Enescu Symphonies 1-3/etc.

[Alan Howe]

...forthcoming from Cristian Măcelaru, conducting the Orchestre National de France (on DG):
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9607401--enescu-symphonies-nos-1-3-romanian-rhapsodies-1-2

[Alan Howe]

This 3-CD set is now out - and should do much to bring Enescu's vibrant (and somewhat left-field) symphonies to the public's attention. At around £20 for the set it's something of a bargain. Perhaps the conductor, Cristian Măcelaru, will be introducing us to further unusual repertoire in future recordings.

[Ilja]

Thanks, this sounds like a really interesting set; not least because they show a very clear musical evolution. However, that might even be more illustrated if everyone didn't keep forgetting about the other symphonies. After all, Enescu wrote nine of the things. 

Now, I sort of understand the reluctance about Bentoiu's completions of the E minor (1934) and D major (1941). But the neglect of the "Study symphonies" is more difficult to fathom. The fact that they were written when in he was his teens doesn't mean they've stopped being symphonies all of a sudden; the "study symphony" ephitet to justify ignoring them is even possibly even more moronic than talking about numbers "00" and "0" (Bruckner) or just assigning random symphony numbers to orchestral things even if they're not symphonies (Mendelssohn).

[Alan Howe]

Only two of the 'Study Symphonies' have been recorded and Nos.2 and 3 are presumed lost. I haven't listened to the completions of (the much later) Nos.4 and 5 for ages - I'll have to dig them out. Certainly it'd be good to have the two surviving early symphonies in new recordings, though they are very early and uncharacteristic - No.1 in D minor is from 1895, (No.2 in F major from 1895, No.3 in F major from 1896) and No.4 in E flat from 1898, i.e. all were written by the time Enescu was seventeen.

The same applies to Dohnanyi, of course. And Tippett. And Sibelius. And Arnell. Perhaps.

[Alan Howe]

Hurwitz has just posted a video in which he says that the new set was 'sabotaged' by the orchestra and engineers - and I think he may be right. I was certainly unimpressed by the sound but couldn't put my finger on what was wrong. Anyway, at this stage I'd advise caution about purchase and point anyone interested in the music to the excellent three CDs conducted by Lintu on Ondine.
Link to Hurwitz's video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuVoU6OBuuY&list=PLAjIX596BriEwSbnDlmBIpVglgIp9Pf5i

[eschiss1]

Given that Enescu's (imho amazing) octet dates from only about two years after that 1898 symphony (and the octet, in turn, maybe 5 years before the better-known/published E-flat symphony) it was, I think, a good creative period in his life... (which is not a statement of the relative value of his music between periods- that's not how I mean the statement.)

[hyperdanny]

DH is not the only one: even before seeing his video, I was alarmed by the fact that in the 2 reviews on the set's page on amazon, one from the USA said the sound is "lousy", the other one from germany says "Der Klang ist distanziert und blass" (distanced and weak, according to google)
Usually these "user reviews" are all over the place and do not agree on anything.

[der79sebas]

I bought the set and was rather disappointed, too. So many things missing...

[eschiss1]

re alternative versions of the 3 numbered symphonies, I forget if I've heard Lintu's set, but I think I've heard Foster's set on EMI and a couple of others too. Fortunately this triple of symphonies has had several very good advocates and recordings over the years (despite very, very belated publication, in the case of symphonies 2 and 3, both published around a half-century after they were composed.)

[kolaboy]

Blah. I was hoping to update my Marco Polo versions.

[Alan Howe]

Go for Lintu. Superb performances and recording.

[kolaboy]

Thank you, A.H.