East-western sounds

They have a lot in common: George Enescu and Béla Bartók. An exhibition at the university presents the life and work of the two great composers. The internationally renowned pianist Luiza Borac will give a concert at the opening.

The exhibition, which can be seen in the foyer of the University Library from 13 January to 15 February, presents manuscripts, scores, posters, programmes, press releases, excerpts from correspondence and photos of Enescu and Bartók. On Sunday, 13 January at 11.00 a.m. in the Library Hall, Luiza Borac will perform works by both composers. The Romanian-born pianist has closely linked her international career with Enescu's piano works. With her poetic playing, she is recognised as a virtuoso of great brilliance and has been awarded many prestigious prizes. Borac's performance will take place as part of the 23rd Library Concert.

The exhibition, which opens with Borac's concert, illustrates the enduring, sometimes surprising artistic relationship between the two composers. George Enescu (1881 - 1955) and Béla Bartók (1881 - 1945) have a lot in common. "They both came from Eastern Europe, left their homeland and experienced this as an existential turning point," explains Prof Violeta Dinescu. "They are among the most colourful musical personalities of the 20th century. Both were not only composers, but also outstanding practising musicians. In their work, they preserved their origins and yet embraced foreign traditions," says the Oldenburg composer and musicologist. The musical languages of both composers symbolise a fusion of different ways of thinking. They bring the music of Eastern Europe to life with Western compositional concepts.

The exhibition is the result of a collaboration between the George Enescu National Museum in Bucharest (Romania) and the Bartók Archive in Budapest (Hungary). It was conceived for the 20th International George Enescu Festival in Bucharest and was on show at the 11th Zwischen Zeiten Symposium at the HWK Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg in Delmenhorst in 2011.

The exhibition can be seen during the opening hours of the university library and on Saturday and Sunday from 10.00 to 18.00. Admission to the concert and the exhibition is free.