Subsequently, 1910 was an aberrant year for Enescu as he did not write any new compositions. As Malcolm illustrates with three compositions that Enescu consecutively performed in 1909, one was perceived as ‘too modern’, another was criticized as ‘a regression which did not make any step towards a more modern style’, and yet another received a ‘hostile reception’ owing to its seemingly inadequate classical style. Despite the free-flowing and seemingly improvisational spirit of his music, Enescu meticulously labored at his compositions (with an ink pen and scraping knife), and, typically dissatisfied, would continue editing some of his major works for several years.Įnescu’s innate perfectionism was most likely aggravated by public audiences and music critics who did not appreciate (or understand) his development of polyphony and heterophony, particularly in his early adult compositions. In spite of two turbulent World Wars and his own personal crises, Enescu’s music is often calm and clear. Although born into a middle-class family, enthusiastically embraced by the Romanian royal family and later married to an aristocrat, unbelievably Enescu died in impoverished circumstances.
While there are other worthwhile books about Enescu, I especially like Malcolm’s simple narrative, which traces a central theme of contrasts among Enescu’s life, his music and the public’s perception of it – contrasts which run parallel to the counterpoint in Enescu’s music. I would qualify this book as a must-have based on Malcolm’s extensively researched and well-written narrative, which also includes three reference-quality appendices (Enescu compositions, recordings and bibliography). Noel Malcolm’s book George Enescu: His Life and Music, published both in English (Toccata Press 1999) and Romanian (Humanitas 2011), is an excellent introduction for the general reader or meloman, which provides the chronologically concise story of this habitually misconstrued musician.
George Enescu: His Life and Music by Noel Malcolm
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