George Enescu was a double figure in many ways. He was of Romanian descent, but started his career in Paris. Although he preferred to compose, he was best known as one of the best violinists of his generation. His oeuvre remained small (only 33 opus numbers). This limited number, however, was the result of endless rewriting and sharpening. He lamented the popularity of his two Romanian rhapsodies,
… as if he were nothing more than an arranger of folk tunes. Nevertheless, the rhapsodic freedom of Romanian folk music largely determined the originality of his music. However, he was not concerned with brutal primitivism, but about recalling long-gone childhood memories. Gidon Kremer (who once provided a suggestive recording of Enescu's Impressions d'Enfance) and his Kremerata Baltica released a CD with Enescu's rarely performed Octet op.7 and the Quintet op.29. (HJ)more
