Cristian Mǎcelaru featured on WRTI's list of 2024's best classical albums

Photo Credit: Orchestre National de France

The Best Classical Music Albums Released in 2024 (So Far)
By Zev Kane
WRTI Your Classical and Jazz Source
June 20, 2024

At least as far as new classical releases are concerned, 2024 could not be off to a more exciting start. Halfway through the year, with hundreds of inspired new albums to choose from, here are five of our favorites.

Enescu: Symphonies Nos. 1-3 & Romanian Rhapsodies 1 & 2
Orchestre National de France, Cristian Mǎcelaru (conductor)

Philadelphians fortunate enough to have experienced Cristian Mǎcelaru during his recent tenure as The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Assistant Conductor (and later Conductor-in-Residence) know how gifted he is at navigating the rhythmic complexities of 20th-century Central and Eastern European repertoire. This Romanian conductor’s second Deutsche Grammophon release with the Orchestre National de France — he’s served as the ensemble’s Music Director since 2020 — applies the same lightness of touch and innate sense of pacing to the music of his countryman George Enescu. Like a parent untangling their child’s shoelaces moments before the school bus arrives, Mǎcelaru teases clear phrases and lines out of Enescu’s knotty, kaleidoscopic scores with masterful urgency.

Read the full article here.