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George Enesco

It is on August 19 1881 which is born George Enesco in Liveni (Bucovine), in the North-East of Romania. His/her father plays very suitably of the violin and directs even to the occasion of the choral societies. His wife often accompanies it with the guitar. Very quickly small George expresses extraordinary gifts for the music. It learns how to play of the violin that one offers to him, raises of a virtuoso gypsy.

His father presents it at the type-setter Eduard Caudella, who the fact of entering to academy of Iasi, then sends it in Vienna to study with professors of reputation, Joseph Hellmesberger (violin) and Robert Fuchs (composition). In Vienna (1888-1894) it fact quickly part of the musical life. Its concerts fill with enthusiasm the press and the public, it does not have whereas 12 years.

Decorated with the money medal with Academy of Vienna, it is in Paris that Enesco in 1895 is established for to continue its musical studies with the Academy, courses of violin of Armand Marsick, counterpoint with Andre Gedalge, the composition with Jules Massenet and Gabriel Fauré.

The Enesco student is already a fertile type-setter. To these years they go back four symphonies of youth, the first works of chamber music and especially the symphonic continuation Rumanian Poem (1898), Rumanian Rhapsodies (1901-1902), its first Continuation for orchestra (1903) and its first Symphony (1905). It travels through Europe, as far as Russia (1909). In its Romania native it directs in 1913 compositions of Richard Wagner, the opening to the Masters Singers and the Voyage of Siegfried on the Rhine.

During the First World War, it is established in Romania. It creates there ninth symphony of Beethoven, never still given completely in Bucharest. Enesco also creates there its own compositions, its second symphony (1913) and its second continuation for orchestra (1915). The finished war, Enesco takes again an existence shared between France and Romania. While composing - the third sonata for violin and piano in Rumanian popular character (1926), the opera Oedipus (1923-1930), Sonatas for piano (1924-1934), the third continuation for orchestra known as Country (1938) - it give also concerts (in France, in the United States, where it plays with Léopold Stokovski, in Poland, in Romania etc.). Its activity of pedagogue takes too a considerable importance. Yehudi Menuhin must without any doubt the blooming of its genius of violonist with George Enesco. Christian Ferras, Ivry Gitlis, Arthur Grumiaux was also among its pupils.

When the second world war bursts, Enescu takes refuge again in sound native land. It fully invests in the musical life Bucharest, being also an untiring defender of the Rumanian contemporary music: it plays of works of Constantin Silvestri, Mihail Jora, Martian Negrea, and Sabin Dragoi.
Post-war period, Enesco gives concerts with his/her friends David Oïstrakh, Emil Ghilels, and with its former pupil Yehudi Menuhin.

The introduction of the communist mode determines it to be exiled definitively. Taken refuge in Paris, it composes in 1954 its Symphony of room for twelve instruments soloists before dying out in the night from the 3 to May 4, 1955. Among its unfinished works it leaves the symphonic poem Vox Maris and two news symphonies.

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