George Enescu
George Enescu is still considered the greatest of all Romanian composers. While he is widely known for just one famous opus, he was in reality a very imaginative, highly skilled composer of music possessing great depth and subtlety, as well as being one of the great concert violinists of his time. For appearances in the West he adapted his name to a form that would prompt the French to pronounce it correctly: Georges Enesco.
He was given a violin and lessons at the age of four, progressing very rapidly and beginning to compose a year later. Legend has it his first teacher was a Romany fiddler. He entered the conservatory of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna in 1888. His primary violin teacher was Joseph Hellmesberger. He took piano from Ernst Ludwig and harmony, theory, and composition from Robert Fuchs. He made his violin debut in 1889 in Slanic, Moravia. He remained in the Conservatory until 1894, regarded as a fully formed virtuoso at the age of 13. Nevertheless, he went on to the Paris Conservatory for more violin studies, and took harmony, theory, and composition from Dubois, Gédalge, Massenet, and Fauré. This mixture of late Romantic German and French training helped give his music its distinctive quality.
In 1897 the Concerts Colonne gave a concert of his works. The work he decided to designate as his first mature piece, the Poème Roumaine, Op. 1, premiered in 1898. That same year he started conducting the Romanian Philharmonic Society in Bucharest.
Enescu quickly established one of the most important solo and chamber music careers of the time. His recital partner was the great French pianist Alfred Cortot, and he formed a piano trio with Louis Fournier and Alfredo Casella in 1902, and in 1904 the Enescu Quartet. He joined the faculties of the École Normal and the American Conservatory in Paris.
In the meantime, he took an active part in building a classical concert life in his native Romania. He formed a Philharmonic Orchestra in the town of Iasi, and a Composers' Society. He wrote his most famous works, the two Romanian Rhapsodies, Op. 11, for the Philharmonic. He also worked closely with the Conservatories in Bucharest and Iasi. In 1912 he funded a "George Enescu Prize" in composition, and played the world premieres of the winning works.
He made his first appearances in the United States in 1923, as violinist and guest conductor with the Philadelphia Orchestra. The brilliant young American prodigy, Yehudi Menuhin, became his most famous pupil. Others were Gitlis, Grumiaux, and Ferras. Through the 1930s he continued work as a violinist, conductor, teacher, musicologist, and organizer, while as a composer he toiled on his powerful opera Oedipus.
When World War II broke out, he happened to be at his country estate in Romania and was more or less stuck there for the duration. After the war ended, he went to New York, where he watched a Soviet-backed government take over his country. He remained in New York, increasingly incapacitated by arthritis. He gave a farewell concert with Menuhin in 1950, then returned to Paris. He suffered a stroke in 1954. As a result of it, he spent ten months almost entirely paralyzed.
© TiVo
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Romanian Rhapsodies 1 & 2, Romanian Poem
Romanian Broadcasting Orchestra and Chorus
Symphonic Music - Released by Stradivari Classics on Jan 1, 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Enescu: Piano Music Vol. 2
Classical - Released by Avie Records on Apr 4, 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Enescu: Symphonie de chambre, Op. 33 - Deux intermèdes pour cordes, Op. 12 - Dixtuor pour instruments à vent, Op. 14
Classical - Released by Claves Records on Jan 1, 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Conductor's Gallery, Vol. 11: Piero Coppola, George Enescu
National Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Piero Coppola, George Enescu
Classical - Released by Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. on Aug 25, 2023
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
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J.-S. Bach : Violin Concertos - Chaconne
Yehudi Menuhin, George Enescu, Pierre Monteux
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jun 1, 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
J.S. Bach: Violin Sonata, BWV 1016; Brandenburg Concerto No. 5; Concerto For Flute, Violin and Harpsichord, BWV 1044 (Christian Ferras Edition, Vol. 5)
Jean-Pierre Rampal, Christian Ferras, Céliny Chailley Richez, Orchestre de l’Association des Concerts de Chambre de Paris, George Enescu
Classical - Released by Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. on Feb 17, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Enescu, Constantinescu, Schubert & Bartók: Romanian Rhapsody
Accordion - Released by Berlin Classics on Mar 11, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Enescu: The Three Piano Suites
Classical - Released by Avie Records on Aug 5, 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cello Sonatas
Laura Buruiana, Alexandra Silocea
Chamber Music - Released by Avie Records on Jul 8, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Young Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin, Hephzibah Menuhin, Les Concerts de Paris Symphony Orchestra, George Enescu
Chamber Music - Released by Biddulph Recordings on Apr 20, 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Enescu si Lipatti , Vol. II
George Enescu, Dinu Lipatti, Hans von Benda, Orchestra de cameră din Berlin
Classical - Released by Electrecord.com on Jan 1, 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Violin Sonatas and Partitas Nos. 1-3 (Enesco) (1940) (Johann Sebastian Bach)
Classical - Released by IDIS on Jan 1, 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Complete Solo Columbia Recordings
George Enescu, Yehudi Menuhin, Sanford Schlussel, Edward C. Harris, Hephzibah Menuhin
Chamber Music - Released by Biddulph Recordings on Aug 5, 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Richter Archives, Vol. 4: Brahms Handel Variations (Live)
Sviatoslav Richter, George Enescu, George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra
Classical - Released by DOREMI on Jan 1, 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Enescu: Sonata No. 3 for Violin and Piano in A Minor, Op. 25 (Digitally Remastered)
Oliver Colbentson, Erich Appel
Classical - Released by EMG Classical on Jul 9, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
J.S. Bach & Beethoven: Violin Works (Live)
George Enescu, University of Illinois Symphony Orchestra, John M. Kuypers
Classical - Released by Biddulph Recordings on Dec 1, 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jacques Thibaud, Vol. 1: Mozart Concertos (Live)
Jacques Thibaud, George Enescu, Orchestre Radio Symphonique De Paris
Classical - Released by DOREMI on Sep 2, 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rodrigo: Concierto de estío; Semenoff: Double Concerto (Christian Ferras Edition, Vol. 2)
Christian Ferras, Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, George Enescu
Classical - Released by Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. on Jan 1, 1952
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Locatelli, Paganini & Others: Violin Works
Yehudi Menuhin, Ferguson Webster, Marcel Gazelle, Hendrik Endt, Orchestre des Concerts Colonne, George Enescu
Chamber Music - Released by Biddulph Recordings on Mar 12, 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Enescu: Complete Orchestral Works, Vol. 1
Romanian National Radio Orchestra, Horia Andreescu
Classical - Released by Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga Musica on Oct 10, 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo