Name: Leoš Janáček International Music Festival
Start: 2026-06-05T19:00:00+02:00
Location: Národní Dům

$Leo\u0161 Jan\u00e1\u010dek International Music Festival$

PROGRAM
Béla Bartók - Romanian Folk Dances
Leoš Janáček - Concertino, JW VII/11
Dinu Lipatti - Concertino in the classical style op. 3
George Enescu - Octet (string orchestra version by Lawrence Foster)
Daniel Ciobanu – piano
Gabriel Bebeșelea – conductor
Romanian Chamber Orchestra
About the program
On June 5th, 2026, at 7:00 PM, the Romanian Chamber Orchestra, under the baton of Gabriel Bebeșelea, together with the outstanding pianist Daniel Ciobanu, will present a vibrant and stylistically diverse program at the Leoš Janáček International Music Festival.
The evening opens with Béla Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances, a work deeply rooted in the authentic musical traditions of Romania. With its raw energy and direct connection to folk sources, Bartók’s music sets the tone for a program that celebrates the vitality and expressive richness of Eastern European musical heritage.
At the center of the concert stands Leoš Janáček’s Concertino, a unique and imaginative work for piano and chamber ensemble. Written in 1925, the piece unfolds a distinctive sound world inspired by nature, populated by vivid sonic characters—“crickets, flies, a deer, a murmuring stream, and a man,” as Janáček himself described it. Even a century after its premiere, the Concertino continues to captivate audiences with its freshness, inventiveness, and youthful spirit.
Dinu Lipatti’s Concertino in the Classical Style, composed in 1936, offers a refined contrast. Known primarily as one of the most distinguished pianists of the interwar period, Lipatti also left behind a small but remarkable compositional legacy. This work reflects his admiration for the clarity and balance of composers such as Haydn and Bach, blending neoclassical elegance with his own lyrical voice.
The program concludes with George Enescu’s monumental Octet, presented in the string orchestra version by Lawrence Foster. A masterpiece of early 20th-century chamber music, the Octet reveals Enescu’s extraordinary craftsmanship and emotional depth, bringing together intricate contrapuntal writing and sweeping expressive gestures.
This concert creates a compelling dialogue between Czech and Romanian musical worlds, where Janáček’s visionary language meets the elemental force of Romanian-inspired music, based in the folk music roots.