28.5.10

George Enescu: Romanian Rhapsody in D Major, Op.11 No.2

George Enescu (1881-1955)



Born at Cordaremi, Romania in 1881, George Enescu was educated musically for the most part in Austria and France. In the latter country he studied with Gabrie Fauré (composition) and Martin Marsick (violin) at the Paris Conservatory. Enescu once admitted that most of the creative work by Romanians had been done in the early part of this century. The music is not influenced by the neighboring Slav, but by the Indain and Egyptian folk songs, introduced by the members of those remote races, now classed as gypsies, brought to Romania as servants of the Roman conquerors. However, Enescu’s music is considered to be his own, with traces of French and German influences but of a sensuous character that reflected personal esthetics rather than national moods.

Enescu composed two Romanian Rhapsodies and himself conducted the world premieres of his two Rhapsodies at one of Pablo Casals’ concerts in the Salle Gaveau, Paris, on February 7, 1908. The second Romanian Rhapsody opens with a slow subject which, although it is not the principal theme, is given considerable employment in the course of the work. The first subject is announced by the strings and twice repeated, each time more fully scored. Soon a melody is played by the English horn, while the strings play a tremolo near the bridge of their instruments. This idea is worked over and is followed by a return to the first theme fortissimo, this leading to the closing section, the theme of which is played by a solo viola.

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