Les Siecles, a unique orchestra, made up of musicians of the new generation, which tackles each repertoire on historical instruments, offering a fresh and surprising perspective on several centuries of musical creation, will perform on Tuesday, from 5:00 PM, at the Romanian Athenaeum.

According to the website of the 'Enescu' Festival, the band, conducted by Franck Ollu, with the French-born soprano Sarah Aristidou as a guest, will perform Improvisations I and II on verses by Stephane Mallarme by Pierre Boulez, Pavane for a deceased infanta M. 19 by Maurice Ravel, three poems on verses by Stephane Mallarme (orchestration by Heinz Holliger) by Claude Debussy and Suite No. 1 in C major for orchestra op. 9 by George Enescu.

Boulez's work will be performed on modern instruments, while works by Ravel, Debussy and Enescu will be performed on French instruments from the early 19th century.

This is the third time the orchestra has been invited to perform at the renowned International 'George Enescu' Festival.

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Les Siecles are a constant presence on major international stages, regularly performing on stages in London, Berlin, Lucerne, Salzburg, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Cologne, Bad Kissingen, Bremen, Brussels, Bucharest, Aldeburgh, Wiesbaden, Luxembourg, Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing, Rome and Venice.

Three times awarded the prestigious Deutschen Schallplattenkritik (German Record Critics' Award) and as many times with the Edison Klassiek Award, Les Siecles is also the only French orchestra to receive multiple nominations for a Gramophone Award, which they earned in 2018 for Maurice Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé. Since the same year, the orchestra has collaborated with the Harmonia Mundi record label to record orchestral compositions by Berlioz, Ravel and Debussy.

Notable achievements include world premiere recordings of Saint-Saens' Le Timbre d'argent, Felicien David's Christophe Colomb and Paul Dukas' cantata Velleda.

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Soprano Sarah Aristidou stands out as one of the most innovative and inventive artists of her generation, and is the first female singer to be awarded the Belmont Prize for contemporary music. Her recent solo recording, Enigma (AlphaClassics), was awarded the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik (German Record Critics' Award).

In the 2024-2025 season, the artist made her debut at the Opernhaus Zurich in the world premiere of Beat Furrer's Das Grosse Feuer (The Great Fire), performing the role of Aquella Muchacha, and collaborates with the Cleveland Orchestra and conductor Franz Welser-Most in a performance of Poulenc's The Human Voice.

With the Spectra Ensemble, at BOZAR, Sarah Aristidou presents Recital I (for Cathy) and Stripsody by Berberian. She also performs Boulez's Le Soleil des Eaux (Sun of the Waters) with the Ensemble Intercontemporain at the Philharmonie de Paris, conducted by Pierre Bleuse.

With the Orchestre de Paris, she performs Faure's Requiem under the baton of Klaus Makela, with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra she performs Orff's Carmina Burana, conducted by Aziz.

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Franck Ollu is a versatile conductor, widely acknowledged for his specialization in contemporary and French music.

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Pierre Boulez, during 2025, Franck Ollu will conduct the Les Siecles ensemble in a series of concerts, including in Paris, Munich, Berlin and Bucharest. Recent and upcoming events of note include the Bayerischer Rundfunk Orchestra at Musica Viva in Munich, the Festival of Budapest, the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, the Norwegian Opera, the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Basel Chamber Orchestra. He conducted at the Konzerthaus in Stockholm in a festival dedicated to the music of George Benjamin and is a frequent guest at Radio France's annual Presences festival.

The artist has a special relationship with the Ensemble Modern, which has resulted in numerous opera performances, including at the Salzburg Festival. They have also collaborated on orchestral repertoire, recently conducting concerts in Cologne and Frankfurt to celebrate the ensemble's 40th anniversary.

Franck Ollu is a dedicated teacher and mentor, working closely with the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse in Paris. AGERPRES(RO - writing by: Daniel Popescu; EN - writing by: Bogdan Gabaroi)