Luminis

In George Enescu's brilliant destiny, Sinaia town and "Luminis" villa had a special significance. George Enescu organized his life in such a way, that, in between his concerts, he could find a break-time to create, making a refuge out of his villa at Sinaia. This villa has not been built at random in Sinaia, as Enescu was both sentimentally and professionally connected to this town, due to Queen Elisabeth's support, the Peles Castle being for Enescu an open door towards recognition in the musical life of his time.

The villa was built between 1923 and 1926, by the architect Radu Dudescu, with the money that The Maestro brought from his concerts. Made in an authentic Romanian style, and harmoniously integrated in the inspiring ambiance created by Bucegi Mountains, "Luminis" villa would become both an inspiration place for a significant part of his creation, as well as a recreation place, The Maestro living here for 20 years from 1926 until 1946.

The whole villa is finished and arranged with refinement and imagination, harmoniously and originally reuniting adornment and furniture elements from both Romanian and Oriental areas.

After permanently leaving Romania - due to political events from 1945 - 1946 - Enescu signed in Paris a document donating his "Luminis" villa to become a culture house, conceived as a rest and recuperation shelter for Romanian and foreign artists.

The complex personality of George Enescu could assert in Sinaia, mostly in his composer hypostasis, though he often sustained concerts in Peles Castle, or in other locations from the town, together with the Public Instruction Ministry Orchestra, conducted by his friend, Dimitrie Dinicu. Here in Sinaia, he composed a major part of his creations. Out of his 150 works, starting with Tara Romaneasca, an opera for piano and violin, composed when he was only 5 years old, and finishing with Simfonia de camera, he composed in Sinaia numerous suites and sonatas, the two famous Romanian Rhapsodies, and he even composed music for Queen Elisabeth's poems - The Romanian Poem.

In Sinaia, there were also "leavened" the concerto for piano, violin, viola and cello no.l in Re Major, (opus 16), but, before any other, we should mention his opera Oedipus - composed in its major part in "Luminis" villa, where, in 1927, a whole scene of the second act was orchestrated. About this opera, Enescu would say: "what I can say with out any doubt is that, among all of my works, this one is the dearest to me. First of all, because it costed me months of work and years of restlessness, then because I put in it all that I felt, all what I was thinking of, in such a manner that made me one and the same with my echo".

The premiere of this opera took place on the 10 March, 1936.

The marble bust of George Enescu, situated at the entrance of the villa, is the work of Ion Iriminescu, a Moldavian sculptor who was fascinated by the personality of the great Maestro.

Enescu's separation from his country happened in September 1946, after he made a last visit in Moldavia, at Liveni village, at his mother's grave. After this visit he confessed, putting up with his fate: "from here I walk away rested, from my earth's sap, and only this gives me the courage to be able to leave my country for a longer time".

Unfortunately, his return to Sinaia, - to his "Luminis" villa that was a happy proof of the great Romanian musician's life - will never happen again. In 1990, "Luminis" villa will get into a renovation, restoration and conservation project for art objects and culture locations. This project has been sustained by the Ministry of Culture and by the European Culture Centre from Sinaia, and it lasted 5 years.

On the 5th of September 1995, on the occasion of "George Enescu" Festival, and after the wish of the great violinist Yehudi Menuhin - one of Enescu's apprentices - "Luminis" villa is turned into a memorial house, part of the national culture patrimony.

In this house is carefully preserved the Maestro's piano, made in Lausanne, the piano that sustained his rich composer's activity and the concertos offered to all that were close to his family.

For the visitors, there are exposed real "musical jewels", that can enrich anyone's collection: CDs with the masterpieces of Enescu's creation, but also CDs with masterpieces belonging to the classical music titans. especially appreciated by the talented Romanian composer : Bach, Brahms, Beethoven, Wagner, Mozart, titans that marked Enescu's creation.

The visiting hours are: daily from 9 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. On Mondays the museum is closed.