| Symphony No. 4 | |
|---|---|
| Unfinished symphony by George Enescu | |
 George Enesco | |
| Key | E minor |
| Composed | 1928–34, completed by Pascal Bentoiu |
| Movements | 3 |
The Symphony No. 4 in E minor is an orchestral composition by the Romanian composer George Enescu, left incomplete at the composer's death, but finished in 1996 by Pascal Bentoiu.
Enescu began sketching his Fourth Symphony in 1928, but did not return to it in earnest until after completing the orchestration of his opera Œdipe in 1931. Although he worked on the symphony from 1932, he broke off work in December 1934 after achieving a complete draft and a partial orchestration. He briefly resumed work in the spring of 1939, but it remained incomplete at his death. [1] [2]
Enescu made two orchestrated drafts of the first movement. The first is undated, while the second one, dated 20 October 1934, [3] or possibly 20 December according to Malcolm, [4] also continues the orchestration into the second movement, extending through about the first quarter of it. After having completed Enescu's Fifth Symphony in 1995, Pascal Bentoiu undertook completion of the Fourth as well, and this version was premiered in Bucharest on 2 October 1997 by Cristian Mandeal conducting the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra. [5] The UK premiere was given in London on 29 April 2017 by Samuel Draper conducting the Oberon Symphony Orchestra. [6]
The symphony has three movements, which are played without pauses in between:
The first movement is in sonata-allegro form, with the exposition presenting the exceptionally economical matter (only five or six melodic elements) that will account for virtually all of the music in the symphony. The main cyclic theme, which will recur in each movement at the same pitch and in the same instrument, first appears in the trumpet at rehearsal number 21. The development section is comparatively short, but this will be compensated by further extensive development in the finale. The recapitulation brings back the two main themes in reverse order. The second theme, originally presented in the solo flute, returns in a blaze of orchestral colour, while the first theme group is represented mainly by what was originally a bridge idea. [7] This first movement, although completed by Enescu, cannot be regarded on its own, nor did the composer conceive it as such. Even in its unfinished form, the second movement (Un poco andante, marziale) follows without interruption and represents, in its thematic character, a continuation of the initial movement [8]
The second movement develops further both of the theme groups from the first movement, in a march character that builds steadily to a climax at rehearsal number 49 and then subsides to a whisper in a solo string quartet, specified by the composer in the short-score sketch. The movement ends inconclusively, with a tremolo in the strings, cymbals, and harp that leads directly into the finale. [9]
The finale is difficult to assign to a definite form. Although there are passages with expository and developmental aspects, its overall function is the recapitulation of all the material from the previous two movements. After a certain point, Enescu turns his attention to breaking up the rhythms within the 3
4 metre, first into twos, then fours, fives, nines, and tens, as well as superimposing them until finally the underlying ternary rhythm is broken and transformed into a binary metre. [10]
George Enescu, known in France as Georges Enesco, was a Romanian composer, violinist, conductor and teacher and is regarded as one of the greatest musicians in Romanian history.
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The Octet for strings in C major, Op. 7, is an octet composition for string instruments by the Romanian composer George Enescu, completed in 1900. Together with the Octet in F major, Op. 17 (1849) by Niels Gade, it is regarded as amongst the most notable successors to Felix Mendelssohn's celebrated Octet, Op. 20.
The Sonata No. 3 in A minor "dans le caractère populaire roumain" for violin and piano, Op. 25, is a chamber music composition written in 1926 by the Romanian composer George Enescu. The score, published in 1933, is dedicated to the memory of the violinist Franz Kneisel. It is one of the composer's most popular and at the same time most critically respected works.
Radu Paladi was a Romanian composer, pianist, and conductor. His compositions include stage and film music, choral works, vocal music and vocal-symphonic works, chamber music, symphonic music as well as concertos.
Symphony No. 2, Op. 17, in A major by the Romanian composer George Enescu was written in 1912–14. A performance lasts about 55 minutes.
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The Symphony No. 5 in D major is a large-scale composition for orchestra, tenor soloist, and female choir by the Romanian composer George Enescu, using a text by the Romanian poet Mihai Eminescu. Drafted in 1941 and partially orchestrated at some later date, the symphony was left unfinished at Enescu's death, but has been completed posthumously, first partially by Cornel Țăranu in 1970–72 and 1990, then in complete form by Pascal Bentoiu in 1995.
The Chamber Symphony, Op. 33, in E major, is a symphony written for twelve instruments, and the last work finished by the Romanian composer George Enescu.
Piano Quartet No. 2 in D minor, Op. 30, is a chamber-music composition by the Romanian composer George Enescu, written in 1943–44.
The Piano Quartet No. 1 in D major, Op. 16, is a chamber music composition by the Romanian composer George Enescu, written in 1909 and first performed in Paris the same year.
The Sonata No. 3 for Piano in D major, Op. 24, No. 3, is a piano sonata by the Romanian composer George Enescu, written between 1933 and 1935.
The String Quartet No. 2 in G major, Op. 22, No. 2, is a chamber music work by the Romanian composer George Enescu, composed mainly between 1950 and 1951, though it has a lengthy pre-history and received a number of revisions in 1952 and possibly early 1953. The score is dedicated to the American pianist, composer, and arts patron, Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge. A performance of it lasts about 25 minutes.
The Sonata No. 1 for Piano in F-sharp minor, Op. 24, No. 1, is a piano sonata by the Romanian composer George Enescu, completed in 1924.
The Sonata No. 2 for violin and piano in F minor, Op. 6, is the second violin sonata by the Romanian composer George Enescu, completed in 1899.
The Cello Sonata No. 2 in C major, Op. 26, No. 2, is a sonata for cello and piano by the Romanian composer George Enescu, written in 1935. A performance lasts about 30 minutes.
The Decet for winds in D major, Op. 14, is a chamber music work by the Romanian composer George Enescu, written in 1906 and first performed in Paris the same year. A performance lasts about 23 minutes.
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| Piano music | |
| Named for Enescu | |
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