Enescu Festival: Concert Series at Sala Palatului: 16 Prestigious International Orchestras

Maestro Cristian Măcelaru, Artistic Director of the George Enescu International Festival, presents 27 exceptional events at Sala Palatului, now upgraded to high acoustic standards. This edition will feature 16 prestigious orchestras from Romania and around the world, marking 70 years since the passing of the great Romanian composer and musician George Enescu. Alongside numerous Enescu compositions, the festival will also include iconic works by Mahler, Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, Mozart, Ravel, Wagner, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, Sibelius, Bruckner, Dvořák, Schumann, Liszt, Grieg, Debussy, Richard Strauss, and Bartók, as well as world premieres.

Highlighted Enescu Works at Sala Palatului:

• Romanian Poem, Op. 1 – Opening concert, conducted by Cristian Măcelaru with the George Enescu Philharmonic (August 24, 2025, 8:00 PM)
• Fantasy – Piano Concerto, performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra London, with pianist Alexandra Dariescu, conducted by Santtu-Matias Rouvali (August 28, 2025, 8:00 PM)
• Pastorale-Fantaisie, with the Orchestra of the National Academy of Santa Cecilia, conducted by Daniel Harding (August 31, 2025, 7:30 PM)
• Prelude to the Opera Oedipe, performed by the Tonhalle Orchestra Zürich, conducted by Paavo Järvi (September 2, 2025, 8:00 PM)
• Symphonie Concertante in B Minor for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 8, with Yo Kitamura and the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, conducted by Manfred Honeck (September 7, 2025, 7:30 PM)
• Suite No. 2 in C Major for Orchestra, Op. 20, performed by the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, conducted by Alain Altinoglu (September 9, 2025, 8:00 PM)
• Concert Overture on Romanian Popular Themes, Op. 32, performed by the Staatskapelle Dresden under Daniele Gatti (September 11, 2025, 8:00 PM)
• Symphony No. 1 in E-flat Major, Op. 13, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Vasily Petrenko (September 12, 2025, 7:30 PM)
• Romanian Rhapsody No. 2 in D Major, Op. 11, with the Orchestre National de France, conducted by Cristian Măcelaru (September 18, 2025, 7:30 PM)
• Symphony No. 4 in E Minor, completed posthumously by Pascal Bentoiu, performed by the Czech Philharmonic under Petr Popelka (September 4, 2025, 8:00 PM)
• Romanian Rhapsody No. 1 in A Major, Op. 11, closing concert performed by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Klaus Mäkelä (September 21, 2025, 7:30 PM)

World-Class Orchestras and Conductors
This year’s festival will feature some of the world’s most prestigious orchestras, including:

• Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
• Orchestre National de France
• Tonhalle Orchestra Zürich
• Orchestra of the National Academy of Santa Cecilia
• Philharmonia Orchestra London
• Budapest Festival Orchestra
• Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
• Staatskapelle Dresden
• Frankfurt Radio Symphony
• Czech Philharmonic
• WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne

Alongside top Romanian orchestras:

• George Enescu Philharmonic
• Romanian Youth Orchestra
• National Radio Orchestra
• Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra
• Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra

Conductors include Cristian Măcelaru, Paavo Järvi, Vasily Petrenko, Klaus Mäkelä, Daniele Gatti, Daniel Harding, Petr Popelka, Manfred Honeck, Christian Reif, Iván Fischer, Alain Altinoglu, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Giancarlo Guerrero, and Keri-Lynn Wilson.

Renowned Soloists
Pianists: Martha Argerich, Alexandra Dariescu, Kirill Gerstein, Rudolf Buchbinder, Alexandre Kantorow, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Simon Trpčeski, Bruce Liu
Violinists: Anne-Sophie Mutter, Alexandra Conunova, Renaud Capuçon, Nemanja Radulović, Julian Rachlin
Cellists: Alisa Weilerstein, Gautier Capuçon, Kian Soltani, Andrei Ioniță, Yo Kitamura
Vocalists: Magdalena Kožená, Rachel Willis-Sørensen, Jennifer Holloway, Iain Paterson, Andreas Bauer Kanabas

Opera in Concert & Special Performances
This edition includes seven opera-in-concert performances, including:

• Salome, Op. 54 (Richard Strauss) – Cologne Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Cristian Măcelaru, with soprano Jennifer Holloway as Salome (September 1, 2025, 8:00 PM)
• Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Op. 29 (Shostakovich) – National Radio Orchestra, conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero (September 14, 2025, 7:00 PM)

Contemporary dance returns with the Eva Duda Dance Company from Hungary, in collaboration with the Budapest Festival Orchestra, performing Bartók’s The Miraculous Mandarin and Bluebeard’s Castle (September 17, 2025, 8:00 PM).

The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, founded by Keri-Lynn Wilson in 2022 to preserve Ukraine’s cultural heritage, will perform two special concerts on August 25 and 26, 2025.

Multimedia Projections
Multimedia elements by Carmen Lidia Vidu, Nona Ciobanu, and Peter Košir will accompany five festival events:

• Opening concert (August 24, 2025)
• Salome (September 1, 2025)
• Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (September 14, 2025)
• Budapest Festival Orchestra & Eva Duda Dance Company (September 17, 2025)
• Orchestre National de France (September 19, 2025)

Ticket Information
Subscriptions for Sala Palatului concerts are available until February 14, 2025 (midnight). Individual tickets will go on sale from February 15, 2025 (12:00 PM).

Subscription prices start at 2,350 lei, and tickets are available on Eventim:
Eventim Tickets