The premiere of Enescu's String Octet was delayed until 1909 in Paris, where it was conducted by the composer himself.
Composer's Artistic Vision
For Enescu, melodic material was paramount; he claimed that a "musical composition" must have "a line, a melody, or, even better, melodies superimposed on one another."
Composition History
Benjamin Britten composed the original viola and piano version of Lachrymae, Op. 48, in 1950 for violist William Primrose, premiering it at the Aldeburgh Festival.
Composer Biography
Britten's arrangement of Lachrymae for viola and string orchestra, Op. 48a, was one of his last completed works, written in February 1976 after heart surgery and a stroke.
Interpretation
Enescu himself suggested that his String Octet could be performed by a string orchestra, as heard on this album, provided lyrical lines were played by soloists.
Composer Biography
George Enescu, Romania's most well-known composer, completed his String Octet Op. 7 at the age of nineteen.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Enescu's String Octet is a "double-function work," where each of the four movements fulfills its classical role while also contributing to a larger quasi-sonata form across the entire composition.
