I. Moderato malinconico II. Andante sostenuto e misterioso III. Allegro con brio, ma non troppo mosso
Georges Enescu was by all accounts a remarkable musician: called by cellist Pablo Casals “the greatest musical phenomenon since Mozart”. He was a violin virtuoso, but was equally at home on piano and cello, as well as on the conductor’s podium. As a teacher, his most famous pupils were violinists Yehudi Menuhin and Arthur Grumiaux.
As a composer, he was quite cosmopolitan in outlook. His works range in style from Brahmsian Romanticism, to his own idiosyncratic brand of “neo-classicism,” undoubtedly influenced by Bach’s Suites, and predating neo-classical works by Stravinsky and Hindemith. He was not averse to occasional forays into ultra chromaticism verging on atonality. The music of the East also held a fascination for him, which brings us to this work to be heard today.
Enescu’s "Popular Romanian Style" evokes Romania’s urban folk music without actually quoting any folk tunes. The piano part suggests, as Menuhin points out, a cimbalom, or hammered dulcimer used in East European Folk Music. In the second movement, the violin seems to evoke the sound of one of the many types of flute found in Romanian folk music. Central to Romanian folk traditions is the Doina, or lament, and this quality can be heard clearly in the second movement. The work closes with a raunchy and gutsy finale. [From Program notes by Joseph Way, Sierra Chamber Music Society]
Classical Music | Violin Music
George Enescu
Sonata Nr. 3 for Piano and Violin Op. 25 in A minor, "dans le caractère populaire roumain", 3rd Mvt. Play
Recorded on 02/18/2015, uploaded on 07/09/2015
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
I. Moderato malinconico
II. Andante sostenuto e misterioso
III. Allegro con brio, ma non troppo mosso
Georges Enescu was by all accounts a remarkable musician: called by cellist Pablo Casals “the greatest musical phenomenon since Mozart”. He was a violin virtuoso, but was equally at home on piano and cello, as well as on the conductor’s podium. As a teacher, his most famous pupils were violinists Yehudi Menuhin and Arthur Grumiaux.
As a composer, he was quite cosmopolitan in outlook. His works range in style from Brahmsian Romanticism, to his own idiosyncratic brand of “neo-classicism,” undoubtedly influenced by Bach’s Suites, and predating neo-classical works by Stravinsky and Hindemith. He was not averse to occasional forays into ultra chromaticism verging on atonality. The music of the East also held a fascination for him, which brings us to this work to be heard today.
Enescu’s "Popular Romanian Style" evokes Romania’s urban folk music without actually quoting any folk tunes. The piano part suggests, as Menuhin points out, a cimbalom, or hammered dulcimer used in East European Folk Music. In the second movement, the violin seems to evoke the sound of one of the many types of flute found in Romanian folk music. Central to Romanian folk traditions is the Doina, or lament, and this quality can be heard clearly in the second movement. The work closes with a raunchy and gutsy finale. [From Program notes by Joseph Way, Sierra Chamber Music Society]
More music by George Enescu
Romanian Rhapsody No. 2, Op. 11
Concertpiece for Viola and Piano
Pavane, Op. 10
Bourrée, Op. 10
Concertpiece
Pavane from Suite Op. 10 Nr. 2 in D major (1903)
Sonata Nr. 3 for Piano and Violin Op. 25 in A minor, "dans le caractère populaire roumain", 3rd Mvt.
Bourrée from Suite Op. 10 Nr. 2 in D major (1903)
Pièce de concert for Viola and Piano
Romanian Rhapsody no.1, Op.11
Performances by same musician(s)
Piano Quartet In G Minor KV 478
String Quartet No. 13 in A Minor, D. 804, “Rosamunde,” Op. 29
Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44
Sonata No. 1 in b minor for Violin and Piano, BWV 1014
String Quartet No. 15 in G Major, D. 887
Sonata in D Minor, Op. 121
Toccata for Piano, Op. 11 (arr. for a sextet)
Suite No. 2 in A Major for Solo Violin
Tango Etude No. 3
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