# George Enescu recommendations anyone?



## EDaddy (Nov 16, 2013)

I've been wanting to check out some of George Enescu's works and could use some suggestions on where to begin. To my knowledge. I have never heard any of his works. I just pulled the trigger on his Complete Works for Violin and Piano, Vol. 1 (Naxos). Since he was both a pianist and violinist, seems like a logical place to start. Any others?

Thanks in advance! :tiphat:


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Violin Sonata #3. The earlier ones are fine, but #3 is remarkable.

The opera _Oedipe_, in the EMI recording with Jose Van Dam.


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## EDaddy (Nov 16, 2013)

Then that is where I shall begin! Thank you, Mr. Woodduck. :tiphat:


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## EDaddy (Nov 16, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> The opera _Oedipe_, in the EMI recording with Jose Van Dam.


Realizing opinions are like belly buttons (everybody's got one), I discovered this lone (and not so flattering) review of the Jose Van Dam version of Oedipe you are recommending on Amazon.com:

_*great crew of singers but...*_

_there's not a lot for them to sing. Melodies are in short supply so it's no surprise that this opera is rarely heard. The absence of arias and duets guarantees obscurity. Like Pelleas and Melisande, the opera is a nearly nonstop sequence of sung dialogues. You could say that allows uninterrupted drama to flow without characters just stopping to sing. Most people like to hear great voices singing regardless of whether or not it furthers the drama. Van Dam has many fine moments but the numerous other great lyric voices in this recording don't have much to do. The first 3/4 of Oedipe sounds mostly like Wozzeck with a bit of Bluebeard's Castle. And then in the end the music settles into more of a Pelleas sound with some Oedipus Rex. If you love Van Dam then this recording is worth a listen. But if you're looking for great vocals from Hendricks,Bacquier,Aler,Fassbaender,Quilico or Gedda you may be dissappointed._

Any rebuttals? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and anyone else's for that matter, if you are willing.

To be clear, is this the version you are suggesting?:


http://postimage.org/


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

EDaddy said:


> Realizing opinions are like belly buttons (everybody's got one), I discovered this lone (and not so flattering) review of the Jose Van Dam version of Oedipe you are recommending on Amazon.com:
> 
> _*great crew of singers but...*_
> 
> ...


Sounds as if the reviewer wants clear-cut tunefulness as in Verdi or Mozart. _Oedipe_ is a 20th-century, post-Wagnerian opera. If you can listen to operas of late Wagner, Strauss, Debussy, Berg, or Britten, you won't find Enescu's vocal writing a problem. Oddly enough, all those operas that "reviewer" (who knows what that means?) thinks _Oedipe_ sounds like are considered 20th-century masterworks!

I never trust anyone posing as a critic on Amazon, except when I do it myself.


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## Oscarf (Dec 13, 2014)

I really like the symphonies, specially #3. I think it is one of the best not well known symphonies of the 20th century


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

My favorite Enescu piece is the Suite for orchestra No. 3 in D major "Villageoise," Op. 27 . Some of the themes sound like something you've heard all your life, even though it's not a well known piece I don't think. The themes are just that perfect.


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## Andolink (Oct 29, 2012)

Try the Piano Sonata No. 1 in F sharp minor, Op. 24. Blows me away every time I listen to it.


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

Wow.

I do not know where to begin. His Symphonies are great

I have performed his _First Romanian Rhapsody_ twice and it is awesome. Link You tube: 




He was a awesome musician. Started composing when he was five. Check out his biography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Enescu

Also check out the threads listed below in 'Similar Threads'.

Great composer. Have fun checking him out.


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

^^^^^^^^^^^

Follow-up to above.

I have found some recordings of Enescu. The following is one of him performing and conducting: http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=150177


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## EDaddy (Nov 16, 2013)

Thanks for the recommendations everyone! I have much to look forward to.


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

His symphonic poem Isis is very fine.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

I agree with starting with violin sonata #3 and Oedipe. Very good recommendations. Past that, I'd mention _Impressions d'Enfance_ and the octet.

A generation ago, the first Romanian Rhapsody was the only work anyone knew by Enescu, and I suspect its popularity as a pops hit got him categorized as "that kind" of composer. If Oedipe had been more popular and that work less, things would be very different for Enescu.


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## EDaddy (Nov 16, 2013)

science said:


> I agree with starting with violin sonata #3 and Oedipe. Very good recommendations. Past that, I'd mention _Impressions d'Enfance_ and the octet.
> 
> A generation ago, the first Romanian Rhapsody was the only work anyone knew by Enescu, and I suspect its popularity as a pops hit got him categorized as "that kind" of composer. If Oedipe had been more popular and that work less, things would be very different for Enescu.


