LETTER of the MONTH
Romanian reflections
n response to your … feature (December), it is easier to make music more emotional when accompanied by words –, always likely to bring tears to an audience, is much more than just the music. It is more difficult to achieve deep emotion from music on its own. Such a piece that I feel brings intense sadness is Enescu’s . This and his were written while he was in Paris. They both conjure up a feeling of nostalgia as if the composer felt he might never see his native land again; but while the First looks back on happy memories, the Second has such an air of desolation in its heart-felt melodies that it is almost impossible to listen to without sharing in that emotion. It is permeated with an air of sadness, and even the final dance is fleeting and seen from a distance.
