Le Chasseur Maudit

1. Le Chasseur maudit (The Accursed Huntsman), symphonic poem (also arr. for piano 4-hands), M. 44
Composed by Cesar Franck
with Philharmonia
Conducted by Jacek Kaspszyk

2. Symphonic Variations, for piano & orchestra (also arr. for 2 pianos), M. 46
Composed by Cesar Franck
with Philharmonia , Seta Tanyel
Conducted by Jacek Kaspszyk

3. Symphony, in D minor, Op. 48
Composed by Cesar Franck
with Philharmonia
Conducted by Jacek Kaspszyk

Tracks:

I. Lento
II. Allegretto
III. Allegro Non Troppo
Le Chasseur Maudit

Customer Reviews:

Underrated Superb Performances Of These Franck Orchestral Pieces From Muti and The Philadelphia Orchestra.......2007-05-12

This relatively old digital recording of these Franck orchestral pieces should be regarded not only as among the best, but also one of the recording highlights during Riccardo Muti's tenure as music director of The Philadelphia Orchestra. Muti gives a lush, Romantic interpretation of the Symphony in D minor, emphasizing it as a musical piece which conveys a struggle between the forces of Light and Dark, in which Light ultimately triumphs. The Philadelphian strings and wind sections are absolutely radiant, offering warm, vibrant playing. I haven't heard the "Chasseur maudit" before, but it too is yet another excellent performance, replete with exciting horn solos. In both works, the orchestra sounds almost Central European in its playing, as if Muti was conducting either the Berliner Philharmoniker during Karajan's tenure or the Wiener Philharmoniker. If you're a fan of composer Cesar Franck, conductor Riccardo Muti or The Philadelphia Orchestra, then you most certainly must add this fine recording to your collection; for others this is absolutely a bargain Franck recording that is worthy of your consideration.

Cesar Franck's Symphony -full score.......2007-01-10

Every score I have purchased from Amazon has been of a very high standard. The print of the music is beautifully clear and has proved to be most helpful as a study score and for a conductor's score. I would recommend this score to any student of Cesar Franck's work.

Alison Edgar, Christchurch, New Zealand

frank-symphony in d minor.......2006-08-30

one of the best pieces of music ever written and this performance is one of the best we have ever heard.

Whirlwind Romanticism.......2006-06-07

Forget the criticisms of Franck's symphony you may have encountered. This is the essence of Romantic era passion and poetry in a very accessible form. If you have ears for this sort of thing at all this Muti / Philly record will knock you off your feet.

I had never heard Chasseur Maudit before but is also an exciting and lyrical piece. Too bad Franck was so discouraged about his symphonic composing. I want more!

Some of the Best Franck Performances Around--and at a Budget Price.......2006-03-29

The record of Riccardo Muti's work with Philadelphia Orchestra is variable, at least as it appears on currently available CDs, but this is certainly a disc that reminds one how well Muti and the Philadelphians performed when at the top of their game. If you want a performance of the D Minor Symphony that speaks to Franck's mysticism or the cloistered quality of his existence as organist and teacher--forget it. Muti sees the Franck Symphony as the echt-Romantic drama that Franck conceived it as, a movement from dark to light in the manner of Beethoven's Fifth or Tchaikovsky's Fifth. Along the way, Muti helps clarify the form so that the seams don't show, or as little as possible, a complaint that critics often have about this symphony. Here, the musical logic is clear and cogent. In Franck, listeners sometimes profess a preference for a Gallic approach. I find Muti's muscular "international" approach brings its own rewards, but you'll probably want another performance of the D Minor Symphony in your collection as well--perhaps Monteux's famous one on RCA or Dutoit's on Decca, to which I'm partial also. Dutoit manages to sound very French (not hard, I guess) without leaching the passion out of Franck's creation. I probably like his performance because it is similar to Muti's. (I see, however, that Dutoit's recording is currently unavailable. What about it, Decca?)

