Diversity and Contrast at the Enescu Soirees

This year’s series of no less than 28 online musical events ends in style with two charismatic performers, cellist Adrian Mantu and accordionist Dermot Dunne, offering a program full of contrast and daring choices made of works by Constantin Dimitrescu, Nadia Boulanger, Younggyul Kang and George Enescu. Visuals by Mihai Cucu. Please check cellist Adrian Mantu and visual artist Mihai Cucu's latest multimedia project CelloVision.

Watch on our FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE and WEBSITE from Thursday, December 10, 2 p.m. EDT or anytime later!

Program:

Constantin Dimitrescu - "Dans țăranesc" (‘Peasant Dance’) for cello and piano, arranged for cello & accordion

Nadia Boulanger - "Trois pièces" (‘Three Pieces’) for cello & piano, arranged for cello & accordion 

1. Moderato 2. Sans vitesse et à l’aise 3. Vite et nerveusement rythmé  

Younggyul Kang (강영걸, North-Korean composer) - "Sea which is moved away by sunset" for cello & piano, arranged for cello & accordion

George Enescu - "Nocturne et Saltarello" for piano & cello, arranged for cello & accordion (with visuals by Mihai Cucu)

Ireland-based Romnaian cellist ADRIAN MANTU is the founder of the RTÉ Contempo Quartet, Ireland’s National Broadcaster’s Quartet in Residence since 2014, and cello/chamber music teacher at RIAM. The musician has won 16 International Prizes in Cello & Chamber Music Competitions (London, Munich, Berlin, Prague, Bucharest, Graz, Hamburg, Sofia, Rome). He has performed over 2000 concerts around the world in 46 countries in venues such as Wigmore Hall, Berlin Philharmonic, Tel-Aviv Opera, Carnegie Hall, Gedai Tokyo, and the National Concert Hall in Dublin. Adrian Mantu had the honour to perform in front of great personalities such as Michael D Higgins, Prince Charles, Nelson Mandela, Pope John Paul II, Nobel Prize Winners & Hollywood Stars. He has composed and arranged the music for the “Trop Tard” film (selected for Cannes Fest) and recorded the music for Steven Spielberg and Tom Hank’s “Band of Brothers”. The cellist celebrated the 20th Anniversary of the RTÉ Contempo Quartet through over 100 concerts in Ireland and abroad (including appearances in NCH, Wigmore Hall and Tours in UK, Finland, Romania, Italy & Sweden). He performs equally on baroque, modern and electric cellos. His latest album “New Airs” went straight to no 3 in the iTunes classical charts, and his recordings can be found on the Universal, Sony, Quartz, Deutsche Schallplatten & NMC labels.

Accordionist DERMOT DUNNE has established himself as one of the leading Irish musicians of his generation. As a young student he was a frequent competition prize-winner both in Ireland and abroad but it was after winning the 1996 RTÉ Musician of the Future competition that he came to wide public recognition. After completing his studies in 2001 at the Conservatory in Kiev, Ukraine, he returned to Ireland where he pursued an active career as both a performer and a lecturer at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama. He has appeared at most Irish venues and festivals including the National Concert Hall, Vicar Street, Belfast Opera House and The BBC Last Night at the Proms - to a live audience of over 10,000, West Cork Chamber Music Festival, Great Music in Irish Houses Festival and Internationally at Carnegie Hall NYC, Kennedy Centre Washington DC, Beijing University Concert Hall and the Esplanade Singapore.  As well as collaborating with many leading Irish performers Dermot has performed chamber music with some of Europe's leading international stars. For over 20 years he has pioneered his instrument in Ireland – collaborating with many Irish composers and premiering 40 of the 54 works written for the accordion by Irish composers since 1995. Among other ensembles, the musician performed with Crash Ensemble at the Edinburgh Festival, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden London, Carnegie Hall, New York and the Kennedy Centre in Washington D.C.