Violinist and conductor Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider and cellist Gautier Capuçon – the renowned soloists to be heard today at the Enescu Festival
Celebrated violinist Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider returns to the Enescu Festival to perform alongside the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, with a program of works from the Romantic repertoire. Mendelssohn’s overture A Midsummer Night’s Dream will open the concert, followed by Bizet’s Symphony in C major. These two works are considered early masterpieces of the respective composers, written during their student years. Mendelssohn composed the Overture at the age of 19, while Bizet’s Symphony in C major was composed during his studies in Paris, when he was only 17. Although Bizet did not intend for it to be performed on stage, the Symphony was a success when it was discovered and published, its first performance given in 1935.
The program closes with Bruch’s Concerto No. 1 in G minor for violin and orchestra, performed by Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, one of the finest violinists of the moment. Incidentally, this year marks the 100th commemoration of the death of composer Max Bruch. This concerto, one of the most popular and best-loved in the violin repertoire, thus pays tribute to the composer.
Gautier Capuçon, one of the best-known and most highly regarded cellists of our time, will perform alongside the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Valery Gergiev, Shostakovich’s Concerto No. 1 in E flat major Op. 107 for cello and orchestra. The program also includes George Enescu’s Suite No. 2 in C major for orchestra Op. 20, a remarkable work composed in 1915, brimming with neoclassical influences and enchanting and dancing themes; the evening concludes with Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 in C minor Op. 68.
Both concerts can be watched online free of charge, on www.festivalenescu.ro/en/.
As part of the Enescu in Other Cities series, a recital by cellist Ghiorghita Tanase and pianist Andreea Bratu, with works by Brahms and Enescu, will take place at the Jean Constantin Multifunctional Educational Centre for Youth in Constanta, starting at 6:00 PM.
On the Festival website, via this link, you can read reviews, interviews, and additional information in the Daily Agenda of the Festival.
DAILY AGENDA
CONCERTS
SERIES: Concerts and Recitals
TIME: 4:30 PM
PRESS ARRIVAL: 4:00 PM
VENUE: ROMANIAN ATHENAEUM
ACADEMY OF ST MARTIN IN THE FIELDS
NIKOLAJ SZEPS-ZNAIDER violin
Program:
Mendelssohn A Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture
Bizet Symphony in C major
Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor Op. 26
The Academy of St Martin in the Fields is one of the world’s finest chamber orchestras, renowned for fresh, brilliant interpretations of the world’s greatest orchestral music. Formed by Sir Neville Marriner in 1958 from a group of leading London musicians, the Academy gave its first performance in its namesake church in November 1959. Through unrivalled live performances and a vast recording output – highlights of which include the 1969 best-seller Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and the soundtrack to the Oscar-winning film Amadeus – the Academy quickly gained an enviable international reputation for its distinctive, polished and refined sound. With over 500 releases in a much-vaunted discography and – in normal circumstances – a comprehensive international touring programme, the name and sound of the Academy is known and loved by classical audiences throughout the world.
Conductor and violinist Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider enjoys a successful international career. Born in 1975, he studied in Copenhagen under Boris Kuschnir and subsequently at the Juilliard School in New York under Dorothy DeLay. He has been Principal Guest Conductor of the Mariinsky Orchestra since 2010, was previously Principal Guest Conductor of the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, and has been collaborating with the Orchestre National de Lyon since December 2017, most recently as their Music Director. He regularly appears with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Cleveland Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider plays the ex-Kreisler Guarneri “del Gesù” 1741 violin.
SERIES: Great Orchestras of the World
TIME: 7:30 PM
PRESS ARRIVAL: 7:00 PM
VENUE: GRAND PALACE HALL
MÜNCHNER PHILHARMONIKER
VALERY GERGIEV conductor
GAUTIER CAPUÇON cello
Program:
Enescu Orchestral Suite No. 2 in C major Op. 20
Shostakovich Cello Concerto No.1 in E flat major Op. 107
Brahms Symphony No. 1 in C minor Op. 68
The Munich Philharmonic was founded in 1893 through the private initiative of Franz Kaim, the son of a piano manufacturer. Since then, the orchestra has left an indelible imprint on Munich’s cultural life under the leadership of renowned conductors. In the orchestra’s earliest years – initially under the name “Kaim Orchestra” – conductors like Hans Winderstein, Hermann Zumpe, and Bruckner pupil Ferdinand Löwe guaranteed both a high technical standard of performance and enthusiastic support of contemporary artistry. Right from the outset, their artistic concept included the effort to structure programs and prices to allow access to the concerts by all levels of society. Felix Weingartner, who directed the orchestra from 1898 to 1905, enhanced its international reputation with several tours to other countries.
Gautier Capuçon is a true 21st century ambassador for the cello. Performing internationally with many of the world’s foremost conductors and instrumentalists, he is also founder and leader of the “Classe d’Excellence de Violoncelle” at the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris and a passionate ambassador for the “Orchestre à l’École” Association, which brings classical music to more than 40,000 thousands school children across France. A multiple award winner, he is acclaimed for his expressive musicianship, exuberant virtuosity, and for the deep sonority of his 1701 Matteo Goffriller cello “L’Ambassadeur.”
SERIES: Enescu in Other Cities
TIME: 6:00 PM
PRESS ARRIVAL: 5:30 PM
VENUE: JEAN CONSTANTIN YOUTH CENTER, CONSTANTA
GHIORGHITA TANASE cello (Stradivarius-Montagnana cello from 1723)
ANDREEA BRATU piano
Program:
Brahms Cello Sonata No. 1 in E minor Op. 38
Enescu Cello Sonata No. 2 in C major Op. 26
CREATIVE BUCHAREST
- Exhibition of photographs and unpublished documents about George Enescu and the Enescu Festival titled “Enescu. Genius and Festival. Face(t)s of Love” from September 1 to 26, 2021, at the Athenaeum and the Palace Hall. The exhibition is a joint project of the Enescu Festival, together with its official photographers Andrada Pavel, Catalina Filip, Andrei Gandac, and Alex Damian, the Diplomatic Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Enescu Museum.
- 7-episode film dedicated to the 2021 George Enescu International Festival, broadcast by TVR
- 7-installment film titled Constantin Silvestri – Avant-gardist, master improviser, homme passionné, a 2021 UK production by Anda Anastasescu and Nicolas Gaster; installments: Prelude, Lead Soldiers, The Little Shepherd, Fireworks, Pictures at an Exhibition, Nocturne; program: Saturday, August 28 – Sunday, September 26, 2021.
FURTHER INFORMATION
PROGRAM, ARTISTS, NEWS: https://www.festivalenescu.ro/en/
DAILY AGENDA with interview, reviews, and additional information: https://bit.ly/3jneKsC
PRESS ACCESS: Concert access of accredited members of the press will be according to the accreditation forms. Accreditation is not required for any other events.
TVR VIDEOGRAPHY: Televisions may broadcast video excerpts from the link below, always citing the source (TVR), during their newsreels. It is not allowed to upload the excerpts to Facebook.
- ftp://newftp.tvr.ro/; username: enescu.tvr; password: b@sBx4Ui (please use FileZilla to open the files)
PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEOGRAPHY: All media may use photo and video images provided by the Enescu Festival via the following link: https://bit.ly/3DoPoCI. Kindly keep the credits visible for all photos.