On the other hand, Franck's underrated tone poem "Le Chasseur maudit" has never been accorded a performance and recording as robust and exciting as Muti's. The magnificent climax as the church bells chime when the hunter sets out on the chase is wonderfully grandiose here, and the wild chase itself is breathtaking in its virtuosity. The final scene in which the huntsman is chased by the demons from hell has never been more frightening, not even in Munch's celebrated Boston version, which I find somewhat raw by comparison. On this day at least, Muti had by far the finer orchestra and recording team at his disposal!

Cesar Franck: Symphony in D Minor/Le Chasseur Maudit

Average customer rating:

Fantastic Work of Art!
Cesar Franck's greatest work.....
Overlooked Gem

Cesar Franck: Symphony in D Minor/Le Chasseur Maudit

Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000003CWX
Release Date: 2002-04-23

Tracks:

I. Lento/Allegro Non Troppo
II. Allegretto
III. Allegro Non Troppo
Le Chasseur Maudit

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic Work of Art!.......2004-04-07

I cannot comment on the quality of the cd or performance as compared to other orchestras, because this is the only recording I have heard. I can, however, remark that this symphony is among my favorite things to listen to. This is one of those pieces that feels like a journey. There is a section at the end of the 3rd movement of the symphony that is one of the most beautiful meditative things I have ever heard. It's enough to make one weep. If you have not heard this piece of music, I would recommend that you give this recording a try, as it is so modestly priced. This is a masterpiece that you will not regret getting to know.

Cesar Franck's greatest work............2002-06-26

This piece has always been my mother's favorite, since as far back as I can remember. I remember getting Tchaikovsky's Symphony #6 and noted how similar the two pieces were. The same kind of "sturm und drang" school of writing, but Franck's masterpiece does it MUCH better! The "nationality" of the writing cannot be placed, since it has a distinctly "German" feel to it, specifically Beethoven-ish, with booming horn-and-drum crescendoes and sweeping string portions. But the composer is French! This is NOT a "French" sounding piece...there is no similarity to Germaine Taillefaire, Ibert, Poulenc or Satie here....But the Beethoven influence is unmistakable....so let's just leave it as "Franco-German".

The piece is soulfulness personified and is a good example of 19th century European symphonic composition, and this CD performance does not disappoint, although my mom STILL prefers Eugene Ormandy's version with the Philadelphia Orchestra....

Overlooked Gem.......2001-10-15

If you do not own this recording, buy it now! Franck was primarily an organist but this disc of orchestral works is outstanding! His orchestration, voice leading and thematic material are all deeply colored by his close association with the organ. The Symphony in D minor is brooding and often turbulent. Le Chasseur Maudit is a raucus ride that will remind you of a Strauss tone poem along the lines of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". Franck's tunes are natural and infectious. A highly satisfying experience.

Average customer rating:

A very exciting compilation!
Brilliant and touching

Mephisto & Co.

Manufacturer: Reference Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Polkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

Exotic Dances from the Opera
Bolero: Orchestral Fireworks
Respighi: Belkis, Queen of Sheba
Bernstein: Suite from Candide; Five Songs; Three Meditations from Mass; Divertimento
Minnesota Orchestra Showcase

ASIN: B0000060F2
Release Date: 1998-03-24

Tracks:

Mephisto Waltz #1
Mephisto Waltz #1: First Ending
Mephisto Waltz #1: Second Ending
Night On Bald Mountain
Baba Yaga
The Accursed Huntsman
The Sorcer's Apprentice
Danse Macabre
Tam o' Shanter
Lucifer Polka

Customer Reviews:

A very exciting compilation!.......2000-10-31

I agree with the previous reviewer that the last piece on this disc is somewhat lacking in character. Thankfully the rest of it is exciting as can be! I especially liked the Tam O' Shanter and the Baba Yaga. The Accursed Huntsman and Sorcerer were great too. Playing is wonderful throughout. This orchestra has one of the best string sections around in my opinion-they have a galvanized quality to their sound that really kicks! Their brass is equally impressive-powerful, but immeasureably musical and without the tasteless bite of many other orchestras. Oh yeah, their woodwinds have an amazing amount of color to their sound. Throw all that together with Oue's remarkable enthusiasm and some great symphonic works and you have one hell of a disc. Of course, Reference Recordings unmatched sound quality and Orchestra Hall's wonderfully live acoustics only add to the experience.