Pops as in so-called "classical light"? That is to say, more accessible to a broader listening audience?

Been enjoying his Sonata 3 quite a bit. Haven't heard Impressions d'Enfance yet. Have heard his Impromptu Concertant. Short body of work.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

EDaddy said:


> Pops as in so-called "classical light"? That is to say, more accessible to a broader listening audience?


I guess you probably realize that among "serious listeners," whose attitudes eventually prevail, "accessible to a broader listening audience" is essentially an undesirable characteristic. We're not supposed to say it like that, but that's how it is. Enescu got on the wrong side of the divide because of the first Romanian Rhapsody. Imagine Beethoven's reputation if Wellington's Victory were his best-known work. Had Oedipe been Enescu's best known work, he'd be much better known today.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

I should've mentioned _Symphonie concertante_ earlier. That's a work that probably deserves to be better known.


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## Stubul (May 31, 2021)

Fantastic composer, one of 20th century greatest, but very difficult to "get", a composer for the happy few.
His top 10 masterpieces(chronologically):
- String Octet op 7(1900)
- The 2 Romanian Rhapsodies(1901)
- Third Symphony op 21(1916-1918)
- Third Violin/Piano Sonata "Dans le caractere populaire roumain" op 25(1926)
- Oedipe (1922-1933)
- Third orchestral Suite " Suite Villageoise" op 27 (1938)
- Impressions d'Enfance op 28 for piano and violin(1940)
- Piano Quintet op 29(1940)
- Second String Quartet op 22 n 2(1951)
- Chamber Symphony op 33(1954)


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

The dixtuor (decet) is highly recommendable for anyone who likes woodwind ensembles. There is a very good Naxos disc with the Dvorak's wind serenade, Enescu's dixtuor and Janacek's Mladi.


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## Stubul (May 31, 2021)

A very beautiful and refreshing work, indeed, but wouldn't place it personnally among his most important works. I think it would barely make my top 20 of Enescu's favorite works. But it is nevertheless highly recommendable for woodwind instruments lovers.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

Kreisler jr said:


> The dixtuor (decet) is highly recommendable for anyone who likes woodwind ensembles. There is a very good Naxos disc with the Dvorak's wind serenade, Enescu's dixtuor and Janacek's Mladi.


Thanks!! I'll have to check that out...i don't know this work....


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## EnescuCvartet (Dec 16, 2016)

"The first 3/4 of Oedipe sounds mostly like Wozzeck with a bit of Bluebeard's Castle. And then in the end the music settles into more of a Pelleas sound with some Oedipus Rex. "

Actually, that's about as strong a recommendation as you could get.

It's bedtime for bonzo, but I'll drop some recs. of my own tomorrow.


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

EnescuCvartet said:


> "The first 3/4 of Oedipe sounds mostly like Wozzeck with a bit of Bluebeard's Castle. And then in the end the music settles into more of a Pelleas sound with some Oedipus Rex. "
> 
> Actually, that's about as strong a recommendation as you could get.
> 
> It's bedtime for bonzo, but I'll drop some recs. of my own tomorrow.


_Oedipe_ is an operatic masterpiece!


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

Enescu is not an easy composer to get into as there's a certain degree of elusiveness in his music that makes it a bit more difficult to tap into, but I think his music is incredible, especially those later works (but there's plenty to enjoy in his early works as well). If I had to come up with some sort of Enescu 'Top 5' my list would probably look something like this (in no particular order):

_Piano Quintet in A minor, Op. 29
Chamber Symphony in E major, Op. 33
Cello Sonata No. 2 in C major, Op. 26/2
Piano Sonata No. 3 in D major, Op. 24/3
Vox maris, Op. 31_


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## Stubul (May 31, 2021)

I wholehartedly agree with you. The evolution of Enescu's language during the 50+ years of his compositional career is quite fascinating. And the "late Enescu style" is so amazing, so unique, so full of some kind of mysterious poetry...but you have to make the effort to listen to each work many times before beginning to understand what happens within his music. I remember on many occasions when listening for the 1st time to an Enescu late work the feeling of being totally lost, not having anything to hold on to(melodically, rythmically, harmonically, etc), not having a clue about what is happening and what it's about to happen. It's actually quite an amazing feeling.


