BIOGRAPHIES
GEORGE ENESCU FESTIVAL
ROMANIA 2023
Guest artists
Philippe Cassard, piano
Philippe Cassard has established an international reputation as concerto soloist, recitalist and chamber musician since giving a joint recital with Christa Ludwig in Paris in 1985. The same year he was finalist at the Clara Haskil Competition and in 1988 he won the First Prize at the Dublin International Piano Competition. His concerto appearances include performances with the London Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic and BBC Wales, Orchestre National de France, Hungarian State Opera Orchestra… He has worked with many conductors including Sir Neville Marriner, Sir Jeffrey Tate, Sir Roger Norrington, Yan Pascal Tortelier, Charles Dutoit, Armin Jordan, Marek Janowski, Vladimir Fedosseiv… His performance of the complete piano works of Debussy (four recitals in a single day) received extremely enthusiastic press and media coverage. He has presented the cycle in London Wigmore Hall, Dublin, Paris, Lisbon, Sydney, Vancouver, Singapore and Tokyo. He also visits China, Australia, South America and Canada regulary. Philippe plays a huge repertoire of chamber music, he appearead with such artists as Wolfgang Holzmair, Stéphanie d’Oustrac, Karine Deshayes, Donna Brown, Paul Meyer, Jörg Widmann, Matt Haimovitz, Isabelle Faust, the Ebene, Takacs, Vanbrugh, Danish, Chilingirian string quartets. In 2012, Philippe becomes soprano Natalie Dessay’s exclusive pianist. They have performed in France, England (Barbican and Wigmore Hall in London), Ireland, Japan, Russia, Austria (Musikverein Vienna), Canada and USA (Carnegie Hall in New York)… The duet has recorded Debussy Songs, a French Mélodies album (Erato), and a Schubert’s Lieder programme (Sony Classical). Philippe Cassard has been artistic director of the festival « Nuits Romantiques du Lac du Bourget » (1999-2008), and since 2005, he has presented over 600 live weekly programmes on France Musique Radio dedicated to piano interpretation (awarded Prix SCAM in 2007 as “Best radio programme”). His last CD’s releases include Beethoven’s Trios with David Grimal and Anne Gastinel (awarded Diapason d’Or and Choc de Classica), Beethoven’s Symphony n°9 in the transcription for 2 pianos by Liszt, with Cédric Pescia.
David Grimal, violin
A musician renowned for his intellectual curiosity, his taste for all kinds of musical adventures and his commitment to society, David Grimal regularly performs on the world’s greatest stages: Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, Philharmonie de Paris, Vienna’s Musikverein, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Berlin’s Konzerthaus, London’s Wigmore Hall, Zurich’s Tonhalle, New York’s Lincoln Center, Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Budapest’s Liszt Academy, Geneva’s Victoria Hall, Madrid’s Auditorio Nacional, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Taiwan’s National Concert Hall, Brussels’ Bozar… David Grimal has collaborated as soloist with the Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre de Chambre d’Europe, Berliner Symphoniker, Russian National Orchestra, New Japan Philharmonic, English Chamber Orchestra, Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Prague Philharmonia, Gulbenkian Foundation Orchestra Lisbon, Sinfonia Varsovia. He has performed alongside conductors such as Christoph Eschenbach, Heinrich Schiff, Lawrence Foster, Emmanuel Krivine, Mikhail Pletnev, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Peter Eötvös, Andriss Nelsons, Jukka Pekka Saraste, Christian Arming… Numerous composers have dedicated their works to him: Marc-André Dalbavie, Brice Pauset, Thierry Escaich, Lisa Lim, Jean-François Zygel, Alexandre Gasparov, Victor Kissine, Fuminori Tanada, Ivan Fedele, Philippe Hersant, Anders Hillborg, Oscar Bianchi, Guillaume Connesson, Frédéric Verrières, Eric Montalbetti, Richard Dubugnon, Menachem Zur, Graciane Finzi… For 20 years, David Grimal has devoted part of his career to developing Les Dissonances, of which he is the founder and musical and artistic director. David Grimal has brought together musicians from some of Europe’s finest orchestras, as well as many young talents at the start of their careers, to experience music as a rediscovered joy, tackling the great symphonic repertoire in the spirit of chamber music under his musical direction.The orchestra has been a regular guest on major European stages and international festivals. Films of concerts given by Les Dissonances have been broadcast in over 60 countries. Today he works as soloist and conductor on the Dissonances model with numerous orchestras: Strasbourg, Metz, Galicia, Budapesti Vonosok, Anima