Celebrated pianist Martha Argerich opens the George Enescu Philharmonic's chamber music season on Tuesday alongside two prominent names on the international music scene - mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kozena and pianist Iddo Bar-Shai.

The programme includes Claude Debussy's En blanc et noir Suite for two pianos and Chansons de Bilitis, Maurice Ravel's Mother Goose Suite for piano four hands, Franz Schubert's Rondo in A major for piano four hands, D 951, and Robert Schumann's song cycle Dichterliebe, Op. 48.

The 2026-2027 symphonic season will open on October 1 and 2 with two concerts conducted by Mikhail Pletnev and featuring legendary pianist Martha Argerich as soloist.

The programme includes George Enescu's symphonic poem Isis, reconstructed and completed by Pascal Bentoiu, in an expanded version featuring the Philharmonic's Women's Choir.

Martha Argerich will perform Sergei Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26, a signature work in the artist's repertoire, with her interpretations regarded as a benchmark for performances of the great composer's music.

In the second half, the audience will hear Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake Suite, performed for the first time in Romania in an arrangement by Mikhail Pletnev himself, who returns after conducting the opening of the 2024-2025 season.

Widely regarded as one of the most important pianists of all time, Martha Argerich has received numerous prestigious honours over the course of her exceptional career, including three Grammy Awards, the Praemium Imperiale and a Kennedy Center Honor.

Mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kozena gained international recognition after winning first prize at the Mozart Competition in Salzburg. She has performed with renowned orchestras and conductors and has received major distinctions including Gramophone Artist of the Year and the Diapason d'Or.

Pianist Iddo Bar-Shai is a prizewinner at several international competitions and a regular guest at renowned festivals including Verbier and La Roque d'Antheron.

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The 2026-2027 season will celebrate the Beethoven Year, marking the 200th anniversary of the composer's death in 2027. Beethoven is one of the defining figures of classical music and a symbol of freedom, human dignity and fraternity among nations. To mark the anniversary, To mark the anniversary, Beethoven's music will feature prominently in the George Enescu Philharmonic's 2027 programme, with the complete cycle of his symphonies and concertos to be performed across the second half of the 2026-2027 season and the first half of the 2027-2028 season.

American conductor Robert Trevino will also officially take up his role as principal conductor of the Philharmonic Orchestra this season. He will lead the orchestra in two concerts on March 25 and 26, 2027, featuring Beethoven's Coriolan Overture, Op. 62, Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30, with Alexander Gavrylyuk as soloist, and Richard Strauss's symphonic poem Ein Heldenleben. The Strauss performance will be recorded by the Ondine label. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Florin Marin; EN - writing by: Simona Iacob)