Critic's choice
Festival
Enescu Festival 2025
The 27th George Enescu International Festival will be held in Bucharest, Romania, from August 24 to September 21, 2025, under the artistic direction of renowned conductor Cristian Măcelaru. As one of the world’s premier classical music festivals, it will bring together over 4,000 artists from 28 countries and feature more than 80 orchestras, choirs, and chamber ensembles.
This edition, themed Celebrations, marks the 70th anniversary of George Enescu’s passing with over 45 performances of his works, including symphonies, chamber music, orchestral suites, and his opera Oedipe, presented by the Bucharest National Opera. The festival also honors anniversaries of major composers such as Maurice Ravel, Gabriel Fauré, Pierre Boulez, Arvo Pärt, J.S. Bach, and Dmitri Shostakovich.
Top orchestras performing include the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Czech Philharmonic, Staatskapelle Dresden, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Celebrated soloists featured this year include violinists Anne-Sophie Mutter, Isabelle Faust, Augustin Hadelich and Renaud Capuçon; pianists Martha Argerich, Kirill Gerstein, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Lucas & Arthur Jussen; and cellists Gautier Capuçon, Sol Gabetta, Kian Soltani and Alisa Weilerstein.
Concerts will take place in seven iconic Bucharest venues, including the Romanian Athenaeum, Radio Hall, and Palace Hall. Innovative series such as Enescu in Control and the Enescu – JTI Immersive Experience reimagine Enescu’s legacy through bold, modern artistic collaborations.
For more information and the full schedule, visit www.festivalenescu.ro.
Opera
Greek National Opera - Season 2025-2026
The Greek National Opera (GNO) announces a bold and visionary 2025/26 season, under the theme: “The opera of the future arises from the womb of the past.”
Curated by Artistic Director Giorgos Koumendakis, the season features seven new productions, five revivals, a concert presentation, and two international tours. This programme is made possible by a grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) [www.SNF.org] to enhance the Greek National Opera’s artistic outreach.
After 65 years, the GNO returns to the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus with the historic production of Medea, originally created for Maria Callas in 1961, while also reviving beloved classics such as Tosca and La Traviata at the Stavros Niarchos Hall. Highlights include the grand opening with La Gioconda, a co-production with the Royal Opera House and Salzburg Easter Festival, and the long-awaited Requiem for the End of Love by Koumendakis, Papaioannou, and Currentzis.
Anna Pirozzi, Aleksandra Kurzak, Gaëlle Arquez, Marina Viotti, Alisa Kolosova, Anita Rachvelishvili, Roberto Alagna, Charles Castronovo, Arsen Soghomonyan, Andrea Carè, and Marcelo Puente are just a few of the international opera stars who will perform at the Greek National Opera during the new season. The season also includes the hosting of the International Opera Awards in Athens on 13 November.
For more information and the full programme, visit nationalopera.gr/en.
Festival
Ljubljana Festival - 2025 Edition
For the 73rd year in a row, Festival Ljubljana invites you on a unique cultural journey from June 20 to September 12, where art, tradition, and contemporary trends come together. This summer, nearly 6,500 artists from around the world will perform at various iconic venues across the city, including Plečnik’s Križanke, Cankarjev dom, and the Slovenian Philharmonic Hall.
The diverse program of the 73rd Ljubljana Festival will feature outstanding music, opera, ballet, and theatre performances, drawing in audiences from near and far. The festival brings together internationally acclaimed artists and local talents, creating a dynamic dialogue between the classical and the contemporary, the intimate and the grand.
Once again, the festival serves as a vibrant meeting point for cultural exchange and artistic connection—with Ljubljana as the gateway to unforgettable experiences.
Tickets are available at ljubljanafestival.si, at the Križanke box office, Petrol gas stations, and other Eventim outlets.
Festival
Bayreuth Baroque Festival: 4 -14 September
For the sixth time, established stars and rising newcomers of the international Baroque scene will come together in Bayreuth in September 2025. In the breathtaking setting of the Margravial Opera House – one of the few preserved Baroque theatres – renowned and newly rediscovered masterpieces from the 17th and 18th centuries are performed each year.
At the heart of this year’s edition is a new production of Francesco Cavalli’s opera Pompeo Magno. Premiered in Venice in 1666, it represents a highlight from the early history of the genre and will be performed in Bayreuth for the first time since its original premiere.
Max Emanuel Cencic, the festival’s artistic director, will not only take on the title role, but also stage this multi-layered comedy from the time of Carnival and commedia dell’arte himself. He is joined by a top-class ensemble of singers and the Cappella Mediterranea under Leonardo García-Alarcón – a team of specialists in the music of the Italian Seicento.
In addition to this scenic rediscovery, Bayreuth Baroque offers a colourful array of concerts and events in and around the Margravial Opera House. Whether with Christina Pluhar and Malena Ernman (Terra Mater), Julia Lezhneva and Franco Fagioli (Duetti ed Arie), Carlo Vistoli (Aria Antica) or Marina Viotti (Recital) – in autumn 2025, Bayreuth Baroque will once again shine not only through the city’s architectural beauty, but above all through the musical perfection of international top stars who bring what is seemingly old vividly into the here and now!
Opera
Opéra Royal de Wallonie Liège - The Season 2025-2026
In the 2025–2026 season, the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège embraces creation once again while continuing to explore the grand operatic repertoire. This “Being/Seeming” season is defined by boldness: daring to premiere new works (Bartleby by Benoît Mernier, Prophetic Book by Andrea Battistoni), presenting breathtaking stage productions (Die Fledermaus by Olivier Lepelletier-Leeds, Otello by Allex Aguilerra), and delving into emotional intensity (Pikovaïa Dama by Marie Lambert-Le Bihan, Lucrezia Borgia by Jean-Louis Grinda).
Under the musical direction of Giampaolo Bisanti, the Orchestra and Chorus of the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège bring to life these works that explore social masks and the complexity of human relationships. Curated by Stefano Pace, the season’s programming reflects the ambition of an opera house that skillfully combines tradition with innovation, reaffirming its standing among Europe’s leading opera institutions.
Festival
International Festival Wratislavia Cantans : 4–14 September 2025
Established in 1965 as an oratorio-cantata festival, Wratislavia Cantans still focusses on the human voice and is hosted by the concert halls of the National Forum of Music in Wrocław, Poland, in addition to historic buildings there and in nearby Lower Silesian towns. The 2025 edition, themed Paradise Lost [?], welcomes guest artists and ensembles including Charles Dutoit, Martha Argerich, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo and NFM Choir, John Eliot Gardiner with The Constellation Choir & Orchestra, Lionel Meunier with Vox Luminis and Freiburger Barockorchester, Christoph Eschenbach with NFM Wrocław Philharmonic, Giovanni Antonini with Il Giardino Armonico, Jacek Kaspszyk with Polish Radio Choir – Lusławice, NFM Girls’ Choir, NFM Boys’ Choir and Sinfonia Varsovia, Andrzej Kosendiak with Wrocław Baroque Ensemble, ensemble Peregrina, Agata Zubel, Ensemble intercontemporain, René Jacobs and Wrocław Baroque Orchestra, Andrzej Szadejko, Théotime Langlois de Swarte and Thomas Dunford, Magdalena Hoffman, Les Percussions de Strasbourg and others.