Chamber Orchestra, Cracovia, Bilbao, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Radio Bucarest, Murcia, Taipei Symphony Orchestra, Neojiba, Kuopio, Sonderjylland, Trondheim, Enescu Philharmonic, Lille … David Grimal has recorded for EMI, Harmonia Mundi, Aeon, Naïve, Transart, Dissonances records and is currently recording for La Dolce Volta. His recordings have been acclaimed by the press: BBC choice, Choc de l’année Classica, Arte selection, ffff Telerama, diapason d’or etc. A sought-after chamber musician, David Grimal is a guest at the greatest international festivals. Today, he regularly performs in piano trio with Philippe Cassard and Anne Gastinel, and in recital with pianist Itamar Golan. David Grimal, for whom the transmission of knowledge to young musicians has always been essential, created in 2022 the Lumières d’Europe academy festival under the presidency of Serge Haroche, Nobel Prize winner in Physics. Lumières d’Europe is aimed at talented young musicians at the start of their careers, who are invited to work and perform alongside international artists in concert. Leading scholars are invited to shed philosophical, literary, historical or scientific light on the themes addressed in each session. Lumières d’Europe takes place in several European capitals, in collaboration with major cultural institutions (Fondation Royaumont, Institut Weizmann, Jerusalem Music Center, Festival International Georges Enescu, Institut de France, Collège de France…) and contributes to the professional integration of young European musicians. In 2004, David Grimal also created L’Autre Saison: a season of concerts in aid of the homeless in Paris, now in partnership with ARTE, where the greatest artists have performed and which has enabled over 400 people to escape from extreme poverty. David Grimal was made a Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres in 2008 by the French Ministry of Culture.A renowned pedagogue, David Grimal teaches violin at the Musikhochschule in Saarbrücken and at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris, and is regularly invited to sit on juries at major international competitions and give masterclasses around the world. He plays the 1710 Ex-Roederer Stradivarius and the Don Quichotte built for him by Jacques Fustier.He plays bows by Louis Tourte, Dominique Peccatte and Pierre Grunberger, depending on the repertoire.
Diemut Poppen, viola
Diemut Poppen is one of the most outstanding violists of her generation. Born into a well-known musical family in Germany, she started playing the violin at the age of seven, giving her first concerts as a soloist at the age of nine. She learned several instruments, of which the viola became her favorite. Diemut Poppen studied in Düsseldorf, Aachen, Cologne, Berlin, Bloomington (USA) and Paris. Amongst her teachers were the finest violists of our time: Y. Bashmet, K. Kashkashian, B. Giuranna, H. Schlichtig, P. Schidlof from the Amadeus-Quartet. Nowadays, Diemut Poppen is a sought-after violist, playing concerts worldwide. As a soloist and chamber musician she has appeared in the most important music centres around the world. In London she appeared as a soloist at the Barbican Centre and the Queen Elisabeth Hall; and she gave chamber concerts, amongst others, at the Wigmore Hall. Well-known musicians have invited Diemut Poppen to participate in their festivals – amongst others – C. Abbado, A. Schiff, G. Kremer, T. Mork, L. Kavakos, N. Gutman, A. Chaushian. Diemut Poppen performed as a soloist under the baton of conductors such as Heinz Holliger, Frans Brüggen and Claudio Abbado (Carnegie Hall, New York). She has been awarded the European Music Prize. She is currently Professor for Viola and Chamber Music in Detmold, in Madrid, at the Escuela de Musica Reina Sofia and at Zürcher Hochschule der Künste. She was Artistic Director of several chamber music festivals, currently of Cantabile Festival Lisboa and Rigi Musiktage/Switzerland. Diemut Poppen was co-principal in Lucerne Festival Orchestra under the direction of Claudio Abbado and principal viola and a founding member of The Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Poppen’s repertory is exceptionally wide. It spans from the classical viola concertos to all combinations of chamber music as well as contemporary music. Several composers have written new pieces for her, solo as well as concertos, sonatas and chamber music. Diemut Poppen has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, Capriccio, Live classics, EMI, Tudor, Ondine, amongst others. This season includes concerts in Germany,Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Israel, Russia, Armenia, the UK and USA.
