By Honorary Reporter Andra Michaela Pena from Romania

This year's George Enescu International Festival, the biggest event for classical music in Romania, ran from Aug. 24 to Sept. 21. 

The gala honors the eponymous Romanian composer by featuring several of the world's best musicians. Its 27th edition took place at the Palace Hall Foyer in Bucharest and featured the Romanian debut of Korean pianist Cho Seong-Jin.

Cho rose to global prominence in 2015 after winning the International Chopin Competition of Poland. As an exclusive artist for the classical music label Deutsche Grammophon, his albums cover composers like Chopin, Debussy and most recently Ravel.

Scenes from this year's George Enescu International Festival in Bucharest, Romania (Andra Michaela Pena)

The concert on Aug. 31 was sold out as Cho stepped as a last-minute replacement for Argentine pianist Martha Argerich. Crowds gathered outside the venue to catch a rare opportunity to hear Cho live in Romania.

Cho Seong-Jin on Aug. 31 performs Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1. (George Enescu International Festival)

Cho performed Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15 with the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia of Italy conducted by Daniel Harding. The audience's prolonged applause and flower offering created a celebratory atmosphere.

The program opened with Enescu's orchestral piece Pastorale Fantaisie and concluded with Brahms' Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73. At the end, Cho returned for an encore, transitioning from Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata into "Happy Birthday" to mark Harding's 50th birthday. The hall erupted in laughter and applause.

Pianist Cho Seong-Jin (second from right) on Aug. 31 receives ovations and flowers from the audience after his Romanian debut. (George Enescu International Festival)

As a long-time admirer of Cho, I considered it both a privilege and personal highlight to attend his Romanian debut.

msjeon22@korea.kr

*This article was written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.