonic.
“A monumental edition is announced, which brings together in Bucharest over 4000 artists from 28 countries, in over 95 concerts hosted by the Palace Hall, the Romanian Athenaeum, the Auditorium Hall, the Radio Hall, the Odeon Theater – the Museum of the New Immersive Art, as well as the National Opera””, States the organizers.
What artists will be present
The opening will take place on Sunday, August 24, 2025, with a concert held by the orchestra and choir of the “George Enescu” Philharmonic, with conductor Cristian Măcelaru, the artistic director of the festival.
The program of the evening will start with a Romanian work in the first absolute audition, “The concert for the orchestra“By Dan Dediu. This will be followed by”Violin concert in re minor”, The masterpiece of the Georgian composer Aram Haciaturian, having as a soloist on Nemanja Radulović. The evening will end with the exciting Romanian poet by George Enescu.
The concert will also include multimedia projections made by Nona Ciobanu and Peter Košir, who will enrich the visual experience of the spectators.
During the four weeks, Bucharest will become the host of the first-rate artists of the international scene: Martha Argerich, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Rudolf Buchbinder, Alexandre Kantorow, Bruce Liu, Isabelle Faust, Gauler Capuçon, Asmiik Grigorian, Jennifer Holloway, Kristine Opolais, Alexandra, Alexandra Dariescu, Andrei Ioniță, Valentin Răduțiu, Leif Ove Andsnes, Jan Lisiecki, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Valentin Șerban and many others.
They will perform the top orchestras, including: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Tonhalle-Zürich, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Czech Philharmonic, Orchestra National France, Chamber Orchestra, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Budapest Festival, Mahler Jugendorchester, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, Les Siècles, Il Giardino harmonic, Byzantine Accademia, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Symphony of the Age of Enlightement, National Radio Orchestra or Philharmonic “George Enescu”.
Works signed by George Enescu will be presented in 45 interpretations at the festival. These include symphonic poems “Isis ” and “Vox Maris ”, “Pastoral-Fantasy ”“Romanian rhapsodies ”, but also Symphonies or “Suite sătătăci ”a series of chamber jewelry and vocal-symphonic reference works. The culminating moment will be the monumental representation of “Oedipus ”mounted at the Bucharest National Opera, in the directorial vision of Stefano Poda, with an elite distribution of which Ionuț Pascu, Ruxandra Donose, Ramona Zaharia and Vazgen Gazaryan belong.
In 2025, the George Enescu International Festival returns with a large program dedicated to the work and ballet. In addition to the Oedipus, the public will be able to follow L’Heure Espagnole de Maurice Ravel, directed by Tompa Gábor, the dance show Les Saisons of Malandain Ballet Biarritz and the choreographic creation signed by Gigi Căciuleanu, presented by the Ballet Theater. Seven other works will be interpreted in the concert, including Lady Macbeth from Mtensk de Șostakovici.
This year’s edition combines classical music with artificial intelligence and visual arts
The 2025 edition introduces the Enescu series – JTI Immersive Experience, which combines classical music, contemporary dance, artificial intelligence and visual arts, held at the Museum of New Art (Mina). The program includes interdisciplinary performances such as Onirius by Gigi Căciuleanu, the last piece – a real -time EEG, Bach in the Jungle and Klimt Meets Bösendorfer – Ver Sacrum.
The festival supports the young laureates of the George Enescu international contest, who will evolve alongside prestigious orchestras, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Radio Chamber Orchestra and Youth Mahler orchestra, led by renowned conductors.
Also, the series dedicated to families and children, with interactive concerts at the Odeon Theater, continues, and the traditional concerts at midnight from the Romanian Athenaeum, the Chamber Recitals of the Auditorium MNAR and the concerts from the Radio Hall will be held.
The Enescu Festival, organized by Artaxim under the high patronage of the President of Romania and funded by the Ministry of Culture, represents a national cultural brand and an important cultural diplomacy project, attracting thousands of foreign tourists annually and supporting the creative industries in Romania.
How can tickets be purchased
Tickets for concerts within the George Enescu International Festival can be purchased both online, from the eventim.ro platform, https://www.cts.eventim.ro/artist/festival-george-esescu, as well as in physical format, from the Carrefour hypermarket network and from the libraries of Cărturești and Humanitas.
The organizers reserve the right to change the programs. Please visit the website of the George Enescu International Festival, http://www.festivalenescu.ro/, to be up to date with the latest information.
About the George Enescu International Festival
The George Enescu International Festival is one of the largest classical music events worldwide, organized since 1958. The XXVII 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 in the program there are over 95 concerts held by over 4,000 of the world’s most famous artists, who will bring to the forefront both the artistic heritage of Enescu and his deep impact on universal classical music.
