With an over seven million-euro budget and performances by 185 famous singers and orchestras, the George Enescu festival and international competition is one of the events that defy the crisis.

Likened by the international press to the Salzburg Festival (one of the biggest events of its kind in the world, but which boasts a five times higher budget), the Bucharest festival has attracted an audience of almost 100,000. "The international press attending the event said in terms of performances and of organisation, the festival is among the top three European festivals, behind the Lausanne festival and on a par with the Salzburg Festival," says Mihai Constantinescu, manager of Artexim, the company that organises the event. The Romanian festival also ranks third in Europe in terms of number of concerts - 175, of which 37 outside Bucharest (which compares with Salzburg's 198, for instance).

40% of the tickets were booked as early as in May, with the festival's events being almost sold out.

"The Midnight Concerts series held at the Romanian Atheneum was sold out, five of the Sala Palatului (Palace Hall) concerts were sold out, and so were the National Theatre events, while tickets for Opera House events were 98% sold," said Valentin Vasiloiu, executive manager of Eventim, the network that sells the tickets. The festival debuted on August 30th with the "Oedipe" opera by George Enescu, a coproduction of the Bucharest National Opera House and Théâtre du Capitole, and will end on Saturday.

For almost a month, 3,000 famous musicians and artists have been present in Bucharest, either to perform within the festival, or to participate in one of the competition's three sections.

This month's classical music concerts have been held in several locations among which Sala Palatului, the Romanian Atheneum, the Radio Hall, the Romanian National Opera House an