Scored for orchestra, wordless chorus, organ, and piano, this is a long way removed from any of Enescu's four so-called "School" symphonies written in the 1890s. Dedicated to Alfred Casella, this is an optimistic and idealistic Romantic work, owing much to Brahms and Wagner (especially Tristan) but also Berlioz, Franck, and Dukas. It was an immediate critical and popular success on its premiere in 1906. This probably results largely from the fact that, though it is a musically complex and densely structured work, most of its complexity is hidden from the listener, leaving only the sweeping grandeur of its Romantic thematic material to form a lasting impression.

© All Music Guide