Preparing for the Enescu Festival: Mada & Hugh at Suțu Palace

Join the Mada & Hugh Piano Duo as they prepare for their September 7 recital at the Enescu Festival in Bucharest, exploring Enescu’s legacy and a Chaplin-inspired sonatina by Livia Teodorescu-Ciocănea.

On September 7, the Mada & Hugh Piano Duo will step onto the stage of Bucharest’s historic Suțu Palace as part of the George Enescu International Festival. For Mada and Hugh, this moment represents both a return home and an extraordinary opportunity to share Romania’s musical heritage at one of the world’s most celebrated classical festivals.

The Enescu Festival, founded in 1958, honors the life and work of George Enescu, Romania’s greatest composer. Enescu was a composer, violinist, pianist, and conductor, equally at ease in Vienna, Paris, and his native Romania. His music blends classical European traditions with the rhythms and colors of Romanian folk song, most famously in his two Romanian Rhapsodies, which remain instantly recognizable to listeners everywhere. Today, the festival continues his legacy by bringing together renowned orchestras, soloists, and ensembles from around the globe.

For their recital, Mada and Hugh will present an all-Romanian program. Highlights include an arrangement of Enescu’s Romanian Rhapsody No. 2 for piano four-hands, as well as solo works that reveal the lyricism and depth of Enescu’s writing. The duo will also perform Madalina’s new arrangement of Dinu Lipatti’s Nocturne, originally for solo piano, reimagined for four hands. This personal contribution adds a unique layer to the program, bridging Lipatti’s poetic voice with the duo’s own artistry.

A special highlight of the concert is Sonatina Buffa by living composer Livia Teodorescu-Ciocănea, one of Romania’s most respected contemporary voices and a former mentor to Madalina during her graduate studies. This piece pays homage to Charlie Chaplin, evoking the humor, tenderness, and theatrical timing of the silent film era. Through abrupt shifts of mood, playful rhythmic turns, and even musical “applause,” Teodorescu-Ciocănea captures the essence of Chaplin’s art while giving the performers space to explore improvisatory gestures rooted in Romanian tradition.

For the Mada & Hugh Piano Duo, the festival recital is more than a performance. It is a celebration of Romania’s past and present, a chance to honor their teachers and influences, and an opportunity to share the joy, pathos, and humor that Romanian music brings to life.