Romanian expat pianist & composer Lucian Ban and American master violist Mat Maneri present a radical re-imagination of George Enesco’s magnum opera OEDIPE. More than 80 years after its first showing in Paris, the two musicians, renowned for their work at the cross-border of jazz, improvisation and chamber music, are presenting their take on the rarely produced Enesco’s opera featuring an international cast of jazz iconoclasts like Ralph Alessi, cutting edge singers Jen Shyu and Theo Bleckmann, bassist John Hebert, master drummer Tom Rainey or Gerald Cleaver and French virtuoso clarinetist Louis Sclavis.

“Enesco's Oedipe is a monumental piece of music”, pianist Lucian Ban says in discussing the work, “and it's one of the reasons for being rarely staged, but its profound synthesis of ancient and modern of late romanticism and sheer individualism on the part of its composer is unparalleled, I think, among XX century operas. It is why Mat Maneri and I after previously working with Enesco instrumental music wanted to approach Oedipe”.

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The two musicians first worked together in 2009 in the Enesco Re-Imagined octet conceived as a celebration and a contemporary jazz  re-imagination of the works of great Romanian composer George Enescu. Featuring an A list of New York’s most celebrated jazz musicians –  Ralph Alessi, Tony Malaby, John Hebert Gerald Cleaver, Mat Maneri, Albrecht Maurer and Indian tabla legend Badal Roy – the album was recorded live at the 2009 Enescu International Festival in Bucharest and was released to critical acclaim by Sunnyside Records in NYC. The CD won multiple BEST ALBUM OF THE YEAR Awards from Jazz Journalist Association and got worldwide press coverage, including concerts in major venues and festivals in United States and Europe.

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Le pianiste et compositeur roumain Lucian Ban et le maître altiste américain Mat Maneri présentent une réimagination radicale du grand opéra de George Enesco, ŒDIPE. Plus de 80 ans après sa première représentation à Paris, les deux musiciens, réputés pour leur travail à la frontière du jazz, de l'improvisation et de la musique de chambre, présentent leur vision de cet opéra d'Enesco, rarement interprété, avec une distribution internationale d'iconoclastes du jazz comme Ralph Alessi, Jen Shyu et Theo Bleckmann, le bassiste John Hebert, le maître batteur Tom Rainey ou Gerald Cleaver et Louis Sclavis, virtuose clarinettiste français.

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Der rumänische Expat-Pianist und Komponist Lucian Ban und der amerikanische Meisterbratscher Mat Maneri präsentieren eine radikale Neuinterpretation von George Enescus magnum opus Oedipe. Mehr als 80 Jahre nach der Uraufführung in Paris präsentieren die beiden Musiker, die für ihre Arbeit an der Grenze von Jazz, Improvisation und Kammermusik bekannt sind, ihre Sicht auf diese selten produzierte Oper Enescus mit einer internationalen Besetzung aus Jazz- Ikonoklasten wie Ralph Alessi, den hochkarätigen Sängern Jen Shyu und Theo Bleckmann, dem Bassisten John Hébert, dem Meisterdrummer Tom Rainey und dem französischen Virtuosen Louis Sclavis.