20th Century Classics: Enescu

Enescu: Three Symphonies, Violin Sonata No 3 / Foster, Sokolov, Kosenko, Composer: George Enescu, Performer: Valeriy Sokolov, Svetlana Kosenko, Conductor: Lawrence Foster, Orchestra/Ensemble: Lyon National Orchestra, Les Elements Chamber Choir, Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, Number of Discs: 2 " If there ever were a classical composer who was underappreciated it must be George Enescu. Yes, he composed what was to become the very famous and widely performed Rumanian Rhapsody. But there is much more to his musical creativity than that wonderful piece. Take, for example, his Symphony Number 3 beautifully performed by the Choeur de Chambre Les Elements and the Orchestre National de Lyon under the direction of Lawrence Foster. The last movement ends as a magnificent choral work. Hearing it for the first time I am sorry I had not heard it many times before. Had not heard it instead of those innumerable performances of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony or Mozart's Jupiter Symphony or all the other orchestra works so standard in the concert halls today. Dr. Stephen Schoeman "