As the festival reminds us each time, Enescu’s spirit endures through his music and the younger generation of musicians he inspired. Yehudi Menuhin (a former student and friend) poignantly described Enescu as “the most extraordinary human being, the greatest musician and the most powerful influence ever exercised upon me.”

Although it will take more than magic to transform Romania beyond the month of September, the 21st George Enescu Festival will no doubt enhance our appreciation of Enescu’s music.

This year’s festival inauguration concert features two of the greatest musicians of our time – conductor Daniel Barenboim and Romanian pianist Radu Lupu, whose international career is at its peak. “Never could music come nearer to speech,” wrote journalist Joan Chissell in The Times about his London stage debut in 1969, where he performed Beethoven’s no. 3 Op. 10 piano sonatas. The program includes Enescu’s Romanian Rhapsody no. 2 and Beethoven’s Concerto no. 4 piano for piano and orchestra. Lupu will also perform a piano recital on Wednesday at the Athenaeum.

The festival will feature twenty-six Enescu compositions, including five unusual works (program details at http://festivalenescu.ro/calendar/events).

ORCHESTRA and CHOIR of the BUCHAREST NATIONAL OPERA

Bucharest National Opera, 19.00, Friday, September 6
“OTELLO” by Giuseppe Verdi

Conductor : KERI-LYNN WILSON
Director : VERA NEMIROVA
Sets : VIORICA PETROVICI
Conductor of the choir : STELIAN OLARIU
Assistant director : IRINA MACOVEI

Soloists :
Otello – PETER SEIFFERT
Desdemona – NICOLETA ARDELEAN
Iago – ŞTEFAN IGNAT
Cassio – CRISTIAN MOGOŞAN
Roderigo – ANDREI LAZĂR
Ludovico – MARIUS BOLOŞ
Montano – IUSTINIAN ZETEA
A herald – IONUŢ GAVRILĂ
Emilia – MARIA JINGA