140 GEORGE ENESCU IN BAKU

A symbol for the Romanian culture, the most important Romanian composer of the times, George Enescu was born on August 19, 1881. In 2021 there are celebrated 140 years since his birth.

George Enescu’s birthday is celebrated nationally and internationally. The musician George Enescu, composer, violinist, pianist, conductor and pedagogue, artistic personality of genius of the twentieth century, is best known for the two Romanian Rhapsodies, op. 11 (1901-1902), Suite no. 1 for orchestra, op. 9 (1903), his first Symphony, in E flat, op. 13 (1905) and Seven Songs on Lyrics by Clément Marot, op. 15 (1908).

As a child he showed an extraordinary penchant for music. After 1884, he began to discover the secrets of the piano and made his own violin. At just eight years old, he made his violinist debut, and at the age of 11 he took to the concert stage of the Bösendorfer Hall in Vienna, accompanied by the Conservatory Orchestra.

George Enescu offered an exceptional moment to the history of Romanian music through the first author recital of a Romanian creator held abroad. The recital took place on June 11, 1897, in a chamber concert at the Petite Salle Pleyel in Paris, when Enescu was only 15 years old.

He is the founder and president of the Romanian Composers’ Society and has taken a very active part in the anti-fascist movement.

The Romanian Language and Culture Center, ADU, Baku, organized a concert on the occasion of the 140th anniversary of the birth of the great Romanian composer. The director of the Center, Iosefina Blazsani-Batto, highlighted the creation of George Enescu and the importance of his musical creation. She also pointed out that as a tribute to the genius of the great composer, on October 11, 2006, there was opened the monument of the founder of modern Romanian national composer’s school George Enescu in 8th microdistrict of Baku to symbolize inter-governmental relations between Azerbaijan and Romania.

It was the first Romanian cultural event organized by the Romanian Language and Culture Center in Baku since the beginning of the pandemic. Compositions by the great composer, were performed by young graduate musicians from the Baku Music Academy named after Uzeyir Hajibayli, winners of national and international competitions, Elkhan Niftiyev and Aysel Salimova on a piano and violin:  Ballad, Nocturne, Pastorale, The Lark.

George Enescu was a great composer, conductor, also a skilled musician and his works – operas, symphonies and sonatas laid the foundation of modern Romanian music. He made a great contribution to the world cultural treasure.