The Unknown Enescu

Ivry Gitlis was born in Haifa, Israel, in 1922. He took up the violin at age five and began concertizing at nine years old. With the help of virtuoso Bronislau Hubermann, he attended the National Conservatory in Paris, and his subsequent teachers included George Enescu, Jacques Thibaud, and Carl Flesch. He lived in England during the War and, after time spent as a factory worker, joined the British Army, where he was assigned to help entertain troops by giving recitals. He made his postwar debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and subsequently performed with all of the major orchestras in Great Britain. H

Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst (1812–65) was one of the leading musicians of his day, a friend of Berlioz, Chopin, Liszt and Mendelssohn, and for Joseph Joachim ‘the greatest violinist I ever heard’. This is the fourth CD in a series of seven which will present all his compositions for the first time. It contains some of his most important compositions: an early Concertino with a melancholy slow movement and charming waltz finale; the fiendishly difficult Concerto that had a deep influence not only on Liszt’s Piano Sonata but also on concertos by Brahms and Sibelius; and the late String Quartet, with echoes of Beethoven and Mendelssohn and an inwardness, charm and energy all of its own.

Gitlis plays the violin concerti at a faster tempo than most soloists. It doesn't work very well for violin concerto number one, but it completely rocks for concerto number two I absolutely love it! In fact it's my favorite classical work. I can't rave enough about it. He uses his own cadenza which is fantastic. He uses Emile Sauret's cadenza in the first concerto, which I don't like very much too drawn out and long winded. The three Caprices and the I Palpiti are as good as it gets too..

Gitlis plays the violin concerti at a faster tempo than most soloists. It doesn't work very well for violin concerto number one, but it completely rocks for concerto number two I absolutely love it! In fact it's my favorite classical work. I can't rave enough about it. He uses his own cadenza which is fantastic. He uses Emile Sauret's cadenza in the first concerto, which I don't like very much too drawn out and long winded. The three Caprices and the I Palpiti are as good as it gets too..