| Abstract |
This is a book about the great composer, violin virtuoso, piano virtuoso, and conductor (one of the most versatile musicians of our time), who is considered the father of Romanian nationalism in high-art music. Even after his death, young Romanian composers have turned to his scores in order to better understand the Romanian soul. In fact, his countrymen hold his memory in such regard that his hometown has been renamed after him. Nevertheless, his compositional style was cosmopolitan, with a distinctly Parisian flavor. (Indeed, we know his name in the spelling he adopted while living in France.) His most ambitious work was his four-act opera Oedipe, based on the Sophocles tragedy, but ending - unlike the original - on a note of triumph. This opera is extensively analyzed by the author, who has included in the text more than 80 musical examples from Enesco's works, making this book a must for music lovers who wish to become better acquainted with one of the masters of the twentieth century. |
