Violin Sonata No. 3 in A minor "dans le caractère populaire roumain", Op. 25

Composed in 1926 and premiered on 28 May 1927 by the composer himself (as violinist) with Céliny Chailley-Richez at the piano, Enescu's Third Violin Sonata is by universal critical consensus one of the supreme masterpieces for violin and piano, and the greatest work of Romanian art music. The subtitle 'dans le caractère populaire roumain' (in the character of Romanian folk music) is not a literal transcription but a profound synthesis: Enescu absorbed the microtonal inflections, asymmetric rhythms, and heterophonic textures of Moldavian folk music into his own highly personal late-Romantic harmonic language. The opening movement unfolds in a long-breathed improvisatory style reminiscent of the Romanian doina lament; the Andante sostenuto e misterioso is a meditation of extraordinary inner life; the Allegro con brio finale blazes with rhythmic energy. The violin part demands a near-orchestral range of tone colour and exceptional technical command of special effects including slides, harmonics, and col legno.