Legendary pianist Martha Argerich will perform two concerts at this year’s George Enescu International Festival
One of the most acclaimed and admired pianists in the world, Martha Argerich returns to the stage of the George Enescu International Festival for two high-profile concerts.
On Sunday, August 31, 2025, at 7:30 PM, Martha Argerich will perform Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15, with the Santa Cecilia National Academy Orchestra from Rome, conducted by Daniel Harding, at the Grand Hall of the Palace. The evening’s program will also include George Enescu’s “Pastoral-Fantasy” and Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73.
On Monday, September 15, 2025, at 4:30 PM, Argerich will return to the Enescu Festival stage, this time at the Romanian Athenaeum, to perform Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major, under the baton of the renowned conductor Charles Dutoit, alongside the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra. This will be one of the key events celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of the great French composer, Ravel. The evening’s program will also feature Ravel’s “Ma Mère l’Oye” and “Noble and Sentimental Waltzes,” M.61, alongside Claude Debussy’s symphonic triptych “La Mer,” L. 109.
For Martha Argerich, the piano is second nature. The spiritual fusion with the keyboard is intrinsic, with the sound flowing as though it comes directly from the artist’s soul, and the message conveyed with charm. These are sentiments that have enveloped audiences in receiving a smooth and floating interpretation of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15, imbued with a touch of genius. Costin Popa, musicologist
The legendary pianist Martha Argerich was born in Buenos Aires and began her first piano lessons at the age of five with Vincenzo Scaramuzza. Considered a child prodigy, it wasn’t long before she began performing concerts and recitals regularly. In 1955, she moved to Europe and continued her studies in London, Vienna, and Switzerland with Bruno Seidlhofer, Friedrich Gulda, Nikita Magaloff, Madeleine Lipatti, and Stefan Askenase. In 1957, she won the Piano Competitions in Bolzano and Geneva, and in 1965, she participated in the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw. Since then, she has been considered one of the most prominent pianists in the world, both for her artistic abilities and popularity.
Although her temperament often led her toward the virtuoso masterpieces of the 19th and 20th centuries, Martha Argerich commands a vast repertoire, including works by Bach, Bartók, Beethoven, Messiaen, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Debussy, Ravel, Franck, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, and Tchaikovsky.
Martha Argerich has recorded for EMI, Sony, Philips, Teldec, and DGG, and many of her performances have been broadcast worldwide. She has received numerous Grammy Awards, as well as the Gramophone Artist of the Year Award in 1999.
Renowned conductor Charles Dutoit has received two of the greatest honors in the musical world: in 2017, the Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal, becoming the 103rd recipient of the medal since its establishment in 1870, on the occasion of the centenary of Beethoven’s birth, and the “Premio una vita nella musica 2022” from Teatro La Fenice in Venice. In 2014, he received the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the International Classical Music Awards, and in 2017, the Gold Medal of the city of Lausanne, his birthplace, with more than 200 recordings bringing him numerous awards, including two Grammy Awards.
At just 20 years old, Charles Dutoit was invited by Herbert von Karajan to conduct at the Vienna State Opera. He has since conducted at prestigious venues such as Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Deutsche Oper in Berlin, the Rome Opera, and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires.
Dutoit served as the music director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra for 25 years, the National Orchestra of France from 1991 to 2001, and the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo from 1996 to 2003, remaining its emeritus conductor. He was the artistic and principal conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra from 2009 to 2018 and was also the principal guest conductor of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic.
Alongside a 32-year collaboration with the Philadelphia Orchestra, performing over 700 concerts, Dutoit frequently works with orchestras in Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles, as well as regularly appearing on stages in London, Berlin, Paris, Munich, Moscow, Sydney, Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tokyo.
Reputable conductor Daniel Harding is the music director of the Orchestra and Choir of the Santa Cecilia National Academy in Rome. He is also the artistic and musical director of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.
He debuted in 1994 conducting the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra as an assistant to Sir Simon Rattle and in the following season assisted conductor Claudio Abbado at the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. From 2007 to 2017, he was the principal guest conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra and was the music director of the Paris Orchestra from 2016 to 2019.
Harding was appointed lifelong Laureate Conductor of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, with which he has worked for over 20 years. He collaborates regularly with the world’s top orchestras, including the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonics, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Staatskapelle Dresden, London Symphony Orchestra, La Scala Philharmonic, as well as conducting the Cleveland Orchestra and the Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York Philharmonic Orchestras in the United States.
Under his baton, the Santa Cecilia National Academy Orchestra will perform two concerts during the current edition of the Enescu Festival, the first on Saturday, August 30, 2025, at 7:30 PM at the Palace Hall. Alongside the orchestra and London Voices, the beloved soprano Magdalena Kožená will perform a program including Luciano Berio’s “Sinfonia” and “Folk Songs,” alongside Claude Debussy’s “La Mer,” L. 109.
The Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, founded in 1856 in the Principality of Monaco, has a long musical tradition, and its repertoire includes works by renowned composers of the universal musical literature.
Throughout the years, the orchestra has collaborated with famous conductors and soloists from around the world. Since 2016, conductor Kazuki Yamada has been the musical and artistic director of the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra will perform two concerts at this year’s Enescu Festival, the first scheduled for Sunday, September 14, at 4:30 PM at the Romanian Athenaeum. Under the baton of Kazuki Yamada, pianists Nelson Goerner and Vlad Vișenescu (organ), alongside the Preludiu Chamber Choir – Voicu Enăchescu, will perform George Enescu’s “Isis” (posthumously completed by Pascal Bentoiu), Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D Major, and Camille Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 78 with organ.
Tickets for the George Enescu International Festival concerts can be purchased online via the Eventim.ro platform, https://www.cts.eventim.ro/artist/festivalul-george-enescu, or physically from Carrefour hypermarkets and Cărturești and Humanitas bookstores. Tickets for the Palace Hall concert are available in six categories: VIP – 280 lei, Category 1 – 250 lei, Category 2 – 200 lei, Category 3 – 150 lei, Category 4 – 120 lei, discounted tickets for students/scholarship holders/pensioners – 90 lei. Tickets for the Romanian Athenaeum concert are available in three price categories: Category 1 – 280 lei, Category 2 – 250 lei, discounted tickets for students/scholarship holders/pensioners – 120 lei. The organizers reserve the right to change the programs. Please visit the George Enescu International Festival website, http://www.festivalenescu.ro/, for the latest updates.
About the George Enescu International Festival The George Enescu International Festival is one of the largest classical music events in the world, held annually since 1958. The 27th edition will take place from August 24 to 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 features over 95 concerts performed by more than 4,000 of the world’s most renowned artists, highlighting both Enescu’s artistic legacy and his profound impact on universal classical music. ♫ festival trailer: https://youtu.be/RxU0utgPuZg
The George Enescu International Festival is an event held under the High Patronage of the President of Romania.
A cultural project funded by the Government of Romania through the Ministry of Culture.
Organizer: ARTEXIM
Co-organizer: ArtProduction Foundation
Co-producers: Romanian Radio Broadcasting Society, Romanian Television Society, Bucharest City Hall through ARCUB – The Cultural Center of Bucharest
Main partners: Rompetrol – KMG International, BRD – Groupe Société Générale, JTI – Immersive Experience (innovation partner), Lexus (mobility partner)
Partners: Purcari, One United Properties, Mobexpert, Nazzuro Aqua, L’OR, Althaus, Liliana and Peter Ilica Foundation, Senia Music
Media partner: Nine O’Clock
18.03.2025 / Editor, Andreea Dragan
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