Elena Bibescu

Princess Elena Bibescu (1855 – October 18, 1902) was a Romanian nobelwoman and pianist, regarded as one of the greatest pianists of Europe in the nineteenth century.^[1][2]

Elena Bibescu debuted on February 14, 1873 in Bucharest, in a charity concert held at Grand Theatre of Bucharest, in the presence of King Carol I and Queen Elisabeth of Romania.

In France, she became famous for being an outstanding pianist, but also for being a protector of culture. Princess Bibescu held, for three decades, one of the most prestigious salons of Paris in the second half of the 19th century.^[3] Marcel Proust, Franz Liszt, Richard Wagner, Pierre Loti, Anatole France, Claude Debussy and Charles Gounod were just a few of the great European personalities who frequented the famous artistic salon.^[4][5][6]

Elena Bibescu was a protectress of George Enescu, alongside Queen Elisabeth of Romania, and promoted the Romanian musician among the French elite.^[7] In 1954, more than 5 decades after her death, Enescu dedicated to her memory the symphonic poem, Vox Maris.^[8]

She was a student of the pivotal figure of Russian culture, pianist and composer Anton Rubinstein at the Vienna Conservatory, one of the most prestigious institutions of its kind in the world.^[9] Elena Bibescu brilliantly graduated from the Vienna Conservatory, where she was awarded a medal and a diploma of honor.^[10][11]

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