“The greatest musical phenomenon after Mozart”, is how the renowned Spanish cellist Pablo Casals described the Romanian composer, violinist and conductor George Enescu. Enescu was undoubtedly one of his country’s most prominent composers, the creator of the national vocabulary of Romanian symphonic music, and a contributor to the formation and development of the national opera. His early music bears a resemblance to that of Wagner and the French Impressionists, while his late music has neo-romantic features and is rich in the intonations of Romanian folklore.

Legend for trumpet and piano, composed in 1906, was written for a trumpet competition initiated by the Paris Conservatoire. The composer dedicated the work to Merri Franquin, a professor of trumpet, who was the first performer. The work opened a new chapter in the development of the trumpet, from a limited capacity to a fully flexible virtuoso instrument for soloists. The composition begins with a lyrical theme which alternates with technically challenging episodes.

Enescu’s virtuosic composition is performed by trumpeter Dovas Lietuvninkas together with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Modestas Pitrėnas.