Bucharest events: Athenaeum Summer Festival brings mix of genres, soprano Sally Matthews as special guest
<p>The third edition of <em>Athenaeum Summer Festival</em>, with a program bringing together classical, jazz, film, and early music, is scheduled to take place between June 20 and June 29 at the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest.</p>

<p>In the festival’s opening concert, British soprano Sally Matthews will perform the final scene of Richard Strauss’s <em>Capriccio</em>, alongside the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Leo Hussain. The concert also marks the closing of the Philharmonic’s 2023-2024 season.</p>

<p>The Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra is scheduled to deliver the festival’s closing event, with a program of works by Tchaikovsky and Harilaos Perpessas (<em>Christus Symphony</em>). The concert will be conducted by Yannis Pouspourikas, and violinist Liya Petrova is the soloist.</p>

<p>Jazz fans have a dedicated concert in the program, <em>Transylvanian Folk Songs</em>, delivered by Trio Lucian Ban, John Surman, and Mat Maneri,<strong> </strong>while <em>Bach by Night </em>offers early music enthusiasts a Bach-only program.</p>

<p>Another concert will see the Athenaeum String Orchestra and the George Enescu Philharmonic Choir perform Shchedrin’s <em>Carmen Suite</em> (after Bizet) and Carl Orff’s <em>Catulli Carmina</em>.</p>

<p>Film scores are the focus of the concert <em>Symphonic Summer Vibes</em>, conducted by Felix Mildenberger and having violinist Valentin Șerban as soloist.</p>

<p>On June 22 and June 23, the garden of the Athenaeum will host two open-air concerts delivered by the Athenaeum String Quintet: - Vivaldi Forever! and Classical, entertainment, film music. Access to the outdoor concerts is free of charge.</p>

<p>The program of the festival is available <a href="https://www.fge.org.ro/calendar" rel="noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>

<p><em>(Photo: the organizers)</em></p>

<p><em>simona@romania-insider.com</em></p>