The two Romanian Rhapsodies, Op. 11, are Enesco's best-known works and have secured a place in the repertory of major orchestras worldwide. They were written in Paris in 1901 and first performed together in 1903. The second rhapsody was played first; Enesco maintained this order of performance throughout his life. These medleys of rustic folk dances - Romani, not Slavic - remain close to the source material with little effort to develop or ornament them contemporary with Western techniques. Modal coloring creates a shifting major-minor atmosphere - a characteristic of Romanian music. The last dance of this first rhapsody features ciocirlia, an imitation of chirping birds widely found in Romani folk dances.

Rhapsody No. 1 in A Major is presented here for wind band in a complete transcription which is in no way simplified or truncated. As is the case with many compositions that have made the transition from orchestra to band, the A major key for orchestra has been changed to B-flat major for wind band. The exotic colors of Enesco's orchestration are preserved, making complete instrumentation important to the successful presentation of this music. In particular, the presence of the English horn is important, and the harp is highly desirable.