AUGUST ENNA (1859-1939): Violin Concerto in D, Symphonic Fantasy, Overture to the Opera Cleopatra.

Description: Enna was made famous by his 1892 opera The Witch, which is germaine to this disc since we have both an overture from his next opera while the 1907 concerto (of which a mono recording from 1969 once existed on that huge Danacord box-set of Danish violin concertos from over 15 years ago) has a verismo-derived slow movement which quotes Vesti la giubba sandwiched between two lyrically gentle Nordic-type outer movements. The 29-minute Fantasy originally had a fourth movement and may have been intended as Enna's third symphony. It's as conservative as can be with a personality like Raff or Glazunov (not sounding like them but with their sort of relaxed joy). Kathrin Rabus (violin), North German Radio Philharmonic; Hermann Bäumer.