Less demonstrative than its opus-mate, Enescu's second Roumanian Rhapsody is not well known, though it could be considered the superior work of the pair. Like Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 5, the Roumanian Rhapsody No. 2 departs from the expected format by eschewing a fast section; though unlike Liszt's grim threnody, Enescu's work is warm, nostalgic and sentimental, and reaches a passionate climax that expresses the Roumanian character perhaps more deeply than the whirling dances of Op. 11 #1.

The main theme on which the entire rhapsody is based is heard at once, in richly harmonized, divisi strings, and is brought to full fruition in a climax of almost Sibelian grandeur. A brief episode evoking the drone of eastern European bagpipes and their pungent, major/minor melismata leads to a middle section in which the cor Anglais sings a sad melody over soft, ominous rumblings from the timpani and tremolando strings. Here the theme is a minor key variant of the opening tune. As it reaches a second, impressive climax, it opens out into a full-throated reprise of the opening measures. Only in the very brief coda is there a hint of the faster tempi of Roumanian dance, a quick snippet of a tune from the viola over light, rhythmic accompaniment from strings, with the now-familiar drone in the bass, as if we are being invited not so much to the dance as to a fond memory of the dance. A glowing final chord swells and fades, and the flute pronounces the tiniest of benedictions.

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The Roumanian Rhapsody No. 1 dates from 1901. Although its popularity tends to eclipse other equally deserving works in Enescu's oeuvre, the first rhapsody deserves its universal acclaim, for its succinct encapsulation of the Roumanian gypsy style of music, as well as its masterful deployment by a virtuosic composer. Though in later years Enescu relied less on quotation of actual folk music, allowing the elements of folk style to shape his original themes, in this rhapsody he makes use of a number of Romanian folk songs and dances, arranged to produce a relentless acceleration of tempi leading up to the climax.

The opening bars are inspired: clarinet and oboe call fragments of the first folk tune to each other, as if from hillside to distant hillside (one imagines Romanian shepherds piping), while solo flute comments in short, bird-like phrases. The orchestra joins in, tentatively at first, then with rhythm and resolve, as a medley of lively dances proceeds with increasing abandon. Enescu's writing for full Romantic orchestra is particularly virtuosic, full of color and style, but also preserving the unmistakable impression of a wild Gypsy orchestra. By the time the accelerando coda begins, the listener has been taken delightfully over the top by a master composer.

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Enescu came to regard his Romanian Rhapsodies as sins of his youth, folkloric pop pieces that hardly reflected the more serious works of his maturity. But in truth, these pieces, particularly the first, are all that most people know of Romania's most famous composer. They follow in the traditions of such nineteenth century pieces as Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies and Dvorák's Slavonic Rhapsodies, adapting indigenous melodies, dance rhythms, and to some degree forms to the needs and expectations of the Romantic orchestra and its audience.

The first rhapsody takes its general inspiration from Liszt, employing the slow-fast pattern of his Hungarian Rhapsodies (and for that matter of the Czech dumka, as employed by Dvorák). Enescu initially conveys the intimate, gypsy folk-band nature of this music by assigning the melodies to solo and duo instruments before pulling together the entire orchestra for the later, forcefully swirling dances.

If the first rhapsody is mostly about dance, the second is a collection of songs. It's mostly leisurely music based on folk tunes, often employing the characteristic drone of Eastern European music and spending a great deal of time in the minor mode. Although it swells to a pair of climaxes, the music is generally tender and ends quietly. Not a noisy crowd-pleaser, it lies in the shadow of its predecessor.

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