Légende
George Enescu (1881 – 1955)

George Enescu was born in the village of Livena, Romania in 1881. Showing great musical talent from an early age, he graduated from the Vienna Conservatoire before his 13th birthday. He then went on to Paris where he studied composition with Jules Massenet and Gabriel Fauré, as well as harmony and the violin.

On graduating from Paris, Enescu followed a successful career as a violinist, pianist and conductor, and later in life, as his health deteriorated, he took up teaching with students including Yehudi Menuhin. However, Enescu’s main focus was always composition.

Much of Enescu’s work was influenced by Romanian folk music and his desire to revitalize music in Romania, yet from his studies in Paris there is often an element of French impressionism to be found through many of his works.

Written in 1906, the short work for trumpet and piano Légende shows little of Enescu’s nationalistic side. In ternary form, Légende’s opening statement shows the trumpet as a lyrical instrument, perhaps voice-like, over quiet chordal accompaniment. The middle section grows more virtuosic, with sparkling chromatic runs and dazzling triple tonguing, testing the players technique whilst keeping to the inherent musical shape. A return to the quiet opening music completes the work.

It is not surprising that Légende, which was written as a trumpet test piece (solo de concours) for the Conservatory know holds a significant place in the 20th century trumpet repertoire.

© Adrian Horn