Monday, March 5, 2012

George Enescu

George Enescu, 1881-1955

I heard George Enescu's Romanian Rhapsody #1 performed by Angèle Dubeau and was wowed, so I looked him up.

Enescu was a child prodigy who went to conservatory when he was only eight years old. He wrote the Romanian Rhapsody #1 at age 20. A multi-talented man, Enescu was a violinist, composer, conductor, teacher, and pianist.

In the 1920s and 30s, he made a number of trips to the U.S., where he was a guest conductor for various orchestras, such as the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra. He died in Paris, where he had resided since World War II.

Enescu is celebrated in his home country (Romania), with towns, airports, and orchestras named in his honor.

Here, the Maestro Stokowski discusses Enescu's Romanian Rhapsody #1:


You can learn more about him at the Enescu Society USA site and on The Remington Site.

3 comments:

M Pax said...

Wow, what talent to write such music at a mere 20.

GatheringBooks said...

Hi Tabatha, I love learning about musicians from world over. One of the research projects I am working on is about eminent musicians and their alternative pathways to talent development. Would you know if something has already been written about George Enescu? The video clip is also beautiful. Thanks for sharing! And Advance Happy Birthday!!!!

Tabatha said...

Here's the Enescu book that I know of: http://www.amazon.com/George-Enescu-His-Life-Music/dp/0907689337/ref=sr_1_26?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330992898&sr=1-26

I'd be interested to hear more about your research project!