ConTempo Quartet Presents

"ForestAria" in the Enescu Concerts Series

What an unforgettable evening at the Romanian Cultural Institute in London! For our November recital in the Enescu Concerts Series, we were delighted to present “ForestAria”, a truly original fusion of contemporary music and visual art, curated by Diana Gheorghiu and organised with the Romanian Association of Music Performers (UCIMR). The event was opened with a welcome address by RCI London director Aura Woodward.

In this programme, the brilliant ConTempo String Quartet (Bogdan Sofei – first violin, Andreea Banciu – viola and Adrian Mantu – cello, joined by multi-instrumentalist, violinist, and violist Ladislau Csendes) brought to life four world-premieres by talented female composers — Rucsandra Popescu, Oana Vardianu, Sarah Marze and Crea Sullivan — paired side-by-side with works by Romania’s most celebrated composer George Enescu and the master of the string quartet, Antonín Dvořák. Each contemporary work was illustrated by striking portraits by visual artist Mihai Benea, creating a rich interplay between sound, image and concept.

This evening was more than a concert. It was a celebration of female creative voices in contemporary music, ecological awareness, identity and the dialogue between human and natural textures, all within a visual-musical tapestry. We were particularly delighted to welcome, among us, composer Crea Sullivan.

A huge thank you to the amazing musicians for delivering such a memorable performance, to everyone involved and mostly to our partners (particularly Sebastian Gheorgiu and Diana Gheorgiu, who were with us in London), and also to everyone who joined us and shared in this artistic journey! The project was co-financed by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund (AFCN).

Grateful thanks to Mihai Benea for the photographs.