Two different traditions – Viennese Classicism and the Late Romantic virtuoso concerto – inevitably left their traces on George Enescu’s highly ambitious Concerto for Violin and Orchestra. Even though he left it unfinished, its total length of six hundred measures is by itself reason enough for astonishment. The first movement almost attains the dimensions of the Violin Concertos of Beethoven and Brahms. A striking formal interrelation is formed in the extended introduction: like Beethoven and Brahms, Enescu needs ninety measures before he is ready for the entry of the solo instrument. An instance of the greatest good fortune: our soloist Carolin Widmann! The »Allegro moderato« first movement alone employs three themes that are so engagingly formulated that they continue to echo in the ear even after a single hearing. In June 1898 Enescu composed his Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra, a work combining expressivity à la Brahms with bravura piano technique à la Liszt. The lack of a cadenza for the soloist and the wide-ranging harmony indicate that the work does in fact involve a fantasy and not, say, the first movement of an unfinished concerto. Neither the Fantasy nor the Violin Concerto has been published. But since today almost every Rumanian composer is also a musicologist and an Enescu expert, they were never completely forgotten. Pascal Bentoiu and Cornel Taranu assisted Peter Ruzicka, the conductor of the two recording premieres presented here, in the acquisition and supplementation of the scattered material. As a result, our picture of George Enescu, who continues to be a great unknown, is enriched by new facets – and the repertoire by two outstanding, previously unknown works.
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Reviews
Nominee in the Concerto category
Christian Hoskins
Gramophone Award Nominee 2022
“Early works, beautifully unearthed and presented.”
Stephen Barber – MusicWeb-International.com – 10 May 2022
Performance *** Recording ****
“… an interesting disc …”
John Allison – BBC Music magazine – April 2022
“… The contributions of both Carolin Widmann and Luiza Borac impress with their conviction and musicality, and Peter Ruzicka draws impassioned playing from the orchestra. It’s difficult to imagine these performances being surpassed for a long time. With sound of exceptional transparency and bloom, this is a valuable addition to the record catalogue.”
Christian Hodges – Gramophone magazine – March 2022
Interpretation **** Sound Quality **** Repertoire value **** Booklet ****
“This new disc offers rarities with a star cast: Carolin Widmann plays George Enescu's unfinished Violin Concerto, conducted by the composer Peter Ruzicka.”
Dr Jan Kampmeier – Klassik.com – 10 February 2022
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