listen
George Enescu, Piano Sonata no. 3
Performed live by Andrew Infanti
Although famous as a violinist, Romanian genius musician George Enescu (1881-1955) composed a significant body of solo piano works. In 1934, the third piano sonata, op. 24 (in D major), is a luminous synthesis of Enescu’s extensive musical practices.
Composed during one of the grimmest moments of the composer’s life, the sonata suggests a complex nostalgia in which music remembers itself through forgotten (perhaps even irrelevant) forms and melodies.
Sonata movements and themes
I. Vivace con brio
II. Andantino cantabile
III. Allegro con spirito
The themes of the work are cyclic — heard in each movement in a different guise. Several of the themes take as a model the Romanian Doïna — a highly ornamented type of folk melody with heterophonic accompaniment.
