The ôGeorge Enescuö Museum was founded in 1955 in the Cantacuzino Palace, a building erected at the beginning of the 20th century in the French Baroque style. It evokes the life and creation of this great Romanian composer, violin player, pianist, and conductor. George Enescu (1881-1955) was one of the greatest musicians of his time. He took Romanian classical music to an international level.
After studying at the Vienna and Paris conservatories with the greatest masters of the time (Massenet, FaurΘ and GΘdalge), Enescu drew his inspiration from Romanian folklore to create his first symphonies, i.e. ôThe Romanian Poemö (1897) and ôThe Romanian Rhapsodies.ö Enescu composed works in all musical genres, including chamber music. He also authored an opera, Oedipus, and was an internationally famous director and pianist. After 1920, he also brought new life to the Romanian Composers Society, which included such composers as A. Castaldi, D. Cuclin, A. Alessandrescu, or M. Jora.
Enescu worked with celebrated artists like Jules Massenet or Gabriel FaurΘ and trained famous musicians such as Dinu Lipatti, Yehudi Menuhin, or Ida Haendel. Enescu was a member of the Romanian Academy and a corresponding member of the French Academy. As of 1958, an international music festival bearing EnescuÆs name is organized in Bucharest every three years.
