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Enescu composed three Suites for Orchestra, which span virtually the whole of his creative life. The First Orchestral Suite, Op.9, dates from 1902; No.2 came in 1915, and the third was written in 1938 , receiving its first performance first performance by New York Philharmonic Orchestra with the composer conducting in February 1939. In his orchestral suites Enescu reveals a different part of his artistic make-up than he did in his symphonic works; the suites show a greater use of colouration for its own sake, relating his folk style to much larger structures, and rely less on thematic integration. Enescu’s First Orchestral suite, Op.9, was written in 1902 in Paris and is one of his more striking earlier achievements. It was first heard in Bucharest on 23rd February 1903, conducted by Enescu, at the same concert where both of his Romanian Rhapsodies, Op.11, were premiered.

The suite is an unusual synthesis of compositional styles which, in the following decades, became major forces in contemporary music. The first movement, prelude a l’unisson, is scored virtually throughout for the orchestral violins alone. In this concentration upon a single line Enescu’s invention is such that we are carried forward by the expressive contours of his writing, which reveals an eastern European element very exceptional for its time The entry of the timpani is a master-stroke. From this beginning, the Menuet lent - early neo-classicism? - comes as a welcome change of perspective, a falling phrase of three notes within a fluid and warm texture. The brief Intermede is a relaxation of emotion and tension before the finale, in which Romanian folk elements are revealed. Beginning quietly, this movement grows to a brilliant and exciting ending in C major.

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