The Unforgettable Festival concluded this year's edition on Saturday evening with an eclectic programme, a celebration of musical diversity, offering the audience in Constitution Square the elegance of classical music, the energy of pop and the originality of urban folklore.
On the third and final evening of the festival, Subcarpati, José Carreras & Katherine Jenkins, Arash and Loreen represented four distinct musical styles, but together demonstrated that music is a universal language that brings people together, creating emotion and unforgettable moments.
The evening's first performance was a reinterpretation of Romanian folklore in a more modern and accessible form, delivered by Subcarpati. The project, initiated by MC Bean, whose real name is Andrei Marius Alexe, has been active since 2010, bringing Romanian folklore back into the public eye by blending it with elements of hip-hop, electronic music, and more recently, a symphonic version.
Subcarpati, accompanied by the Choir and Orchestra of the Romanian National Opera, conducted by Daniel Jinga, performed well-known and beloved songs from their repertoire, such as 'Da-i foale', 'Dintr-o lume in alta lume', 'Codrule, marite domn', 'Frunzulita, iarba deasa', 'Oamenii sunt inca frumosi', 'Rabda inima', and '84-85'.
Introducing the song 'Oamenii sunt inca frumosi' ('People Are Still Beautiful'), MC Bean emphasised the word 'still' in the title, saying that it places a "responsibility on everyone's shoulders," dedicating the song to those in attendance.
During the performance of '84-85', the audience also enjoyed a demonstration of playing technique on the caval , a traditional Romanian wind instrument from the flute family, promoted by Subcarpati.
José Carreras, one of the world's greatest tenors, together with beloved Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins, transported the audience into the world of opera, bringing refinement, elegance and emotion to the stage.
Carreras, a child prodigy who debuted at the age of eight, has graced some of the world's most prestigious stages, including the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Covent Garden in London and La Scala in Milan. A defining chapter of his career was the formation of the famous trio The Three Tenors, alongside Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti.
At the height of his fame, Carreras faced a major challenge: in 1987, he was diagnosed with leukaemia, with very slim chances of survival. After a year of treatment, he overcame the illness and resumed his artistic mission. Driven by a desire to offer hope to others in similar situations, he founded the José Carreras International Leukaemia Foundation.
Carreras opened the evening with one of the most famous Neapolitan songs of all time, 'Passione', written by Libero Bovio, Ernesto Tagliaferri and Nicola Valente.
Katherine Jenkins appeared on the festival stage greeting the audience in Romanian with 'Buna seara tuturor!' ('Good evening, everyone!') and began her recital with the aria 'Habanera' from Georges Bizet's opera 'Carmen.'
The orchestra, conducted by Carreras's nephew, David Giménez Carreras, delighted classical music lovers with works including 'Waltz No. 2' by Dmitri Shostakovich during the intervals between the two major performers.
Katherine Jenkins continued with 'The Music of the Night', the iconic piece from Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical 'The Phantom of the Opera.'
José Carreras performed, among others, 'The Impossible Dream (The Quest)' from the Broadway musical 'Man of La Mancha', composed by Mitch Leigh with lyrics by Joe Darion, as well as 'Torna a Surriento', another Neapolitan piece by Ernesto De Curtis, 'Granada' in Spanish by Agustín Lara, and several pieces in Catalan.
Carreras and Jenkins also sang duets, including 'Non ti scordar di me', composed by Ernesto De Curtis, also attempting a few graceful dance steps together at some point in the recital.
For the encore, José Carreras returned to the stage to a wave of applause with 'My Way' - Paul Anka's English adaptation of the French song 'Comme d'habitude', made famous by Frank Sinatra in 1969.
Also at the audience's insistence, enchanted by the music of the two performers, Katherine Jenkins returned with 'I Could Have Danced All Night' from 'My Fair Lady' musical by Frederick Loewe.
To the delight of the audience, who continued applauding enthusiastically, José Carreras returned for a third encore with ''O Sole Mio', another Neapolitan classic by Eduardo di Capua and Alfredo Mazzucchi, with lyrics by Giovanni Capurro.
Arash, the Iranian-born, Swedish-raised artist, shifted the mood with his unique blend of Persian rhythms fused with pop, hip hop, dance and house music.
Arash expressed his love for Bucharest and Romania, mentioning that he sometimes works here in a recording studio and has many Romanian friends - a sentiment clearly reciprocated by the audience, who danced and sang along to hits like 'On est la', 'Broken Angel', 'Always' (his Eurovision entry), and his first single, 'Boro Boro'. He also introduced his latest song - 'I Adore You.'
Loreen, the Swedish artist and two-time Eurovision winner (2012 and 2023), closed the Unforgettable Festival performances with her distinctive electronic dance-pop style. She opened with 'Tattoo', the song that won Eurovision in 2023, and continued with tracks such as 'Gravity' and 'Gimme Love.'
A highlight of this year's edition, according to festival hosts Mihai Morar and Iuliana Tudor, was the introduction of the Unforgettable Awards, meant to honour those who have made Romania known worldwide through their work.
The first Unforgettable Award of the evening was given to Charlie Ottley, British journalist, TV presenter, poet and filmmaker, best known for his documentary series 'Wild Carpathia' and 'Flavours of Romania', dedicated to showcasing Romania. The second award went to fashion designer Catalin Botezatu, who has brought international recognition to Romania through his creations and participation in major global fashion shows.
Unforgettable Festival 2025, promoted by organisers as Romania's largest symphonic pop festival, took place over three days, from 11 to 13 September in Bucharest's Constitution Square. Headliners on the first two evenings included Greek singer Nikos Vertis, Romanian artist Andra, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and pan flute master Gheorghe Zamfir.
The tradition of symphonic pop concerts will continue next year, with the 2026 edition already scheduled for 5-6 September.
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