Symphony No. 1 (Enescu)
Symphony No. 1, Op. 13 in E♭ by the Romanian composer George Enescu reflects the composer's training in both Vienna and Paris. In the former location he studied the Brahmsian tradition with Robert Fuchs, and in the latter the French tradition with Jules Massenet and Gabriel Fauré (Botstein n.d.).
The symphony falls into three movements:
- Assez vif et rythmé
- Lent
- Vif et vigoureux
The first movement is dominated by the three component motives of the first theme, announced in unison at the beginning (Voicana et al. 1971, 1:306).
The Symphony was premiered on Sunday, 21 January 1906 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, on the fourteenth concert of the 1905–06 series of the Concerts Colonne, conducted by Édouard Colonne (Voicana et al. 1971, 1:311–12). It was published by Enoch et co., Paris, in 1906.
Discography
- Enescu, George. Simfonia 1-a in mi bemol major, op. 13. Orchestra Simfonica a Filarmonicii de Stat "George Enescu" din Bucureşti, George Georgescu, cond. Electrecord ECD 58 (LP), ca. 1960–69. Reissued on Artia ALP 118 (LP)
- Enescu, George. Symphony No. 1, Sinfonia Concertante for Cello & Orchestra, Op. 8. George Enescu State Philharmonic, Mihai Brediceanu, cond. (Symphony); Valentin Arcu, cello; Orchestra of the Romanian Radio and Television, Iosif Conta, cond. (Sinfonia Concertante). Marco Polo 8.223141 (CD). [N.p.]: Pacific Music Co., Ltd., 1988. Reissued (streaming audio) Naxos Music Library, 2004.
- Enescu, George. Orchestral Works, Volume 3. Symphony No. 1 in E-flat major, op. 13; Vox maris, op. 31. Philharmonia Moldova, Alexander Lascae, cond. With Marius Budoiu, tenor; The Gavril Musicescu Choir (Doru Morariu, choir master). Ottavo OTR C59346 (CD). The Hague: Ottavo Recordings, 1994.
- Enescu, George. Complete Orchestral Works, Vol. 1. Symphony No. 1 in E-flat major, op. 13; Romanian Overture; Study Symphony No. 4 in E-flat major. Romanian National Radio Orchestra, Horia Andreescu, cond. Electrecord [catalog number and date unknown] Reissued, Olympia Explorer Series. Olympia OCD 441 (CD). London: Olympia Compact Discs Ltd., 1994.
- Enescu, George. Symphony No. 1; Suite No. 3 'Villageoise'. BBC Philharmonic, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, cond. Chandos CHAN 9507 (CD).
- Enescu, George. Symphonies 1 et 2. Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, Lawrence Foster, cond. EMI Classics CDC 7 54763 2 (0777 7 54763 2) [N.p.]: EMI France, 1993.
- Enescu, George. Suite d'orchestre no. 1; Intermède op. 12; Symphony no. 1. "George Enescu" Bucharest Philharmonic Orchestra, Cristian Mandeal, conductor. Arte Nova 74321 37314 2 (CD). [Germany]: Arte Nova, 1996. Reissued Arte Nova 373140 (CD). [Germany]: Arte Nova, 2007.
- Enescu, George. Symphonie Concertante; Symphony No. 1. Tampere Philharmonic, Template:Fu ll Lintu, cond.; Truls Mork, cello. Ondine ODE1198-2 (CD). [N.p.]: Ondine Records, 2015.
References
- Botstein, Leon. n.d. "George Enescu: Symphony No. 1 in E-flat, Op. 13 (1905)". American Symphony Orchestra website (accessed 6 December 2012).
- Voicana, Mircea, Clemansa Firca, Alfred Hoffman, Elena Zottoviceanu, in collaboration with Myriam Marbe, Stefan Niculescu, and Adrian Ratiu. 1971. George Enescu: Monografie. 2 vols. Bucharest: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România.
Further reading
- Bentoiu, Pascal. 2010. Masterworks of George Enescu: A Detailed Analysis, translated by Lory Wallfisch. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-7665-1 (cloth) ISBN 978-0-8108-7690-3 (ebook).
- Malcolm, Noel. 1990. George Enescu: His Life and Music, with a preface by Sir Yehudi Menuhin. London: Toccata Press. ISBN 0-907689-32-9.