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## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

Rather than being dismissive of the oft-played Romanian Rhapsody, I think it's a good way into this composer, provided of course one doesn't stop there. It is an exciting and brilliantly orchestrated orchestral showpiece!
On top of that "single-hit wonder" piece, I seriously reckon Oedipus is his masterpiece. It is a fabulous work, and in the end (rather like Mathis der Maler?) incredibly poignant. Oh, and weird.....the few lines the Sphynx has are other-worldly. I'd put it among the handful of best 20th Century operas....
The three symphonies are very fine, especially No.3, as is the Violin Sonata. The trouble is Enescu doesn't shout "Me! Me!" with his music, it has a delicacy that means he can sound like Ravel or Debussy, and rarely anything like Bartok, to whom he is sometimes (and unfairly, and maybe merely geographically) compared? And yet he certainly has his own voice, it's just not an in-your-face one.
Don't forget Yehudi Menuhin worshipped the man, and he had good taste, I suspect....!


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

CnC Bartok said:


> Rather than being dismissive of the oft-played Romanian Rhapsody, I think it's a good way into this composer, provided of course one doesn't stop there. It is an exciting and brilliantly orchestrated orchestral showpiece!
> On top of that "single-hit wonder" piece, I seriously reckon Oedipus is his masterpiece. It is a fabulous work, and in the end (rather like Mathis der Maler?) incredibly poignant. Oh, and weird.....the few lines the Sphynx has are other-worldly. I'd put it among the handful of best 20th Century operas....
> The three symphonies are very fine, especially No.3, as is the Violin Sonata. The trouble is Enescu doesn't shout "Me! Me!" with his music, it has a delicacy that means he can sound like Ravel or Debussy, and rarely anything like Bartok, to whom he is sometimes (and unfairly, and maybe merely geographically) compared? And yet he certainly has his own voice, it's just not an in-your-face one.
> Don't forget Yehudi Menuhin worshipped the man, and he had good taste, I suspect....!


I always equated Enescu as being like what if Fauré lived in Romania and had absorbed that country's culture and folk music. The Fauré comparison goes even further than this of course as he was taught by the French master.  You do bring up a good about Enescu not being so in-your-face with his compositional voice. In many ways, I'm reminded of the Swiss composer Frank Martin in this regard.


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## Josquin13 (Nov 7, 2017)

I agree that Enescu's Piano Sonata no. 1, Op. 24 is essential listening. I first heard the sonata played by pianist Radu Lupu at Carnegie Hall in January, 2002, and he convinced me that it was a masterwork. Here's a link to the concert, which fortunately someone recorded, since, as far as I know, Lupu has never recorded any Enescu in the studio (frustratingly) & is now done with making recordings: 



 (the sonata starts around 24:10 into the concert).

Among digital era recordings, I've not heard the Hännsler label set of the complete solo piano works mentioned above, but the Romanian pianist Luiza Borac is another good option for the two piano sonatas & other works (such as Enescu's beautiful Prelude and Fugue!), which she has recorded in exceptional audiophile sound (although, as fine as they are, I don't prefer her performances to those by Lupu & Lipatti in the two piano sonatas, or Katz in the Piano Suite, no 10):

https://music.amazon.com/albums/B000QR0OF8?do=play&ref=dm_ws_dp_ald_bb_phfa_xx_xx_xx.

Here too are the three Piano Suites, played by Borac: https://www.amazon.com/Georges-Enes...rds=luiza+borac&qid=1625147291&s=music&sr=1-3

As noted, the great Romanian pianist, Dinu Lipatti made some essential recordings of Enescu's music:

--Piano Sonata no. 3, Op. 25: 



--Bourée, from the Suite No 2, Op. D (which Lipatti recorded at age 17): 




--Here too is Lipatti with the composer on violin, performing the Violin Sonata No. 3, Op. 25:




.

--Yehudi Menuhin likewise recorded the Violin Sonata No. 3, with his sister Hephzibah on the piano, in 1967: 



.

We shouldn't forget that as a violin teacher, Enescu taught some of the most remarkable violinists of the next generation(s), including Yehudi Menuhin, Arthur Grumiaux, Christian Ferras, Ida Haendel, and Uto Ughi!

