Enescu: Complete Works for Solo Piano, Vol. 1

Featuring

Josu de Solaun
George Enescu

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Performer Biography

Josu De Solaun, the pianist on this album, is the only Spanish pianist to win both the George Enescu International Piano Competition and the José Iturbi International Piano Competition.

Composition History

The Pièces impromptues, Op. 18, were mistakenly identified as a suite by Enescu's devotees; the composer himself believed the score was lost, and it was only premiered in 1959, four years after his death.

Composer Biography

George Enescu was a champion of contemporary music, participating as a pianist in the first performance of Stravinsky's Les Noces and premiering Ravel's violin sonata with the composer.

Composer Biography

George Enescu was a versatile musician, astounding audiences with his virtuosity on the piano, cello, and organ, in addition to his primary instrument, the violin.

Recording & Production

This album was recorded in January 2016 at the Palau de la Musica in Valencia, Spain, using a Shigeru Kawai instrument.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Enescu's compositional ideology favored the superimposition of melodic material, a technique influenced by Romanian folk music, particularly the 'doina' song form.

Composer Biography

George Enescu, born in a small Romanian village, was a child prodigy who enrolled at the Vienna Conservatory at age seven and later studied composition with Fauré and Massenet at the Paris Conservatory.