Enescu: Piano Quartets 1 & 2

Tammuz Piano Quartet

CPO 777 506-2

George Enescu, surely Rumania's most significant composer, achieved great acclaim mainly with his instrumental works. His orchestral and chamber music place him among the greatest and most idiosyncratic masters of his age. The high points of his chamber music are the two string quartets and the two piano quartets. The latter were separated by three and a half decades and thus contrast markedly in style, although Enescu's distinctive voice is evident in both. The First Piano Quartet is a composition of epic dimensions, if only for its length. Connoisseurs have compared it to the late music of Gabriel Fauré. The style of the Second Piano Quartet is far more refined, intricate and mysterious than that of its predecessor. Here the classical character has obviously given way to a quasi-improvised Rumanian manner. Whatever the case, both are masterpieces – and presented here in masterly performances.

CD

Muzyka klasyczna

CPO

02-11-2010

761203750627