The Sound of Love: The 140 aniversary of famous Romanian musician George Enescu

The famous Romanian musician George Enescu. (Photo: HG)

"One of the greatest geniuses of modern music"

The year 2021 marks the 140 years anniversary of the birth of the famous Romanian musician George Enescu (19 August 1881-4 May 1955), regarded as "the greatest musical phenomenon since Mozart" and "one of the greatest geniuses of modern music", according to Pablo Casals. Enescu was a prodigious composer, violinist, pianist and conductor. He was also a dedicated violin teacher and mentor of famous musicians like Yehudi Menuhin, Christian Ferras, Ivry Gitlis, Arthur Grumiaux, Serge Blanc, Ida Haendel, Joan Field or Saul Hoube.

A child prodigy, at the age of seven, George Enescu became the youngest student ever admitted to the Vienna Conservatory, where he graduated in 1893, and later he went in France to continue his studies at the Paris Conservatory, from 1895 to 1899. The gifted student was supported through a public scholarship paid through the Romanian Legations in Vienna and Paris. George Enescu presented his first work as a composer with the Collonne Orchestra in Paris, in 1898.

From that point on, George Enescu will gradually achieve the world recognition and fame, his travels and concerts around the world were supported by the Romanian diplomatic service. A true patriot, he volunteered to work in hospital during the First World War, magnificently playing its violin to caress for the wounded soldiers. A man of justice, he protested and tried to protect the persecuted confreres, whether they were Jewish and Roma musicians, during the Holocaust, or Romanians persecuted for their democratic political beliefs after 1947. After the passing of the great musician, the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs contributed decisively to preserve the memory of George Enescu, through the organization of the first editions of the International Festival and the International Contest that bears his name. As a result, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania holds extraordinary valuable archival records regarding the life and posterity of the brilliant musician, which began to be revealed by our diplomatic archives.

Held in honor of the celebrated Romanian composer George Enescu, the International Festival that bears his name is the biggest classical music festival and classical international competition held in Romania and one of the biggest in Eastern Europe.

Also known as George Enescu International Festival and Competition, the first edition took place in 1958, and the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs contributed decisively at its organization. Among the music world's personalities that were present for this first edition of the festival were performers such as David Oistrah, Halina Czerny-Stefanka, Nadia Boulanger, Monique Haas, Iacov Zak and Claudio Arrau, and conductors such as Sir John Barbirolli, Carlo Felice Cillario and Carlo Zecchi. The national premiere of George Enescu's lyrical tragedy Oedipe took place during the festival.

One show of the 2021 "George Enescu International Festival". (Source: The New York Time)

George Enescu International Festival

2021 was the 25^th Jubilee Edition of the "George Enescu International Festival" – preceded with the project "The Sound of Love". On 19 August 2021, to mark Enescu’s 140th birth anniversary, was broadcasted, worldwide and free of charge, the recording of George Enescu’s Ballade, in the unique performance of famous violinist David Garrett, alongside Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of the late Gianluigi Gelmetti.

“This project is inspired by the credo and character of George Enescu, who we, at the Enescu Festival, believe deserves to be a role model for Romanians and beyond. Enescu lived for music and found in music the supreme expression of life and love. He was generous and attentive to other people but, at the same time, a man of boundless modesty. This is why, in a context where the pandemic and everyday challenges often leave us feeling disheartened, it’s important to find the right direction,” declared for the press Oana Marinescu, Communication Director, “Enescu” Festival.

2021 "George Enescu International Festival" took place from August 28 to September 26 and presented 53 Romanian premieres and three world premieres. Among them was Te Deum, composed by José Cura to mark the 25th Edition of the Enescu Festival. Four operas and several vocal-symphonic works by Stravinsky, Cura, and Enescu (the Undead oratorio) received their Romanian premiere.

The festival welcomed in 78 concerts more than 3,500 Romanian and foreign artists; 32 orchestras from 14 countries, including some of the world’s top-ranking ensembles.

This edition presented the highest number of Enescu works in the history of the Festival – 42, being a further celebration of George Enescu’s 140th birth anniversary. The Festival also honored Stravinsky on the 50th commemoration of his death.

Around 75,000 audience members from Romania and all around the world watched the concerts held in Bucharest in the four main concert halls of the Festival and broadcast online; to this number are to be added the participants and audience members for the Creative Bucharest and Enescu in Other Cities series.

In the four main Festival venues (Romanian Athenaeum, Grand Palace Hall, Radio Hall, and the Auditorium Hall), the audience amounted to approximately 54,000 people, even though seat availability was restricted and tickets and subscriptions went on sale much later than usual, due to the pandemic.

For the first time, the Enescu Festival concerts live broadcast online were stored virtually for 12 hours, to be watched from multiple time zones. Access to the online broadcasts was free of charge. In the organizational and communication strategy of the 2021 Enescu Festival, a high priority was given to the organization and promotion of public attendance in the concert halls, in strict compliance with health and safety regulations.

With this edition’s tour de force, the 2021 Enescu Festival demonstrated its scale and status, being this year’s largest classical music festival on the international stage. The Executive Director of the Enescu Festival in the past 30 years, Mihai Constantinescu, retired after a professional life dedicated to the festival. The nomination of the conductor Cristian Măcelaru as Artistic Director of the Enescu Festival is auspicious for preserving this event in the top five classical music festivals worldwide.

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