Anne Gastinel, cello
Anne Gastinel took up the cello at the age of four. At just eleven years of age she entered the Lyon Conservatoire (CNSM). After being awarded her Premier Prix there in 1986, she went on to postgraduate studies at the Paris Conservatoire (CNSM). Her teachers there, Yo-Yo Ma, János Starker and Paul Tortelier, had a profound influence on her personal and musical development, and already recognized in her the maturity of an exceptional artist. She won numerous prizes in major international competitions (Scheveningen, Prague, Rostropovitch) and began to appear all over Europe, making a lasting impact on the general public in the 1990 Eurovision Competition. Her career now takes her to the leading venues in Europe, as well as Japan, China, South Africa, Brazil, Indonesia, Canada, and the United States. She has appeared there with such great masters as Yehudi Menuhin, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Kurt Sanderling. During her travels she enjoys exchanging ideas and experiences with many distinguished musicians and composers, including Henri Dutilleux, Emmanuel Krivine, Josep Pons, Vladimir Spivakov, Pinchas Steinberg, Krzysztof Penderecki, Edmon Colomer, Michel Plasson, Yuri Bashmet, Tan Dun, and Michael Schønwandt. She also accords a generous place to friends of her own generation – Claire Désert, Éric Tanguy, Justin Brown, Marianne Thorsen, François-Frédéric Guy, Louis Langrée, Pedro Halffter, Philippe Cassard, David Grimal, Alain Altinoglu, Nelson Goerner, and many others. For nearly fifteen years now, her recordings have received the highest distinctions. In 2006, Anne Gastinel was awarded the Victoire de la Musique in the category ‘Soloist of the Year’ (after ‘Young Talent’ & ‘Best Recording’). Unanimously recognised as the ambassador of the French cello school, she was selected to play for one year the legendary Matteo Gofriller cello that once belonged to Pablo Casals. She now performs her programmes on a Testore instrument of 1690, combining the standard repertoire with regular performances of new works
Eric Montalbetti, composer in residence
If Eric Montalbetti long kept his music secret, he enjoys since 2015 that his scores are coming to life and reach audiences thanks to wonderful performers. Among strings, violinist Christian Tetzlaff gave the world premiere of a Duo for violin & piano with Alexander Vorontsov, as well as the German premiere of an earlier Sonata for solo violin which was first performed in France by both David Grimal and Tedi Papavrami. Cellists Marc Coppey, Henri Demarquette and Alejandro Viana played Un herbier pour la vie, and Henri Demarquette also gave the world premiere of Psalterium for cello & choir. The soloists of the Ensemble intercontemporain Hae Sun Kang, Eric-Maria Couturier and Hidéki Nagano recorded a Trio for violin, cello & piano and Les Dissonances Quartet (David Grimal, Stefan Simonca-Oprita, David Gaillard and Xavier Phillips) the String quartet “Harmonieuses Dissonances”, to be revived in 2023 by Quatuor Mona. With orchestra or instrumental ensemble, Vaste champ temporel à vivre joyeusement was first performed by Pascal Rophé & Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire on an 8 concerts tour, as well as by the Tokyo Sinfonietta and conductor Yasuaki Itakura in Japan. Pierre Bleuse also conducted the piece in Toulouse, and the Bucharest Symphony Orchestra gave its Romanian premiere in the George Enescu festival. Kazuki Yamada conducted the premiere of Éclair physionomique, a large symphonic fantasy after Paul Klee commissioned by the Monte Carlo Festival du Printemps des Arts, which Pierre-André Valade revived with the Tonhalle Orchester in Zurich. Following a first performance in Geneva Victoria Hall, Jonathan Nott and Orchestre de la Suisse Romande also performed the concerto Memento vivere with Emmanuel Pahud at the LAC Lugano and Paris / La Seine Musicale. In 2020, the Lemanic Modern Ensemble and Pierre Bleuse commissioned the sinfonietta Fenêtres simultanées sur la ville, a sinfonietta inspired by painters Sonia & Robert Delaunay, also cocommissioned by the Tokyo