Brilliant and touching.......2000-08-04

The major problem with wellknown pieces of music is the immediate reference you have with other interpretations, especially on record. You hear the music in your head before you hear it with your ears. And when the interpretators lack affinity with the composer's intentions there you have it: annoyance. But none of this with Mr. Oue's Minnesota Orchestra; his often somewhat showy interpretations of wellknown pieces can be forgotten when you listen closely. The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Stokovky in Walt Disney's Fantasia can't keep up with this one. Liszt's Mephisto Waltz with the two endings, of which I appreciate the second the most, Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain, they are all put in a different light. Most appealing is Malcolm Arnold's Tam O'Shanter, watch out for the rolling thunder of the drums!

Tracks:

The Accursed Huntsman
Symphonic Variations For Piano And Orchestra
Psyche: 'Psyche And Eros'
Symphony In D Minor - Lento-Allegro non troppo
Symphony In D Minor - Allegretto
Symphony In D Minor - Allegro non troppo

Customer Reviews:

FRANKLY FRANCK.......2003-02-20

Culled from recordings dating back to1960-68, Chesky has compiled a very generous selection of mainstay orchestral works by Cesar Franck [1822-1890], including the attractive symphonic fragment, "Psyche and Eros," a decided bonus. This appealing CD would be noteworthy if for no other reason than having so much penultimate Franck at one's fingertips. However, the appeal is hardly limited to this alone. We are also treated to excellent performances and riveting interpretations.

A fine example of the latter is Freccia's exciting, roustabout rendition of The Accursed Huntsman, replete with hair-raising brass, ominous tolling bells, and fervent romantic sweep. The RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra keeps brilliantly apace. [1968]

In the Symphonic Variations, Freccia and the RCA VSO accompany pianist Earl Wild in a warmly engaging performance that emphasizes Franck's charming lyricism rather than bravura. Wild's gentle wending way is hypnotic: in full chordal passages his manner is never aggressive, and in meditative sections his touch is like a whisper. Wild's poetic vision of the Variations is the most personal I have ever heard, and a beauty. [1968]

"Psyche and Eros," extracted from Psyche, the composer's large-scale endeavor for chorus and orchestra, and rarely heard in other than fragments, is a pleasing melodic segue, especially idiomatic under Pretre and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. [1963]

But Franck's masterpiece Symphony in D minor remains the virtual core of his output, its contrasting ideas, repeating motifs and evocative orchestration still luminous. Under Sir Adrian Boult, the London Orchestra Society, in what to me sounds like a live recording, but I could be mistaken, tackles the work with aplomb. The opening Lento/Allegro, at over sixteen minutes, is a perfectly shaped mood piece of darkness and light beautifully balanced. The central Allegretto continues subdued and mysterious, yet maintaining an underlying tension, released in the recapitulative popular Allegro finale. All told, Boult's reading is unique, committed and romantic, if, unfortunately, hindered by somewhat dated sound. However, the ear adjusts, and the wisdom of the conductor's seamless grip fascinates. [1960]

Tracks:

The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Omphale's Spinning Wheel, Op.31
Mother Goose: Pavan Of The Sleeping Beauty
Mother Goose: Hop-O'-My-Thumb
Mother Goose: Laideronette, Empress Of The Pagodas
Mother Goose: Beauty And The Beast Converse
Mother Goose: The Fairy Garden
Le Chasseur Maudit: The Peaceful Sunday Landscape
Le Chasseur Maudit: The Hunt
Le Chasseur Maudit: The Curse
Le Chasseur Maudit: The Demons Chase

Customer Reviews:

Munch's excellece with the French repertoire.......2006-01-27

The Alsatian conductor Charles Munch (1902-1968) led the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1949 to 1962, succeeding the Russian-born conductor and teacher Serge Koussevitsky. Munch excelled in the French repertoire throughout his career and this RCA Victor disc features four excellent examples of his abilities with this unique music.