--Among other older recordings, pianist Mindru Katz also recorded some of Enescu's solo piano music, including, as mentioned, his Piano Suite, Op. 10: 




Enescu's two string quartets, Op. 22, nos. 1 & 2 are worth exploring, as well, & should be better known than they are:

--Here are the quartets played by the Quatour Athenaeum Enesco: https://www.youtube.com/results?sp=mAEB&search_query=enescu+string+quartet

--And here they are played by Quatour Ad Libitum, on Naxos: 




--Enescu's Piano Quintet, Op. 29, is worth hearing, too: Here the quintet is played by The Schubert Ensemble, on Chandos: 



. Kremerata Baltica has also recorded it, coupled with Enescu's Octet, Op. 7: https://www.amazon.com/George-Enesc...&keywords=george+enescu&qid=1625145974&sr=8-3. There is also a recording by The Solomon Ensemble, on Naxos, which I've not heard: 



.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Josquin13 said:


> Enescu's two string quartets, Op. 22, nos. 1 & 2 are worth exploring, as well, & should be better known than they are:
> 
> --Here are the quartets played by the Quatour Athenaeum Enesco: https://www.youtube.com/results?sp=mAEB&search_query=enescu+string+quartet


Another vote for the string quartets.


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## EnescuCvartet (Dec 16, 2016)

Enescu is a top ten composer for me. He's also among those that got me into classical music as a serious interest. The Romanian Rhapsody was the first thing I heard. The fact that it didn't sound like the rest of his music didn't bother me. It's a fun piece and a brilliant concert piece. But for me, it just served as the opening to the rest of his music. I wouldn't claim him as one of the greatest composers, but certainly a favorite, and very great. I had an instant affinity for his music and there's something personal to me about it. But just because I use his name as my login doesn't mean an expert, though I've read his bio. and I have heard all his published works several times, and much of his unpublished works. I actually have all of his published works on vinyl. Electrecord. A collection I am most proud of. I listen to the records often. In fact I probably only turn to my Schubert records more often.

There are many great recs. here already, so I'll just name a few. But in general, I would suggest you look over his works by opus, and if you see a form you like, give his account a listen. He only had 33 opus numbers. But within those 33 opii (?) is a whole world.

I don't think anyone has mention his opus 15. Songs for piano and tenor. They are excellent.

I also adore the cello concerto op. 26 no. 1. The string quartets of op. 22 (no. 1 & 2).

Opus 28 is remarkable. Impressions d'enfence. Simply remarkable.

As is the op. 25 violin sonata (it's his third in this medium). It has a very Eastern feel and it seems improvised, though if course it is not. He recorded this work with himself on violin and Dino Lipatti on piano.

He also did some wonderful Bach recordings. The solo partitas as well as the double concerto with Yehudi Menuhin, who was a protege of his; he knew Menuhin as a boy and they were lifelong friends.

You can't go wrong with any of his piano music as well, solo and chamber, with the quintet as a stand-out.

A truly great composer.


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## Stubul (May 31, 2021)

You mean the Cello Sonata op 26, right? He didn't compose any concertos, as far as i know.


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## vincula (Jun 23, 2020)

I'm familiar with Enescu's chamber music, though not so much with his bigger orchestral works. There seem to be quiet a few renditions of his symphonies out there. Any favourite records you'd recommend? 

Regards,

Vincula


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## EnescuCvartet (Dec 16, 2016)

Yes, thank you.


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

Stubul said:


> You mean the Cello Sonata op 26, right? He didn't compose any concertos, as far as i know.


There's only one concerto: the _Symphonie concertante in B minor, Op. 8_, which is written for cello and orchestra. For me, it's an insubstantial piece and doesn't have the composer's unique voice in it. But, YMMV, of course. Honestly, I think his best works are his mature chamber works, solo piano music and the opera, _Oedipe_. In terms of orchestral music and music for larger ensembles, I do think quite highly of his _String Octet_ (which falls under his chamber music), _Suite No. 3 for Orchestra, "Villageoise"_, the _Chamber Symphony_, _Vox maris_ and his 3rd symphony as well.


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## Stubul (May 31, 2021)

I totally agree with you. And i'll add his Second Symphony to the list of his best orchestral works.


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## Enthalpy (Apr 15, 2020)

Woodduck said:


> Violin Sonata #3. The earlier ones are fine, but #3 is remarkable. [...]


Agreed. And this under-rated violinist has the proper background to play it remarkably:
Sonata 3, mvmt 1 by Rusanda Panfili and Alfredo Ovalles (links there to other movements)​
A piece from "Impressions d'enfance"
Lautaru, same violinist​


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## Red Terror (Dec 10, 2018)

Andolink said:


> Try the Piano Sonata No. 1 in F sharp minor, Op. 24. Blows me away every time I listen to it.
> 
> View attachment 78623


Enescu was truly a genius (in the classic sense of the word).


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## Nedeslusire (Jul 27, 2021)

Begin right here, let the magic carry you. A great conductor, a great composer:






As for an edition of his works, I recommend this one in 6 volumes by Arte Nova Classics, featuring the "George Enescu" Bucharest Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Cristian Mandeal. It doesn't get any purer than this:


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