# Enescu - Symphony No. 3



## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

Enescu - Symphony No. 3 · Concert Overture
Cristian Mandeal/"George Enescu" Bucharest Philharmonic Orchestra
Arte Nova CD ANO 630378

George Enescu (1881-1955) Was a talented man - a 'concert grade' violinist and pianist, an admired and successful conductor. He was also a composer, whose music I admire very much.

The two Romanian Rhapsodies were in the standard 'war horse' concert repertoire not so long ago. In case you are too young to have heard them, they are very much up-beat orchestral works, full of delightful melodies derived from Romanian tunes. Some of the chamber music has been recorded, including a wonderful sonata for violin and piano (No. 3), once recorded (in bad sound) by Enescu on violin, with Lipati on piano.

And there are symphonies, of which I have heard only No. 3, performed on this CD by the "George Enescu Bucharest Philharmonic Orchestra", conducted by Cristian Mandeal.

The liner notes are informative and interesting, but I strongly recommend that you don't read them until after listening to the music - they contain a suggestion regarding 'an underlying program' that may handicap your imagination. Turn the volume up enough to allow you to hear the details in the first bars; the music won't get too loud later, and those first bars contain the 'hook'. If you focus on the music (never mind what's for dinner), you may be drawn in. It took me a second hearing (the volume was too low the first time), but I made the trip, and it was a good one.

The Concert Overture was composed about a decade after the symphony, and strikes me as 'between wars modern tonal'. It's entertaining, but it's a CD filler I think.

The orchestra/conductor do a fine job, and the sound engineering is appropriate - not close miced, it approximates what you would hear sitting about tenth row center in a good hall.

The CD is listed at amazon.com - cheap.


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## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

I can recommend this disc.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

Rozhdestvensky is one of my favorite conductors... Enescu is one of those Eastern European composers whose music has the reputation for being best interpreted by countrymen. Maybe in some cases, but I dunno about Enescu's.


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## nightscape (Jun 22, 2013)

emiellucifuge said:


> View attachment 7453
> 
> 
> I can recommend this disc.


Definitely my favorite performance of this great symphony.


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