53 years ago, at the initiative of the conductor George Georgescu, the first edition of “George Enescu” International Festival and Competition was organized in Bucharest. This Festival desired itself as not only a sign of acknowledgement of Enescu’s genius, but also as a homage paid to his life and creation.
During the first editions, prestigious names of the worldwide music gathered on the stage of the Festival, of whom we mention: Lord Yehudi Menuhin, Sviatoslav Richter, Herbert von Karajan or David Oïstrakh. “George Enescu” International Festival and Competition was also a gantry for Eugenia Moldoveanu, Marina Krilovici, Mariana Slatinaru Nistor, Ludovic Spiess, Viorica Cortez, Pascal Roge, Valentin Gheorghiu or Dan Grigore.
Celebrating 130 years since George Enescu’s birth, the 20th edition of the Festival that takes place in Bucharest between 1 and 25 September 2011 will comprise Concert Evenings under the titles: World Great Orchestras, Recitals and Chamber Concerts, Midnight Concerts, World Music, Opera and Ballet Performances, 21st Century Music, Enescu and his Contemporaries and the City of Culture.
During the first edition of the Festival in 1958, the Romanian première of Enescu’s musical work “Oedipus” took place, starring David Ohanesian as the main character. The world première took place at the Opera Garnier in Paris, on the 13th of March 1936 and it was a homage paid to Maria Rosetti-Tescanu, George Enescu’s wife-to-be.
During the nineteen editions of the Festival, “Oedipus” was staged several times, but one of the most spectacular enactments of the opera was done by Andrei Serban, in 1995. The opera was also performed on lyrical stages in Italy, Germany, Austria, the U.K. and the U.S.A.
The Romanian Athenaeum hosted all the editions of the Festival, the acoustics of its hall being one of the best in the world. 125 years ago, the foundation of the Romanian Athenaeum was laid on the location belonging to the Vacaresti family and where the riding house of the “Romanian Equestrian Society” had been grounded.
The plans of the Athenaeum were designed by the French architect Albert Galleron. The building has a peristyle supported on eight Ionic columns. Between the peristyle and columns there are large mosaic medallions representing Neagoe Basarab, Alexandru the Kind, King Carol I, Vasile Lupu and Matei Basarab. The construction ends with a decorated cupola.
The concert hall has about 800 seats out of which 52 are box seats. Above them there is a monumental fresco, 3 m wide and 70 m long, made by the painter Costin Petrescu between 1933 and 1939. In its 25 scenes, the fresco exhibits important moments in the history of the Romanian people.
Since 2007, the Romanian Athenaeum, together with the Cantacuzino Palace (“George Enescu” National Museum), have been introduced in the European Cultural Heritage.
On the occasion of the 20th edition of the “George Enescu” International Festival and Competition, the 75th anniversary of the “Oedipus” world première and the 125th anniversary since the foundation of the Romanian Athenaeum, Romfilatelia introduces into circulation a postage stamp issue dedicated to these important events.
Philatelic document – made into a limited run printing of 230 copies, equipped with the postage stamps of the issue, numbered and cancelled with the “first day” postmark.
Philatelic album – issued into a limited run printing of 800 pcs., equipped with the special block of the issue (three postage stamps with schwarzdruck pairs – Romanian philatelic premiere!) numbered in red and the first day cover of the issue, on which the postage stamps with label are applied. The postmarks on the schwarzdruck pairs, George Enescu’s signature on the illustrated border of the block, as well as the “first day” postmark, clearly imprinted on the first day cover, are all in gold foiling.
Engraving – issued into a limited run printing of 350 pcs, by the young artist Livia Raduta-Penda, the daughter of the regretted engraver artist Octavian Ion Penda. It reproduces the postage stamp with the face value of 7.60 lei, which illustrates the Romanian Athenaeum, within the postage stamp issue The 20th Edition of the “George Enescu” International Festival and Competition, while being also a displaying support for this postage stamp. These exclusive products are numbered in red from 001 to 350, bear the author’s holograph signature and have the Romfilatelia embossed logo imprinted.