Sinfonietta and Yasuaki Itakura, who have presented a portrait of the composer in Tokyo in July 2020 performing 3 different works. In 2021, Ouverture philharmonique was premiered by Mikko Franck & Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France at the Philharmonie de Paris, a co-commission of the Gürzenich Orchester Köln & François-Xavier Roth. And in spring 2022, Cavernes & Soleils on poems by Andrée Chedid for mezzo-soprano & chamber orchestra was first performed by the Ensemble intercontemporain, Christina Daletska and Matthias Pintscher. Further projects for 2023 include a Rapsody for clarinet & strings for Pierre Génisson and a concertante Nachtgebet for cellist Truls Mørk. Eric started composition at the age of 11, while studying piano and organ. He followed the courses by Pierre Boulez, Robert Piencikowski and Andrew Gerszo at Ircam and Collège de France, and studied with composers Alain Bancquart, George Benjamin, Michael Levinas, Magnus Lindberg, Philippe Manoury, Paul Méfano and Tristan Murail. From 1996 to 2014, he was the Artistic director of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and chose to compose for himself like a personal diary. Since 2015, most of his music is published by Durand. A few other scores have been published by Allegretto. Two CD albums entitled “Solos – A personal diary in music” and “Chamber music – Harmonieuses Dissonances” are available from Alpha Classics. Many public radios like BBC radio 3, France Musique, Deutschlandfunk, the Netherlands radio, RTBF in Belgium, Radio Suisse Romande, RTP Portugal as well as the NHK in Japan have also broadcasted various concerts and recordings.
Scientists
Serge Haroche, Nobel Prize in Physics
Serge Haroche is a French-Moroccan physicist. After his studies at the University of Paris VI, he worked for almost ten years at the CNRS. He developed new methods for laser spectroscopy, based on the study of quantum beats and superradiance. He taught in many prestigious institutions and since 2001, he is a professor at the Collège de France and holds the chair of quantum physics. On 9 October 2012 Haroche was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, together with the American physicist David Wineland, for their work regarding measurement and manipulation of individual quantum systems.
Erwin Kessler, director of the MARe / Muzeul de Arta Recenta
Erwin Kessler studied Philosophy (MA 1989, Bucharest University), Art History (MA 1995, Art Academy Bucharest), Theory of Art and Architecture (Prague, CEU, 1992), Historical Anthropology (Paris 1995-1997, DEA from EHESS Paris) and Aesthetics (Maastricht, Jan van Eyck Akademie, 1997-2000). He is the founding director of MARe/Museum of Recent Art Bucharest. Erwin Kessler is a scientific researcher at the Institute of Philosophy of the Romanian Academy. Since 1993, he is art critic with Revista 22. He wrote many books about Arts such as Grupul Euroartist Bucuresti in 2013, Florin Mitroi: Zile in 2018 or Ion Grigorescu. Opera pictată 1963-2022 in 2022.
Valentina Sandu-Dediu, rector of the New Europe College
Valentina Sandu-Dediu is graduated in musicology from the National University of Music in Bucharest in 1990. Since 1993, she has been teaching at the same institution (professor of musicology, stylistics, theories of performance). Author of more than 30 studies, 300 articles and a series of broadcasts for Radio Romania, Sandu-Dediu has written and edited books on Alban Berg’s Wozzeck, musical mannerism, style and rhetoric, Romanian music, music and ideology. She also played piano in chamber music (CDs published in Romania with Aurelian Octav Popa, in Germany/Neos with Dan Dediu, in Boston/Albany with Ray Jackendoff). Latest release: Hybrids, Hints & Hooks. Music by Dan Dediu: Irina Mureșanu/V.Sandu-Dediu, Divine Art (USA/Canada), 2021. Valentina Sandu-Dediu was a fellow of Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, she is rector of New Europe College in Bucharest and in 2008 received the Peregrinus Prize of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences.
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