SINFONIA BUCUREŞTI
Music Director and Principal Conductor FLORIN TOTAN
Founded by the conductor Florin Totan in 1990, “Sinfonia Bucuresti” was at its launch time, the first private initiative, not only in music but also in the Romanian culture. The Orchestra is composed of talented musicians of the major orchestras in Bucharest (George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, National Radio Orchestra and the National Opera House Orchestra), and several meritous students, some of them being also soloists of our concerts.
Activity
The activity of this ensemble consists of 14-15 concerts per year held in the main concert halls in Bucharest, but aso all over the country, has as guests prestigious Romanian and foreign soloists and conductors. From its founding so far, the orchestra performed over 250 concerts in Bucharest and all over the country, and has a variable number of instrumentalists (between 12 to 40), depending on the theme of each concert.
• The orchestra was also invited to dozens of official, fashionable or charity events:
• New Years Concert for the President and the Diplomatic Corps (1993),
• Gala Concert at the Lebanon Prime Ministers visit and Foreign Minister of The Netherlands,
• For Romania-Israel Association (1991),
• For TVR charity show Phone leukemia (1994),
• For NBR Gala Concert at the Romanian Athenaeum, with choir Madrigal (1995),
• Rotary Gala Concert at the Radio Concert Hall in collaboration with Rodica Sava
Guest Artists
Notable artists that collaborated with “Sinfonia Bucharest” Orchestra:
Conductors
Cristoph Poppen(Berlin/Munchen), Pieralberto Cattaneo(Bergamo) and Robert Olson(Kansas).
Soloists
Pianists: Babette Hierholzer (New York), Hanna Jaszyk (Brussels) and Jean Francois Dichamp (Paris), violinist Eugene Sarbu(London), cellist Xavier Philipps (Paris), soprano Cella Costea and pan flute performer Gheorghe Zamfir.
Tours
Major tours marked the existence of this orchestra: in France, Serbia, Croatia, Italy (tens of concerts), Belgium, out of which the most notable appearances were:
• The Concerts held at “Crans Montana Forum” – Switzerland, before the most important political personalities of the world (in 1999 and 2000);
• The extraordinary Concert in Vienna together with Maestro Gheorghe Zamfir (14.05.2007), at “Zilele Bucureştiului” [“Bucharest Days”];
• The last notable appearance abroad was the closing concert of the Festival Noti di luce in Bergamo (Italy) on 08/09/2008, concert titled Concerto per lAmicizia is fraternitta Italo-Rumena a show for Romanians image rehabilitation in the Peninsula.
International Festivals
International festivals that benefited in the past of this orchestras performances: Avignon France, George Enescu Bucharest, Bergamo Italy, Nis Serbia, Osor and Rovinj – Croatia.
Press
freshness,vitality,brio
Azi. Bucuresti-Romania (12.03.1991)
Unforgetable Mozart festivalremarkable presence in our musical life
Tineretul liber,Bucuresti-Romania(21.03.1992)
our Romanians, who in 5 concerts in Provence, charmed us with their magnificent programme, gave us unforgettable moments and at Bedoin have won a great success at Cairanne received one of hottest triumph and the apotheosis was in the concert in Avignon
Le Provencal, Avignon-France(23.08.1992)
“ brilliant concert”
Gazzetta di Voghera,Voghera-Italy(2.01.1993)
certainity, precision, expressiveness, a pleasant surprise was offered by the orchestra “Sinfonia Bucharest , which makes of its enthusiasm, elegance and refinement, their main reference points (force)
LEco di Bergamo,Bergamo-Italy(10.04.1997)
Ladies and gentlemen, at the end of Crans Montana Forum works, we invite you to a concert of classical music performed by a wonderful orchestra, Sinfonia Bucharest. Youth, enthusiasm, seriousness and professionalism are the characteristics of this orchestra, with such youth and values, Romania has a bright future
Jean Paul Carteron President of Crans Montana Forum – Switzerland (26.06.1999)
splendid New Year Concert in Gradinetti Theatre a warm success of public and critics, Sinfonia Bucharest is a very solid orchestra of soloists (strong, with weight) The orchestra and Maestro Totan were expressed at the highest level, received warm applauses, and they offered two magnificent encores.
Gazzetta del Sud, Lamezia-Italy (5.01.2000)
excellent the orchestra Sinfonia Bucharest in the concert with the great pianist Hanna Jaszyk this is really a high-level orchestra, with a sound rich in colours, with a perfect approaching of styles and great interpretative freshness orchestra performance in FLEDERMAUS ouverture can compete with the best records in the recent times
Het Brugsch Handelsblad, Bruges-Belgium (6.01.2001)
Convincing (the performance) the Orchestra ”Sinfonia Bucharest in the concert at the Theatre Savio in Messina
Gazzetta del Sud, Lamezia-Italy (22.01.2001)
The Honour to open the Festival in Osor, Croatia was given the wonderful orchestra “Sinfonia Bucharest” and to its conductor, Florin Totan, who performed works by Miroslav Miletic, Mozart and Mendelssohn, Mozart and Mendelsohn symphonies performance, by the force, precision and youthful enthusiasm charmed the audience
Vecernji List, Osor-Croatia (16.07.2007)11)
Orchestra Sinfonia Bucharest tends, through the instrumentalists technical level to ambitious targets of virtuosity. In the Straussian Polka or American hits, the music acquires in Florin Totan and his orchestra vision a natural elegance. The phrase where the emphasis is missing, the refinement demonstrated in all scores approached and the sequential plans (sonorous) permanently ranged in a dynamic hierarchy are coordinated, destined to highlight these artists”.
Actualitatea muzicala, Bucuresti-Romania (Nr.1-ian.2010)
