Organizing the George Enescu festival this year will cost Romania some EUR 9 million, and the Government chose to keep this level of expenses, even though the PM suggested the budget was too high for the country's actual resources. “One of the reasons we have so much debt is the practice of pledging to some expenses without actually having the money to cover them. These are good expenses that I agree with. I recently found out that the budget for the George Enescu festival is impressive even for a rich country. But it is important for Romania to have the festival and we will support it,” said Prime Minister Victor Ponta.

The 21st edition of the George Enescu festival, which happens every two years, will take place between September 1 and 28 in Bucharest and is organized by the Romanian Government, via the Culture Ministry, as well as Artexim, Bucharest City Hall, Romanian radio and Romanian Television.

The festival will award prizes of some EUR 30,000, as well as some EUR 17,000 for the composition section.

The festival has been organized since 1958, three years after George Enescu's death.This year's festival will include 150 events, and as many as 14 large orchestras and 21 ensembles will hold 28 concerts, four operas, two ballets, as well as 48 concerts within the international competition of the Festival.

Last year, as many as 16,000 people attended around 100 concerts in the festival. For 2013, already confirmed are Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Maris Jansons, Staatskapelle Berlin, Daniel Barenboim, Orchestra dell'Accademia Santa Cecilia di Roma, Antonio Pappano, Orchestre de Paris, Name Jarvi - London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Jurowski - Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Radio Berlin, Marek Janowski, among others. Subscriptions for the festival will go on sale on January 15, 2013, and tickets in April 2013.

editor@romania-insider.com

(photo source: George Enescu festival )