George Enescu: First Tour in Bessarabia

Abstract

Interwar Bessarabia was an unknown territory both for the Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic and Socialist Romania. Nothing was written on either side of the Prut River. If someone dared to recall an intriguing and much-wanted life between the Prut and Dniester rivers during that period, they were likely to be subjected to lessons of true. At least that was the case in the MSSR. The Democratic Republic of Moldova, established on January 24, 1918, followed by the Declaration of the Country Council on March 27, 1918, breathed fresh air into the region between the Prut and Dniester rivers, a breath that had been absent for over a century. In the very first days of the Great Union, thanks to the warm-hearted Onisifor Ghibu from Ardeal, the greatest musician of all Romanians, George Enescu, arrived in Chisinau from Iasi with his orchestra for a few days’ tour. The concerts he presented on March 24, 25, and 28 were events difficult to compare with anything that had occurred over the years, unless we recall the nearly forty concerts given by Enescu himself in various towns of Bessarabia, where, alongside great performers like Nicolae Caravia, he delighted audiences with exceptional music. The significance of these tours is further underlined by the fact that, due to the genius musician, an opera theater was established in Chisinau (premiering " Faust" on August 6, 1918) and the creation of a Conservatory of Music and Dramatic Arts (January 1, 1919).