GEORGE ENESCU

 

CD 1

Prelude and Fugue in C Major (1903)

1. Prelude

2. Presto vivace

3. Nocturne in D Flat Major (1907)

4. Scherzo (1896)

5. Pièce sur le nom de Fauré (1922)

 

CD 2

Piano Sonata No.1 in F sharp minor Op. 24/1 (1924)

1. Allegro molto moderato e grave

2. Fugue                                               

3. Andante molto espressivo

Piano Sonata No.3 in D major Op. 24/3 (1934)

4. Vivace con brio

5. Andantino cantabile

6. Allegro con spirito

 

Luiza Borac, piano

 

Luiza Borac caused a sensation with her debut disc for Avie, of Enescu’s Three Piano Suites. The disc garnered unanimous critical acclaim and secured her place on the musical map. Luiza is the greatest living exponent of her compatriot’s endlessly revelatory piano music. For her second offering of Enescu’s solo piano music she has unearthed two works, the Nocturne and the Scherzo, making her survey the most complete available set on the market. George Enescu was “the greatest musical phenomenon since Mozart” according to Pablo Casals. He was boundlessly prodigious yet only 33 works are known to survive, probably the result of his staggering capacity to maintain entire musical creations in his mind without committing them to manuscript. Hence, of his three piano sonatas only Nos. 1 and 3 exist today! Luiza’s empathetic interpretations are themselves a revelation making this an outstanding contribution to the catalogue.

 

critical acclaim for Luiza Borac    

“A most valuable CD … One hopes that it might be the first instalment of a second Enescu piano music survey.”

– The Gramophone

 

“second to none … She has this music in her heart, mind and fingertips. Her playing is superb, short through with a genuine re-creative art which makes her one of the most compelling pianists this repertoire one could ever hope to hear.” – International Record Review

 

“Borac brings the many contrasting characters and beguiling melodies of her compatriot Enescu’s Piano Suites to elegant, often impassioned life.” – Classic fM Magazine

 

“Borac plays with authority and interpretative conviction throughout and her versatility in the music’s wide-ranging colours and styles in excellent.” – Pianist

 

summary

One of George Enescu’s greatest living exponents, Luiza Borac, rounds out her survey of her compatriot’s solo piano works with a 2-CD Hybrid SACD set that includes newly unearthed repertoire.

           

Avie 2SACDs AV2081