There is indeed a "French touch" in classical music, a certain amount of elegance, wit, and brilliance that requires a gifted hand to be successful. Munch was one of those rare conductors who could definitely bring out the best in the Boston Symphony, making an American orchestra sound more French than could be expected.

Munch, who founded the Orchestra of Paris near the end of his life, was chosen by RCA Victor to make its very first commercial stereophonic recording, in early 1954, of Hector Berlioz's "The Damnation of Faust." For the next eight years, Munch and the Boston Symphony made numerous recordings in RCA's remarkable "Living Stereo" process, which were made in Boston's historic Symphony Hall with a triple-track tape recorder and three microphones. The recordings first appeared in stereo on reel-to-reel tapes, while most listeners heard them on conventional high fidelity discs. Finally, in 1958, RCA began releasing stereo discs, relying on four years of stereo tapings.

This compilation begins with Paul Dukas' greatest work, his musical telling of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," inspired by the Goethe poem that was itself inspired by an ancient legend of an Egyptian sorcerer who lived underground and enjoyed bringing inanimate objects to life. In this case, the sorcerer used a broom to fetch water. His apprentice, or assistant, had been watching and, after his master had departed, he was able to duplicate the feat. However, the apprentice soon discovered he did not know how to stop the broom, which continued to bring water, flooding the room. In desperation, the sorceror hacked the broom to bits, only to have the bits form new brooms with hands carrying more buckets filled with water. Only the return of the sorcerer himself prevented total disaster and, of course, he promptly disciplined the sorcerer.

Dukas' music closely follows the story and even the rhythms of Goethe's poem. In Munch's hands, the full drama of the story is presented with great intensity and finesse. He brings out the full mystery and intrigue of the musical tale. The growing flood can be visualized with the powerful playing of the Boston Symphony. This is definitely one of the greatest performances of this work and, unlike the familiar Stokowski recording for Walt Disney's "Fantasia," it is presented uncut.

Less familiar on this disc is Camille Saint-Saens' "Omphale's Spinning Wheel," a symphonic poem that depicts the legendary Hercules' humiliation for disobeying divine authority. He is put to work as a servant for a queen, who forces him to dress as a woman and to work endlessly at a spinning wheel. Saint-Saens' music is also mysterious and haunting; one clearly senses Hercules' humiliation as the music spins relentlessly, with no end in sight. This performance vies with Leonard Bernstein's later recording as one of the best recorded. The Boston strings particularly excel in the recording.

Maurice Ravel's delight in children and children's tales is wonderfully represented by his ballet "Mother Goose." This is the suite, which omits the introduction and interludes heard in the full score. It is magical, delightful music, representing several of the traditional fairy tales that have delighted children of all ages for many years. Munch brings out the best in this lushly-orchestrated music.

Finally, there is a real rarity: Cesar Franck's "The Accursed Huntsman." Here is a story of a man who dares to go haunting on a Sabbath and is pursued by demons as punishment. This 1962 performance was one of Munch's last recordings with the Boston Symphony. I first heard it on the original RCA Victor LP, in which it was coupled with Ernest Chausson's symphony. I have heard a few other recordings of this music and none have come close to the intensity that Munch achieved. The sound, of course, is exceptionally good and it remains a truly high fidelity achievement. The famous Boston Symphony chimes, used particularly in Munch's performances and recordings of Berlioz's "Symphonie Fantastique," are yet another more factor in this incredible performance.

Another rotund success of this baton 's genius!.......2006-01-11

There have been supreme performances about these well recognized Ravel 's works. But there are two unsurpassed factors that assure this one as the most expressive, warm and sumptuously lyric performance of My mere you had heard ever; the presence of The idiosyncratic Boston Symphony, the most European of the American Orchestras and by addition, the successful podium by the Alsatian master: Charles Munch, this magisterial combination feeds back by itself and truly was a true blessing this winning blending has worked out with such perfection level.

On the other hand Cesar Franck 's work is simply unique. The only version that could be named as its rival would be Artur Rodsinzki.

