Georges Enescu

Started by david johnson, February 15, 2008, 03:16:05 PM

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snyprrr

Quote from: J. Z. Herrenberg on June 05, 2011, 12:57:41 PM
Feeling OK, Snyprrr?  ;D :o

Mods are trying to make me look crazy. 8)

snyprrr

So, what are Enescu's best pieces?

All I have is the VS3, which is wowzy zowzy,... and the aforementioned Piano Quartet No.2 I heard.

Guido makes the CSs sound good,... I'm thinking of CSs by Ginastera for some reason??


I remember hearing the famous Octet, though, and wondering what all the fuss what about. Obviously we need to get to the bottom of this Composer!

eyeresist

I have the Arte Nova box, which I haven't listened to for a while but which didn't make a very positive impression. I recall the sound being mostly quite distant and reverberant, which wouldn't have helped. Can anyone give a direct comparison with the other recordings of the symphonies and suites?

cilgwyn

'Distant and reverberant'? Not sure I like the 'sound' of that. I must say the Olympia performances sounded pretty good to me,with the benefit of authenticity. I only sold them because I was a bit hard up at the time. I suppose they're deleted and expensive now. Herrenberg appears happy with them and I get the feeling he's usually a pretty good judge.
Wait a minute. Are the Arte Nova cd's reissues of the Olympia recordings?

eyeresist

Quote from: cilgwyn on June 06, 2011, 03:57:02 AM
Wait a minute. Are the Arte Nova cd's reissues of the Olympia recordings?

No.

J.Z. Herrenberg

The (very good) Andreescu performances are on a label called Electrecord. But I got the symphonies in digital form from a friend...


http://www.cduniverse.com/sresult.asp?style=music&HT_Search=xlabel&HT_Search_Info=Electrecord

Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything. -- Plato

SonicMan46

Quote from: cilgwyn on June 05, 2011, 02:09:19 PM
(More egg on my face! Enescu should have definately been on my 'list!') I have never heard the First Symphony. Which recording should be at the top of my list? The Arte Nova cd's are very good VFM,but would I be better off shelling out a little more for,say,the Chandos cd?

Well, I have the 2-CD set that was recommended at the beginning of this thread - a review from MusicWeb HERE - cannot personally make any 'comparison' comments having not hear the others.




SonicMan46

Well, I've not added to my Enescu collection in a while, but a 'new' arrival shown below:

Piano Quartets 1 & 2 w/ the Tammuz Piano Quartet (Oliver Triendl on piano) (recorded 2008 & 09) - composed about 35 yrs apart (1909 & 1944) but both serious and virtuosic works clocking in at 65+ minutes.  My purchase was prompted by an excellent review by Jerry Dubins in Fanfare, reprinted HERE - his bottom line was a candidate for the 2011 Want List!  Scott Morrison on his Amazon review left a 4*/5* review HERE, not liking the earlier work as much.  The music indeed is serious in both works but George E. not only one of the most famous violinists of his time was also a superb piano playing - obvious from these recordings.

Also as expected from CPO, superb sound & liner notes - another great quote (a few I left a couple of pages ago) mentioned from his pupil Menuhin ".. reports that during a lesson with Enescu, Maurice Ravel arrived with his freshly composed Violin Sonata.  After reading through the piece on sight, Enescu put the music aside and played it from memory."  Continually amazed by the genius of this human being -  :)



snyprrr

Quote from: SonicMan46 on August 26, 2011, 11:45:11 AM
Well, I've not added to my Enescu collection in a while, but a 'new' arrival shown below:

Piano Quartets 1 & 2 w/ the Tammuz Piano Quartet (Oliver Triendl on piano) (recorded 2008 & 09) - composed about 35 yrs apart (1909 & 1944) but both serious and virtuosic works clocking in at 65+ minutes.  My purchase was prompted by an excellent review by Jerry Dubins in Fanfare, reprinted HERE - his bottom line was a candidate for the 2011 Want List!  Scott Morrison on his Amazon review left a 4*/5* review HERE, not liking the earlier work as much.  The music indeed is serious in both works but George E. not only one of the most famous violinists of his time was also a superb piano playing - obvious from these recordings.

Also as expected from CPO, superb sound & liner notes - another great quote (a few I left a couple of pages ago) mentioned from his pupil Menuhin ".. reports that during a lesson with Enescu, Maurice Ravel arrived with his freshly composed Violin Sonata.  After reading through the piece on sight, Enescu put the music aside and played it from memory."  Continually amazed by the genius of this human being -  :)




Tell me about No.2. I heard some esoteric movement on YouTube that had harmonic sleights of hand that were sheer misty rocks.

