Potere e dignità. Il ‘caso George Enescu’

Abstract

Throughout his musical career, George Enescu (1881-1955) has always maintained relations with those in power, sometimes raising doubts about his political disengagement – the fraternal friendship with the royal family follows the dark affair of voluntary exile in 1946. The way in which power influenced Enescu's artistic personality will be explored, highlighting his essential line: through music, Enescu defended freedom and human dignity against any form of political blackmail. The patronage of Elena Bibescu and Queen Elizabeth of Romania enriched Enescu's relationship with the Romanian institutions since his formation (1881-1914). Subsequently, the musical dream was put at the service of the last, the feverish concert activity consoling the wounded of the First World War (1915-1943). The spirit of solidarity developed at the head of the Iaşi Symphony Orchestra evolves into Œdipe, op. 23, tragédie lyrique, whose admonition «Man is stronger than fate» chillingly anticipates the uncompromising conduct of exile (1944-1955). A new school of thought believes that Enescu was accustomed to submitting to power in order to gain economic advantages linked to his growing popularity. However, the sources reveal his interest in a musical maturation detached from personal advantage, as well as the development of an unusual humanity for the prototype of the eighteenth-century virtuoso. The architects of the politicisation of culture used Enescu's image in propaganda for the rise of totalitarianism, but he immediately rejected any political involvement. In this complex historical interweaving, Enescu grasps the ethical aspect of the relationship with power and spreads his own propaganda message, in which music is the language and human dignity is the object.