LDV97

DAVID GRIMAL ∙ LES DISSONANCES 13 Is he still a figure with a substantial symbolic aura in Romania today, even outside the musical world? Unquestionably. Enescu appeared like a meteor at the moment when Romania was creating its musical institutions: the first orchestras and opera houses were founded in the second half of the nineteenth century. Music was one of the strongest binding agents for burgeoning national feeling. Romania is one of the few countries in the world whose national hero is a composer of art music! How can we explain this phenomenon? Romanians are very proud of their heritage and their history. Enescu’s music embodies the soul of his people and his country. He is also associated with the golden age of Greater Romania in the early twentieth century, of which he was a key figure. His international career as both creator and performer gave him an aura that no other Romanian musician has ever possessed. Both Dinu Lipatti and Yehudi Menuhin, who were his disciples, testified to the incredibly high standards of their mentor: in their view, he was music itself. The surviving recordings recall the beauty and richness of his expressive style.