Sibiu: Klimt Meets Bösendorfer – Ver Sacrum by Alexandra Silocea - Festivalul Enescu

"Klimt Meets Bösendorfer – Ver Sacrum (Sacred Spring)” is a concept created by internationally renowned pianist and Bösendorfer Artist, Alexandra Silocea. This unique event brings together solo piano works, Gustav Klimt’s favorite songs, evocative poetry recitals, and the craftsmanship of a limited-edition collector’s Bösendorfer piano, presented for the first time in Romania. Inspired by the rich symbolism of spring in all its forms, the one-hour performance without intermission invites the audience on a sensory journey through music, literature, and visual art. The program includes several of Klimt’s favorite songs composed by Schubert, such as The Linden Tree (Der Lindenbaum) and Serenade (Ständchen), performed by mezzo-soprano Patricia Nolz. The solo piano repertoire features works by Leoš Janáček, Claude Debussy, Franz Liszt, etc., as well as contemporary compositions by Fazıl Say and Martin Romberg. The experience is further enriched by poetic interludes, with verses by James Joyce, A.E. Housman, Robert Frost, Kahlil Gibran, and others, creating a fluid dialogue between sound, word, and artistic vision.

About the Bösendorfer 214VC Ver Sacrum: A new Bösendorfer collector’s item – Grand Piano from the “Bösendorfer Artist” Series
For these special performances, the famous Austrian piano manufacturer Bösendorfer, in collaboration with Yamaha Europe, is providing an exceptional limited-edition instrument, to be presented for the first time in Romania. The design brings to the forefront the iconic symbol of the Secession – the laurel leaf – taken in ornamental form from the façade and transposed in 23-carat gold on the classic black background inside the lid, creating a radiant effect. The cast-iron frame continues this brilliance with a 23-carat gold-plated finish.
Both the inside of the rim and the pinblock are decorated in the delicate green of the laurel leaves inspired by the dome of the Secession building and bear the motto “Ver Sacrum”, engraved letter by letter and gilded on the music stand, along with other architectural elements from the façade.
The legs of the piano are also adorned with details inspired by the Secession building. Hand-gilded lines frame the edge of the lid and the lyre box. The “Secession Grand Piano 214VC Vienna Concert” combines technology, design, and artisanal craftsmanship into a true total work of art.

Pianist Alexandra Silocea captivates audiences with emotionally powerful performances and an innovative approach to classical music. A Bösendorfer Artist for over 20 years and ambassador for LOBMEYR and MEISTERSTRASSE, she continues to expand classical music’s reach. Invited by MEISTERSTRASSE to the World Expo Osaka in April 2025, her interpretation resonated through a Bösendorfer Disklavier Limited Edition The Great Wave off Kanagawa - a groundbreaking performance that recreated her playing without her physical presence. 

Returning for her fourth consecutive edition at the Enescu Festival 2025, she previously performed with the Svetlanov Orchestra (2019) and, in 2021, brought four Bösendorfer grand pianos to the Palace Hall for Stravinsky’s „Les Noces“ with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra under Vladimir Jurowski. In 2023, she premiered Fazıl Say’s WATER with the George Enescu Philharmonic and Alexandre Bloch. This edition, she unveils Klimt Meets Bösendorfer – Ver Sacrum by Alexandra Silocea, her original concept blending solo piano, Klimt’s favorite songs, and poetry, previously seen at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, London Craft Week, and the Heidi Horten Collection, bringing the Bösendorfer “Secession” grand piano to Romania for the first time. 

Other highlights include LIGHT SOUND SENSES performance at the Heidi Horten Collection, featuring Austrian premieres by Nimrod Borenstein and Martin Romberg, fragrances by Yogesh Parfum, and choreography by Chazz Del-Logen Cooks, who recently performed at the Paris Olympic Games Ceremony with Lady Gaga. Her new CD Arts and Signs by Martin Romberg appeared in March. She also premiered Luis Saglie’s Piano Concerto No. 1, The Kookaburra in June at Teatro Municipal with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Santiago under Alejandra Urrutia. She appears with orchestras like the London Philharmonic, Bamberg Symphony, under conductors Vladimir Jurowski, Jakub Hrůša, Roderick Cox, Leo McFall, Alexandre Bloch, and Delyana Lazarova. In 2024, she launched the Piano Fortissimo Podcast, featuring esteemed international guests.