SonicMan46

Quote from: snyprrr on August 26, 2011, 08:50:16 PM
Tell me about No.2. I heard some esoteric movement on YouTube that had harmonic sleights of hand that were sheer misty rocks.

Hi Snyprrr - well, I can't do much better than Dubins & Morrison - did you check out my links?  Scott's 2nd paragraph is quite descriptive; he also recommends a Naxos recording (check HERE) w/ the Piano Quartet No.2/Piano Quintet w/ further discussion (some of the other comments might be of interest).  Dave :)

snyprrr

Quote from: SonicMan46 on August 27, 2011, 06:09:26 AM
Hi Snyprrr - well, I can't do much better than Dubins & Morrison - did you check out my links?  Scott's 2nd paragraph is quite descriptive; he also recommends a Naxos recording (check HERE) w/ the Piano Quartet No.2/Piano Quintet w/ further discussion (some of the other comments might be of interest).  Dave :)

That last one you mentioned, that's the one I'd like to try.

I was just listening to VS 3, the famous one. Wow, you will most certainly OD on the gypsy thing here, haha. All that ornamentation is pretty 'OldWorld' sounding,... I like it, but it iS very rich!

Mirror Image

Interestingly, a new Enescu orchestral cycle begins:

[asin]B007V80W8Y[/asin]

Am I the only one looking forward to it?

Sammy

Quote from: Mirror Image on June 02, 2012, 08:40:03 PM
Interestingly, a new Enescu orchestral cycle begins:

[asin]B007V80W8Y[/asin]

Am I the only one looking forward to it?

No, I'll be getting it also.

BrianSA

I don't suppose anybody would know if the new Ondine series will include the Pascal Bentoiu completions of the fourth and fifth symphonies?

Mirror Image

Quote from: BrianSA on June 05, 2012, 03:04:12 PM
I don't suppose anybody would know if the new Ondine series will include the Pascal Bentoiu completions of the fourth and fifth symphonies?

Highly unlikely, Brian, but, then again, Ondine has been known to pull a few surprises out of its hat from time to time. I just hope we get a better performance of Poème Roumain. I wasn't too fond of the performance on Arte Nova. It was serviceable, but so much more could be done with it.

kyjo

Quote from: BrianSA on June 05, 2012, 03:04:12 PM
I don't suppose anybody would know if the new Ondine series will include the Pascal Bentoiu completions of the fourth and fifth symphonies?

Sorry I didn't respond to your post earlier, Brian. Yes, I, too hope Ondine records those Bentoiu completions as well his four Study Symphonies. Olympia recorded the first and fourth Study Symphonies and I found the latter to be a very fine work with nothing "academic" or juvenilia" about it. In case you weren't aware, the completions of nos. 4 and 5 (which I haven't listened to yet, for some reason) can be found on YouTube, but, of course, they're no replacement for a CD recording.

P.S. Just curious, are you BrianA from the Art-Music Forum? Forgive me if you're not. :)

BrianSA

I am he, Kyle, like you a hopeless addict just looking to get my musical fix wherever and when ever I can.  I do indeed have downloaded performances of the Bentoiu completions of nos 4 & 5, but as per another discussion on AMF I am seldom able to pass up the opportunity of replacing a downloaded performance, however good, with a decent studio performance.  I think I've read somewhere recently that one of the unrecorded student symphonies may in fact be lost?

kyjo

Quote from: BrianSA on August 23, 2013, 04:24:15 AM
I am he, Kyle, like you a hopeless addict just looking to get my musical fix wherever and when ever I can.  I do indeed have downloaded performances of the Bentoiu completions of nos 4 & 5, but as per another discussion on AMF I am seldom able to pass up the opportunity of replacing a downloaded performance, however good, with a decent studio performance.  I think I've read somewhere recently that one of the unrecorded student symphonies may in fact be lost?

Good to see you here, Brian. :) Yes, the Second and Third Study Symphonies may very well be lost, but I don't have any confirmation of that. We could definitely still use modern recordings of nos. 1 and 4, though!

kyjo

Due out soon from Ondine:

[asin]B00FBCZGE2[/asin]

Should be interesting to hear another take on the masterful Symphony no. 3.

Joaquimhock

Quote from: kyjo on August 23, 2013, 06:58:04 AM
Yes, the Second and Third Study Symphonies may very well be lost, but I don't have any confirmation of that. We could definitely still use modern recordings of nos. 1 and 4, though!

According to this excellent and comprehensive biography by Alain Cophignon (in French) http://www.fayard.fr/georges-enesco-9782213623214 study symphonies 2 is known by several fragments and it seems that symphony 3 exists but it is not analysed in detail in the book. A lot of work is still needed to make available the many unknown works by this extraordinary master of the 20th century.
"Dans la vie il faut regarder par la fenêtre"