[.ca] George Enescu Op. 7 & 29:

From Amazon.com:
If, indeed, this is the first recording of George Enescu's Piano Quintet Op. 29, where has this passionate, big-boned masterpiece been hiding since it was written in 1940? It has everything: long, surging melodies; ravishing harmonies best described as "red meat Fauré"; delicate counterpoint that suddenly explodes into orchestral ecstasy; sustained string lines decorated by magical keyboard flourishes. Stylistically, it sounds as if it could have been written before the same composer's Op. 7 Octet from 1900, whose terse idiom and restless polyphony wouldn't be out of place in Shostakovich. Nonesuch provides engineering that's roomy yet well-defined, and perfectly suited to these works. And how are the performances? Passionate and big-boned, for starters, and lovingly prepared. In the Octet, Kremer sometimes lunges at high notes with tremulous intonation, but not in the Quintet. If you're a chamber music fan bent on new discoveries, this disc is for you. Highly recommended. --Jed Distler

WOW!:
The Piano Quintet, Op. 29 is simple astounding. Black tears; this Quintet is the "tear-stained flower of the poet's mind." Here, one is not asked to listen to melody, but rather a cascade of threads of melody woven together in the subconscience. This is impressionism in its most quintessential form. I highly recommend this recording for its addition of this marvelous Piano Quintet - a gem of the modern world.

Octet fan:
I purchased this recording mainly for the Octet, which is probably one of the great unknown chamber works out there. I found the performance of the octet a bit cold and calculated overall, and Kremer's tempos are extremely conservative in the work's very difficult second movement. I still prefer the account by Academy of St. Martin in the Fields on Chandos, which is far more rich and interesting overall. The Piano Quintet I'd never heard, but is characteristically lush and exquisite.

Lush string writing with some unexpected sharp edges:
The Octet is fairly well known, although I note that another reviewer called it 'one of the great unknown chamber works out there.' Live performances are few because it is difficult getting two string quartets together to play the thing; and when they do get together they typically play everyone's favorite octet, the Mendelssohn. Still this one ought to be played more often, and I think Kremer and his group are to be commended for recording it, if only because some people will buy it because of Gidon Kremer's fame. As for the Quintet, I'm still making up my mind about it. It's a first recording and I'd certainly never heard it before. I've listened to it four times now and it's beginning to make sense to me. What I miss is the almost decadent lushness of the Octet. There is a good deal more propulsion in this piece, and often in the service of wisps of invention that appear, disappear, are replaced never to be heard again. It's a little like overhearing a distant conversation whose gist is just out of reach. I kept thinking that it was impressionistic *and* expressionistic at the same time--whole tone bits collide with quartal harmonies in a dreamlike miasma. It's growing on me. The performances are slightly cool, slightly astringent. This minimizes the lushness of the writing, but it brings out the drama inherent in Enescu's very personal style.

Enescu the Architect:
George Enescu said of the octet, featured on this disc, that it was more like architectual design than composing. This can be heard in the connections he makes between the movements, which, although in a traditional 4-movement form, is really more like a single sonata form spread across those movements. The resulting unity is astonishing. The main theme is expressed in many ways through call-and-answer interactions between the string players, making it easy to get lost in the delightful playfulness of the piece. The result of eight parts in this octet is a little like the effects of multiple concussions to the head. Instead of 2+2=4, and 4+4=8, it sounds more like 2+2=7 or 8, and 2+2+2+2=not being able to count at all. This is one of the first major works he composed after his student years, and it is one of his first major successes. A great one. The quintet is a later work, and a little bit more difficult to understand. Listeners will hear most readily the impressionistic influence, but there is much more to it than that. It is somewhat atmospheric in nature, like the best of Villa-Lobos's piano music (also connected to Parisian influence). Like the octet, the quintet does not show as strong an influence of folk music as some of the composer's popular work does, but rather an incredibly detailed design. Again, form is the most satisfying element, but in a less audible way. Both of the works are beautiful, charming, charicteristic of the composer, and performed as such by Gidon Kremer and his fellow musicians. I wouldn't be the first in saying that anything he records will be worth listening to, and this is another case of his work shedding light on an unfairly neglected composer. This is recommended without reservation, but don't stop here. Enescu was a true master musician--his knowledge coming from all spheres of music: composing, performing (piano and violin), conducting, and teaching. Because his work was so spread out, he wasn't as prolific as many, but the works he left us should be cherished as much as any from the last century. Truly, his musical thoughts are as profound, if not moreso, than those of Stravinsky, Sibelius, Shostakovich, or Britten, to name a few. If you're unfamiliar with him, Kremer's disc is a great place to start.

An obsession:
(...). Fortune has smiled on \opianist in this recording\c, as this recording was nominated for a Grammy, and he took the 4th prize in this year's Cleveland International Piano Competition, playing very unusual repertoire - his program included the fiery Shostakovich 1st Sonata. I wish the guy the best of luck, even though I'm going to be competing against him one day. Since first hearing this CD shortly after it was released, I must have listened to the Quintet part of it at least a hundred times. The Octet is glorious, too, with wonderful key relationships and great melodies, but the Quintet is just a heart-stopper. Only a man who was both a masterful pianist and a violinist, as Enescu was, could write a chamber work this deep and rewarding, which stands with - maybe above - Brahms', Franck's and Schumann's contributions to the form. It rewards repeated listening and has an atmosphere all its own, a darkened Romanian forest, where the most fantastic spiritual awakenings take place. I cannot recommend this CD highly enough.

• Octet, op. 7: Tres modere
• Octet, op. 7: Tres fouguex
• Octet, op. 7: Lentement
• Octet, op. 7: Moins vite, anime, mouvement de valse bien rythmee
• Quintet in A Minor, op. 29: Con moto molto moderato
• Quintet in A Minor, op. 29: Andante sostenuto e cantabile
• Quintet in A Minor, op. 29: Vivace, ma non troppo
• Quintet in A Minor, op. 29: A tempo, un poco piu animato