Cristian Măcelaru launches first season as artistic director of George Enescu festival

The George Enescu International Festival will make its return later this week with its first edition under new artistic director Cristian Măcelaru. Based in Bucharest, the 2023 festival will extend its concerts and events to six cities across Romania, running from 27 August to 24 September.

Focusing on the theme of ‘generosity through music’, this year’s festival will present more than 40 orchestras from 16 countries, and over 3,500 artists overall. As well as concert series focusing on Romanian Orchestras and on ‘great orchestras of the world’, the festival will present a series of family concerts aimed at younger audiences as well as opera premieres, and educational concerts for children.

Măcelaru said: ‘The George Enescu International Festival has become over the years one of the most important cultural events on the globe. And the fact that Romania created the concept of this festival, and then supported it for so many years, proves a deep appreciation for culture and art. I am extremely motivated to continue this great tradition of creating a magnificent statement in promoting the legacy of Enescu himself.’

Măcelaru will himself lead the opening concert of the festival on 27 August, conducting the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra with soloist Gautier Capuçon. The festival presents its first concert in Cluj-Napoca on 31 August welcoming pianist Andrei Gologan alongside the Transylvania Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by recently-appointed Baltimore Symphony Orchestra music director Jonathon Heyward.

Events in Cluj-Napoca will close on 10 September with a concert featuring French violinist David Grimal, before the festival travels to the Romanian city of Iași for concerts starting on 15 September with a performance by pianist Florian Mitrea and the Moldova Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of South Korean conductor Hankyeol Yoon, recent winner of the Herbert von Karajan Young Conductors Award.

The festival will move to Bacau on 22 September with artists including the Mihail Jora Philharmonic Orchestra alongside cellist Stefan Cazacu. Four of the festival concerts will take place in Sibiu, presenting performers including pianists Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Omar Klein, mandolin player Avi Avital and violist Timothy Ridout alongside the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, Sibiu State Philharmonic Orchestra and the Camerata Salzburg.

Following performances by artists including Ensemble Intercontemporain, FINE ARTS QUARTET, the Arcadia Quartet, Manchester Camerata and Patricia Kopatchinskaja in Timisoara, the festival will close at Bucharest’s Grand Palace Hall with a programme of Enescu and Mahler performed by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Romanian Radio Academic Choir and Romanian Radio Children Choir alongside mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnston.