COMPOSERS: Enescu
LABELS: Ottavo
WORKS: Symphony No. 1 in E flat; Vox maris
PERFORMER: Marius Budoiu (tenor); Gavril Musicescu Choir, Philharmonia Moldova/Alexander Lascae
CATALOGUE NO: OTR C59346 DDD
Brahms meets Hollywood in the most popular of Enescu’s three symphonies. There is tunefulness and orchestral colour in abundance, but sadly they never meet. The Monte Carlo PO make a better job of it on EMI. Vox maris is a curiosity, a symphonic poem about the sea enlivened by some strikingly original passages but justly condemned to obscurity for its painful vocal interlude and the over-enthusiastic use of a wind machine. Christopher Lambton
Enescu: Symphony No. 1 in E flat; Vox maris
Brahms meets Hollywood in the most popular of Enescu’s three symphonies. There is tunefulness and orchestral colour in abundance, but sadly they never meet. The Monte Carlo PO make a better job of it on EMI. Vox maris is a curiosity, a symphonic poem about the sea enlivened by some strikingly original passages but justly condemned to obscurity for its painful vocal interlude and the over-enthusiastic use of a wind machine. Christopher Lambton
Published: January 20, 2012 at 3:15 pm