The George Enescu Philharmonic is Romania’s representative musical institution, with a history of 155 years that begins with the founding of the Romanian Philharmonic Society under the direction of Eduard Wachmann in April 1868. The first concert took place on 15 December of the same year, under the baton of its initiator. After the inauguration of the Romanian Athenaeum Palace (1889), concerts were held in this hall, where they are still held today, the elegant building becoming the emblem of Romanian culture and the headquarters of the Philharmonic Orchestra.

At the age of 17, George Enescu appeared for the first time on the stage of the Romanian Athenaeum as a violinist and composer, with the Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Wachmann, on 1 March 1898.

Wachmann, who conducted the orchestra until 1907, proposed a classical repertoire in the first decades of the symphony’s existence to attract and educate the public. He was succeeded by Dimitrie Dinicu (1868-1936) and, from 1920, by George Georgescu (1887-1964), a remarkable conductor and pupil of Arthur Nikisch. During George Georgescu’s directorship (1920-1944; 1954-1964), the repertoire was modernised and the Philharmonic became part of the international music circuit, participating in the first tours abroad and inviting great personalities of the musical world. George Georgescu is also responsible for some reference recordings, such as the complete Beethoven symphonies.

The Bucharest Philharmonic Orchestra has collaborated, throughout its seasons, with the most appreciated musicians of the world, the interwar period being one of the most fruitful in the history of the institution. Among the most important names are Pietro Mascagni, Igor Stravinsky, Richard Strauss, George Enescu, Béla Bartók, Pablo Casals, Herbert von Karajan, Wilhelm Kempff, Yehudi Menuhin, Sviatoslav Richter, Sergiu Celibidache and David Oistrakh, and more recently Seiji Ozawa, Christian Badea, Thomas Sanderling, Mischa Maisky and Khatia Buniatishvili.

After the war, the institution diversified its activities under the mandates of Constantin Silvestri and George Georgescu: the Academic Choir was founded, a valuable corps of concert soloists (instrumentalists and singers), various chamber ensembles (from orchestra to piano trio). George Georgescu’s name is also associated with the memorable concerts given by the Philharmonic Orchestra at the first editions of the “George Enescu” International Festival. After George Enescu’s death in 1955, the Philharmonic bore his name.

After 1964, Mircea Basarab, Dumitru Capoianu, Ion Voicu, Mihai Brediceanu were at the head of the Bucharest Philharmonic, and after the fall of the communist regime, Dan Grigore and Cristian Mandeal were the directors. During the tenure of principal conductor Cristian Mandeal (1991-2010), the Philharmonic Orchestra recorded the complete symphonic works of George Enescu and Johannes Brahms. In addition to its current symphonic and chamber concerts (about 300 annually), the Philharmonic has recorded dozens of LPs and CDs and has undertaken high-profile tours of Europe, Asia and the Far East, earning itself a well-deserved international reputation.

Since 2022, the general director of the George Enescu Philharmonic has been the cellist Marin Cazacu, and since then the institution organises at the end of each season the Athenaeum Summer Festival, a series of events aiming to offer to a wide audience new communication platforms and the experience of enjoying classical and contemporary music in the symbolic space of the Romanian Athenaeum.