The “George Enescu” Philharmonic

The “George Enescu” Philharmonic is Romania’s representative musical institution. Founded in April 1868, the “Romanian Philharmonic Society", under the direction of Eduard Wachmann, aimed to organize a permanent symphonic orchestra in order to propagate the musical culture and promote the masterpieces of classical music. The first concert took place on December 15th that same year, under the lead of its initiator.

After the inauguration of the Palace of the Romanian Athenaeum on March 5, 1889, the concerts began to take place in this hall, as they still do today, the building so becoming the emblem of the Romanian culture and Philharmonic’s headquarter. Wachmann, who led the first symphonic orchestra until 1907, was succeeded by Dimitrie Dinicu (1868-1936), and from 1920, by George Georgescu (1887-1964), a remarkable conductor, student of Arthur Nikisch.During the years of George Georgescu's directories (1920-1944, 1954-1964), the repertoire modernized and the Philharmonic entered the international music circuit by participating in the first tours abroad and inviting great personalities of the interwar world music, including Jacques Thibaud, Pablo Casals, Igor Stravinski, Enrico Mainardi, Alfred Cortot, Maurice Ravel, Richard Strauss, Yehudi Menuhin, Herbert von Karajan, and many others of international recognition. George Georgescu also recorded reference discography, such as the integral of Beethoven's symphonies.

After the war, the institution diversified its activity under the mandates of Constantin Silvestri and George Georgescu: the academic choir was established, a valuable body of concert soloists (instrumentalists and singers), various chamber ensembles (from the orchestra to the piano trio). George Georgescu's name is also linked to the memorable concerts performed by the Philharmonic Orchestra at the first editions of the George Enescu International Festival. After the death of George Enescu in 1955, the Philharmonic bears his name. The leadership of this musical institution was followed by: Mircea Basarab, Dumitru Capoianu, Ion Voicu, Mihai Brediceanu.

After the fall of the communist regime, the leadership of the institution was first entrusted to the great pianist Dan Grigore (1990). The "George Enescu" Philharmonic regained its former glory under the direction of General Manager Cristian Mandeal and the artistic director Nicolae Licareţ. During the mandate of Cristian Mandeal (1991-2009), the Philharmonic Orchestra performed the symphonic works of George Enescu and Johannes Brahms. In addition to current symphonic and chamber concerts (approximately 300 annually), the Philharmonic has recorded dozens of LP and CD discs and has performed rehearsal tours in Europe, Asia, and the Far East, earning a well-known international reputation.

With the appointment of Andrei Dimitriu as Managing Director in 2010, the Philharmonic has diversified its field of events, recovering from the old cultural vocation of the Romanian Athenaeum by organizing conferences on diverse, cultural and scientific themes, supported by international personalities. At the same time, inviting Christian Badea, the Romanian conductor with one of the brightest international careers to become the lead conductor of the George Enescu Philharmonic led, in just a few years, to a raise in the level of the orchestra and the expansion of the repertoire. Event-concerts were held under his lead, such as Parsifal by Richard Wagner, or Centenary Concerts, along with world class soloists, so establishing a reference point in the Romanian cultural life of the last decade.