Vienna x Gershwin: Vienna Chamber Orchestra, pianist Ioan-Dragoș Dimitriu perform in Bucharest next month

The Vienna Chamber Orchestra (Wiener KammerOrchester) returns to Romania for Vienna x Gershwin, a concert bringing together Viennese classicism and the energy of New York jazz as reflected in the music of George Gershwin.

Ten musicians from the Wiener KammerOrchester will perform at Sala Radio alongside pianist Ioan-Dragoș Dimitriu for a concert scheduled for November 28 at Sala Radio.

The program will feature Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1, five pieces from George Gershwin’s Songbook, and the American composer’s Piano Concerto in F.

“After more than 15 years of professional ties to Vienna’s music scene, performing in Bucharest alongside musicians from the Wiener KammerOrchester is a dream come true. In 2018, I performed Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue at the Wiener Konzerthaus, so the meeting between Vienna and Gershwin also has a personal history for me. We are now proposing a cosmopolitan program to Bucharest audiences: Beethoven and Gershwin on the same evening. It may seem like an unexpected combination, but that is precisely where its charm lies: it has elegance, freshness, and an energy that can lift you out of November,” Ioan-Dragoș Dimitriu explained.

“Meeting Dragoș felt very natural. We were brought together not only by music, but also by the way we view a concert: as a meeting between people, cities, and cultures. That is why the idea of bringing together Vienna, Bucharest, Beethoven, and Gershwin immediately appealed to us. We are delighted to come to Bucharest in such an important year for the Wiener KammerOrchester and to create a story here together with the audience that we hope will continue long after this concert,” Christian Buchmann, manager of the Wiener KammerOrchester, said.

Founded in 1946, the Wiener KammerOrchester has the music of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert at the core of its repertoire. Over its 80-year history, the orchestra has performed on stages across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The Wiener KammerOrchester returns to Bucharest following its appearances at the George Enescu Festival in 2009 and 2021.

Ioan-Dragoș Dimitriu is a pianist and founder of cultural projects. He studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, where he founded the Aegeria Artists Management agency and a youth orchestra that has performed at the Musikverein and Wiener Konzerthaus. He is co-founder of the TAMTAM Festival in Brașov, founder of the Transylvanian International Piano Competition, and president of the Blauer Mozart Association.