Starting on August 24, for 29 days, Romania becomes the largest stage of universal music. The 27th edition of the George Enescu International Festival opens the doors to an exceptional sound journey, with the theme "Anniversaries / Celebrations" - a tribute to great musicians and landmark moments in the history of prestigious ensembles.

This edition marks the 70th anniversary of the death of George Enescu and evokes the memory of other emblematic creators of the 20th century: 150 years since the birth of Maurice Ravel, 100 years since that of Pierre Boulez or 50 years since the death of Dmitri Shostakovich.

In the same anniversary spirit, the Enescu Festival also celebrates the history of renowned ensembles: a century since the founding of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, 80 years of activity of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, 70 years of existence of the "Transylvania" State Philharmonic Orchestra in Cluj-Napoca, 45 years of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, and 75 years since the founding of the "George Enescu" Philharmonic Choir.

This year's edition thus becomes a true celebration of music, its past and future, bringing together artists, orchestras and ensembles that have shaped the world's sonic history.

A monumental edition is announced, bringing together over 4,000 artists from 28 countries in Bucharest, in over 95 concerts hosted by the Palace Hall, the Romanian Athenaeum, the MNAR Auditorium Hall, the Radio Hall, the Odeon Theater, MINA - Museum of Immersive New Art, as well as the Bucharest National Opera and the "IL Caragiale" National Theater.

Invitation from maestro Cristian Măcelaru, the artistic director of the festival:

The opening will take place on Sunday, August 24, 2025 , with a concert by the "George Enescu" Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir, under the baton of conductor Cristian Măcelaru , artistic director of the festival. The evening's program includes a Romanian work in absolute first audition - the Concerto for Orchestra by Dan Dediu , followed by the Violin Concerto in D minor , the masterpiece of the Georgian composer Aram Khachaturian - soloist Nemanja Radulović - and the moving Poema Româna by George Enescu . The concert will integrate multimedia projections directed by Nona Ciobanu and Peter Košir.

During the four weeks, Bucharest will become host to leading artists of the international scene: Martha Argerich, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Rudolf Buchbinder, Alexandre Kantorow, Bruce Liu, Isabelle Faust, Gautier Capuçon , Asmik Grigorian, Jennifer Holloway, Kristine Opolais, Kian Soltani, Alexandra Dariescu, Andrei Ioniță, Valentin Răduțiu , Leif Ove Andsnes, Jan Lisiecki, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Valentin Șerban and many others.

Top orchestras will perform, including: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Tonhalle-Orchester Z ü rich, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Czech Philharmonic, Orchester National de France, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, Les Si ècles, Il Giardino Armonico, Accademia Bizantina, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Sinfonia Varsovia, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, National Radio Orchestra or "George Enescu" Philharmonic.

Works by George Enescu will be presented in 45 performances during the Festival. Among them are the symphonic poems Isis and Vox Maris, Pastorala-Fantezie , Romanian Rhapsodies, but also the Symphonies or the Village Suite , a series of chamber jewels and reference vocal-symphonic works. The culminating moment will be the monumental performance of Oedipus , staged at the Bucharest National Opera, under the directorial vision of Stefano Poda , with an elite cast including Ionuț Pascu, Ruxandra Donose, Ramona Zaharia and Vazgen Gazaryan .

In 2025, opera and ballet will return to the Enescu Festival program in force. In addition to Oedipus , the audience will also be able to watch Maurice Ravel 's L' Heure espagnole , directed by Tompa Gábor, the dance performance Les Saisons by the Malandain Ballet Biarritz company (TNB's Great Hall) and Gigi Căciuleanu's choreographic creation, DinDor ' NdoR , presented at the TNB's Studio Hall by the Sibiu Ballet Theatre. Seven other operas will also be performed in concert, including Shostakovich 's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk .

Trailer Les Saisons:

An innovative component of the 2025 edition is the ENESCU – JTI IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE series , held at MINA – the Museum of Immersive New Art. It offers immersive concerts that combine classical music, contemporary dance, artificial intelligence, animation and visual arts. The public is invited every Thursday and Friday to interdisciplinary performances such as Onirius by Gigi Căciuleanu, Ultima piesă – a concert with real-time EEG interaction, Bach in the Jungle (music by Bach and Piazzolla), but also Klimt meets B ö sendorfer – Ver Sacrum , with pianist Alexandra Silocea , mezzo-soprano Patricia Nolz and actress Laëtitia Eïdo , performed on a unique B ö sendorfer-Klimt piano .

At the same time, the festival actively supports and promotes the young musicians laureates of the George Enescu International Competition, who will take the stage alongside important orchestras from around the world, including the WDR Orchestra (in Cluj Napoca), the Rotterdam Philharmonic, the Radio Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne and the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra under the musical direction of the renowned Cristian Măcelaru, Lahav Shani, Renaud Capucon, David Grimal or Manfred Honeck .

In addition, the initiative launched with great success in 2023 continues - the series dedicated to families and children - through special concerts organized at the Odeon Theater, in a friendly and interactive format.

As always, there will be no shortage of Midnight Concerts at the Romanian Athenaeum, recognized for their special atmosphere, chamber recitals at the MNAR Auditorium Hall or extraordinary concerts at the Radio Hall.

The Enescu Festival , organized by ARTEXIM, under the High Patronage of the President of Romania and financed by the Government of Romania through the Ministry of Culture, is a true country brand and a genuine cultural diplomacy project. A cultural and economic engine that attracts thousands of foreign tourists to Bucharest, the festival supports creative industries and strengthens Romania's image in the world.

Tickets for the concerts within the George Enescu International Festival can be purchased both online, from the Eventim.ro platform, https://www.cts.eventim.ro/artist/festivalul-george-enescu , and in physical format, from the Carrefour hypermarket network and the Cărturești and Humanitas bookstore chains.

The organizers reserve the right to modify the programs. Please visit the George Enescu International Festival website, http://www.festivalenescu.ro/ , to stay up to date with the latest information.

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About the George Enescu International Festival

The George Enescu International Festival is one of the largest classical music events in the world, organized since 1958. The 27th edition takes place between August 24 and September 21, 2025, marking the 70th anniversary of the death of the great Romanian composer and musician, George Enescu. This year's theme is " Anniversaries / Celebrations ", and the program includes over 95 concerts performed by over 4,000 of the world's most renowned artists, which will bring to the fore both Enescu's artistic legacy and his profound impact on universal classical music.

The George Enescu International Festival is an event held under the High Patronage of the President of Romania.

Cultural project funded by the Romanian Government through the Ministry of Culture.

Organizer: ARTEXIM

Co-organizer: ArtProduction Foundation

Co-producers: Romanian Broadcasting Company, Romanian Television Company, Bucharest City Hall through ARCUB – Cultural Center of Bucharest

Main partners: Rompetrol – KMG International, BRD – Groupe Société Générale, JTI – Immersive Experience (innovation partner), Lexus

Partners: LINDE GAZ, Purcari, FERRERO, Mobexpert, One United Properties, ORANGE, CPI Property Group, L'OR, Nazzuro Aqua, Althaus, Liliana and Peter Ilica Foundation, Senia Music

With the support of: BIGOTTI, Țuca Zbârcea & Asociații, SANADOR

Institutional partners: Odeon Theater

Monitoring partner: mediaTRUST