The Romanian Cultural Institute in Beijing organized on Sunday, 30 November, at 6:00 PM, the extraordinary concert “George Enescu 70”, performed by violinist Diana Jipa and pianist Toma Popovici. The event was hosted at the headquarters of ICR Beijing, located in the Galaxy SOHO complex.
Dedicated to commemorating 70 years since the passing of composer George Enescu, the concert paid tribute to the most important creator in the history of Romanian music and one of the major figures of the universal cultural heritage. At the same time, it represented a high-caliber artistic event, warmly received by the audience and crowned with remarkable success.
The concert was attended by over 120 guests, including representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China; Mr. Claudiu Florian, Cultural Attaché of the Embassy of Romania in the People’s Republic of China; diplomats from the Embassy of Romania and the Embassy of the Hellenic Republic in the People’s Republic of China; Ms. Duong Bich Hanh, Senior Programme Officer, UNESCO Beijing; Prof. Dr. Ding Chao, Dean of the Department of East European Studies at Beijing International Studies University (BISU); Prof. Sorin-Enea Dumitru, Lecturer of Romanian Language at Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU); journalists from CGTN and Global Times; university faculty members, students and pupils from both academic institutions; members of the Romanian diaspora community; as well as numerous admirers of Romanian music and culture from China and abroad.
The concert programme, with a duration of approximately two hours, brought together works by George Enescu, alongside representative compositions from the Romanian and international repertoire, illustrating the subtle evolution of musical discourse over the past century. The audience listened to:
George Enescu – Tarantella;
George Enescu – Lăutarul, for solo violin;
George Enescu – Toccata from Suite op. 10 for piano;
Ciprian Porumbescu – Ballade for violin and piano;
Paul Constantinescu – Sonatina for violin and piano;
Alfonso Castaldi – Elegy for violin and piano (arrangement by Diana Jipa and Ștefan Doniga);
Jules Massenet – Méditation from the opera Thaïs;
He Zhanhao & Chen Gang – Butterfly Lovers;
Pablo de Sarasate – Fantasy on themes from the opera “Carmen” by Georges Bizet;
Béla Bartók – Six Romanian Folk Dances.
The repertoire selection reflected the aesthetic, technical, and historical specificities of various stages of Romanian and European musical modernity, highlighting stylistic intersections, transnational influences, and the continuity of the interpretative tradition.
Violinist Diana Jipa has established herself as one of the most distinguished performers of her generation. She made her debut at the age of ten as a soloist with the Brașov Philharmonic, quickly becoming a constant presence on Romanian and international stages, performing in countries such as Belgium, South Korea, China, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Norway, and Poland. In 2005, she represented Romania at the concert in Brussels organized on the occasion of the signing of the Treaty of Accession to the European Union. She holds a PhD in Music from the National University of Music in Bucharest, where she studied under the guidance of Professors Florin Croitoru and Valentina Sandu-Dediu, and is noted for an interpretative style of rare elegance and expressive clarity.
Pianist Toma Popovici is recognized as one of the most valuable Romanian performers of his generation. A graduate of the National University of Music in Bucharest and Boston University, and a disciple of Dana Borșan, he is a laureate of the international competitions “Dinu Lipatti” (Bucharest) and “Waki” (Japan), and a recipient of the “Mihail Jora” Award of the Union of Music Critics for solo performance activity. With an extensive concert career, Toma Popovici has performed at the George Enescu International Festival, Rockport Chamber Music Festival, and Murten Classics, and has collaborated with major philharmonic orchestras in Romania and abroad. He currently serves as Associate Professor at the National University of Music in Bucharest and regularly gives masterclasses both in Romania and internationally.
Through the organization of this event, ICR Beijing paid homage to the work and personality of George Enescu, reaffirming his fundamental role in consolidating Romania’s musical heritage and in asserting the universality of the Romanian artistic language. The concert enjoyed remarkable interest, with all seats reserved within the first 48 hoursafter the invitation was launched, while online reactions in the People’s Republic of China confirmed the positive impact of the event through numerous reviews, recommendations, and appreciative responses.
