The three symphonies of George Enescu (1881-1955) hardly sound in the concert hall anymore. That is a shame, because certainly the Second and the Third are refined works that deserve more attention. As with Bartók and Szymanowski, Enescu incorporated Debussy's achievements into his music. All three were in line with Debussy's achievements, spiced with folk musical elements from their native soil.
Yet with Enescu you mainly hear a continuation of the Austro-German symphonic tradition. The beginning of the Second Symphony alone is reminiscent of a colorful mix of Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony and Richard Strauss's Ein Heldenleben. Enescu immediately sets out broad lines, which give the work enormous space and scope. Here and there the tone becomes downright philosophical, as in the breathtaking clarinet solo of the Andante giusto: one of the most beautiful melodies Enescu ever composed. In the Chamber Symphony (1954) we hear Enescu at its most concise, bringing back the verbosity of his previous three symphonies to chamber music format. Conductor Hannu Lintu delivers a beautiful recording with the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra. The only downside is the dry acoustics, which makes the orchestral sound a bit more difficult to mix. (JWvR)more
