The second concert in the Enescu Society Concert Season at the Romanian Cultural Institute in London offers an in-depth experience of Enescu's outstanding work with celebrated Romanian-born violinist Sherban Lupu and award-winning pianist Luiza Borac. Programme: George Enescu Sonata No. 2 in F minor op. 6 Impressions from Childhood op. 28 Airs in Romanian Folk style for solo violin Moderato Alegro giusto Andante Allegro giocoso Sonata No. 3 in "Romanian Folk Character", op. 25
Sherban Lupu One of the world's leading performers of George Enescu's music, Sherban Lupu studied at the Bucharest Conservatory and in London at the Guildhall School of Music with Yfrah Neaman. He took lessons and master classes with legendary violinists Yehudi Menuhin, Henryk Szering and Nathan Milstein. Lupu has won prizes in numerous competitions such as: Vienna International, Romanian National String Quartet, Jacques Thibaud in Paris, Carl Flesch in London, Royal Society of Arts, and the Park Lane Group Contest. He is currently professor of violin at the University of Illinois and has been artistic director of the Gubbio Festival in Italy and associate concertmaster of the San Francisco Opera. Lupu specializes in the music of his native Romania and Eastern Europe as well as the virtuoso romantic repertoire. Solo appearances include The Kennedy Center, Gstaad Festival, Aldeburgh Festival, Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elisabeth Hall, Wigmore Hall, St. John's Smith Square and Carnegie Hall. In 2000, Mr. Lupu received a lifetime achievement award from the Romanian Cultural Foundation for his efforts to promote Romanian culture and music internationally. Mr.Lupu is playing on a violin made by Niccolo Gagliano in 1751 offered for him by the Ratiu Family Foundation. Since December 2005 Serban Lupu is the Artistic Director of the George Enescu Society of the United States.
Luiza Borac Luiza Borac is graduate of Bucharest Music Academy and of Hannover Musikhochschule, where she currently holds a teaching position. Further studies included masterclasses with Murray Perahia, Radu Lupu, Karl-Ulrich Schnabel, Leon Fleisher, Fou Ts'ong, Noretta Conci, Dmitri Bashkirov. Her CD recordings were released by BMG Ariola, Ambitus and Avie. Her international concert schedule includes recitals at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Steinway Hall New York, Radio Hall Hamburg, Palais Pallfy Vienna, Cologne Philharmonie, Puccini Hall Milan, Athenaeum Bucharest as well as many CD, radio and TV productions around Europe and the USA. Luiza Borac performs in festivals including the Grieg Festival in Oslo, Prokofiev Festival at the Barbican Centre London, Aldeburgh Festival of Music and the Arts, Chopin Festivals in Vienna and Milan, South Bohemian Music Festival, Braunschweiger Classix and Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. She has performed as soloist with Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonic Orchestra of Nations under Justus Frantz, Bucharest and Cologne Radio Orchestras, Utah Symphony Orchestra among others. In 1999 she played at Hannover Open-Air Concert in front of an audience of 10 000. Recently in London she was awarded the 2007 BBC Music Award for the best instrumental CD of the year. The award recordings including Concertgebouw Amsterdam, London Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic, Glyndebourne Opera were chosen among 1500 cds by the jury and more than 40 000 public votes.
The Enescu Society is a project of the Romanian Cultural Institute London under the Royal Patronage of HRH Princess Margarita of Romania.
Previously in the Enescu Society Concert Season: 4 October: Adrian Brendel and Nicola Eimer 1 November: Sherban Lupu and Luiza Borac 6 December: Mihaela Ursuleasa
When: 1 November 2007, 6.30-9.00 pm;
Where: Romanian Cultural Institute, 1 Belgrave Square, London SW1X8PH
Admission: By invitation.