Symphony No. 1 (Enescu)
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Symphony No. 1, Op. 13 vividly reflects composer George Enescu's training in Vienna, where he studied with Robert Fuchs and mastered the Brahmsian tradition in composition. At the same time, however, this work reveals the enormous French influence on Enescu that took hold when he studied in the 1890s with Massenet and Fauré. In 1905, when the Symphony No. 1 in E♭ was written, Enescu was already well established as a violinist and some of his first pieces, including the Symphonie concertante for cello and orchestra, Op. 8, had already appeared. However, the numbering of Op. 13 belies the fact that Enescu had written four previous symphonies already which are now known as "school" symphonies. The fourth such symphony is in the same key as Op. 13 and was completed in 1898.
The symphony in E♭ has the following three movements:
- Assez vif et rythmé
- Lent
- Vif et vigoureux
It was published by Enoch et co., Paris, in 1906.
Traditionally, at the opening of the George Enescu Festival, Enescu's first Symphony is the first composition to be played.
