Enescu, George

Enescu, George – Poème Roumain, Symphonic Suite for male choir and orchestra, Op. 1 (1897)

(born August 19, 1881 in Liveni, Romania – died May 4, 1955 in Paris)

(1897)

Part 1, p.1
A summer evening on the eve of a festival. Bells ring and priests sing in the distance. Night falls. The moon rises. A shepherd’s song is heard.

Part 2, p. 46
Clouds pass in front of the moon. Thunder begins to rumble. A storm breaks out. The storm subsides and the clouds retreat. A rooster crows, bells ring and announce the festival. Day breaks. The villagers gather. The dance begins.

Preface
“Composing, conducting, and also playing the piano and cello – what a rich musical talent this man had, who always felt constrained by the temporal and spatial limitations of our small earthly existence! For me, Enesco was and always remained the absolute benchmark, against which others and I myself fell far short.” (Yehudi Menuhin: Unfinished Journey, Munich, 1999)

This is what Yehudi Menuhin writes in his autobiography Unfinished Journey about his teacher Georges Enesco – as George Enescu was known in Paris and other Western countries.
Enescu became widely known through his two Romanian Rhapsodies and his Third Violin Sonata — works inspired by Romanian folk music. Numerous unfinished works testify to his musical precocity. Of his five symphonies, two remain unfinished, along with several overtures and rhapsodies, numerous chamber music works, and his opera Oedipus—his magnum opus. In addition to his diverse artistic activities, he was also active as a driving force and promoter of Romanian musical life. The Enescu Festival in Bucharest was founded on his initiative. …

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