Acquire this CD without dilation, because Munch 's grandness has been proved so many times and to talk about the sound of this sidereal Orchestra under Koussevitzky, Munch and Leinsdorff is now part of an incandescent chapter in the glorious background of the Great Music.

Great compilation.......2000-09-04

The RCA Living Stereo series has several outstanding efforts by Charles Munch and the Boston Symphony: discs headlined by Berlioz' Symphony Fantastique, Saint-Saens'Organ Symphony and Ravel's Bolero. This selection is every bit as good. The same verve that characterizes those performances is found here. Indeed, you'd be hard pressed to find more energetic performances of any of the works on this disc.

Average customer rating:

GRRRREAT!!!
Great introduction!

Heavy Classix, Vol. 2

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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Heavy Classix
25 Thunderous Classics
Thunder & Lightning
Living In Oblivion : The 80's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2
Time Life Presents: Classical Thunder

ASIN: B000002SOM
Release Date: 1994-03-15

Tracks:

O'Fortuna (from Carmina Burana) - Phil Chor
The Alien God and the Dance of the Evil Spirits (from Scythian Ste, Op.20) - Simon Rattle/City Of Birmingham SO
Circuses (from Feste Romane) - Mariss Jansons/Olso PO
Symphony No.5 in d, Op.47: IV. Allegro non troppo (exc) - Mariss Jansons/Olso PO
Danse de la terre (from The Rite of Spring) - Riccardo Muti/Philidelphia Orch
Night on Bald Mountain (exc) - Mariss Jansons/Olso PO
Finlandia (exc) - Herbert von Karajan/Berlin PO
In the Hall of the Mountain King (from Peer Gynt) - Ambrosian Singers
Die Walkure (Prelude to Act I) - Bernard Haitink/Bavarian RSO
The Miraculous Mandarin (exc) - Eugene Ormandy/PO
Le Chasseur Maudit (exc) - Riccardo Muti/Philidelphia Orch
Glorification de L'Eleu (from The Rite of Spring) - Riccardo Muti/Philidelphia Orch
Danse generale (from Daphnis et Chloe, Ste No.2) - Mariss Jansons/Olso PO
The Sorcerer's Apprentice (exc) - Mariss Jansons/Olso PO
Dance of the Mountaineers (from Gayne Ballet) - Yuri Temirkanov/Royal PO
Sym No.6 in b, Op.74 'Pathetique': I. Allegro non troppo (exc) - Riccardo Muti/PO
Sinf: I. Allegretto - Simon Rattle/PO
The Death of Tybalt (from Romeo and Juliet) - Riccardo Muti/Philidelphia Orch
Sym No.10 in e, Op.93: II. Alllegro - Simon Rattle/PO
Danse sacrale (from The Rite of Spring) - Riccardo Muti/Philidelphia Orch
Manfred Sym, Op.58: I. Andante (exc) - Riccardo Muti/PO

Customer Reviews:

GRRRREAT!!!.......2006-10-25

This CD and the first Heavy Classix are some of the greatest compilations of powerful brassy classical music ever! None of that wussy string concerto stuff, just plain gusto, the kind of music you want to play at top volume with the windows rolled down so everyone will know what kind of god you are. (IMHO) I LOVE this cd and so will you...they're hard to find nowadays...so get yours while you can!

Great introduction!.......2000-04-14

The Heavy Classix CDs were my introduction to classical music, and it was a very successful introduction. Beginning with 'O Fortuna' (which you might recognize from any one of several movies including Excalibur) and continuing through a number of high-powered tracks, some of which (Finlandia, Sorcerers Apprentice) might be familiar to you, Heavy Classix 2 and its companion Heavy Classix are great places to learn about classical music and dispel yourself of the notion that classical music is boring.

Average customer rating:

Great compositions, very good performances

Franck: Orchestral Music Vol. 1

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

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ASIN: B0000014A7
Release Date: 1997-08-05

Tracks:

Le Chasseur Maudit
Les Eolides
Sym in d: Lento-Allegro Non Troppo
Sym in d: Allegretto
Sym in d: Finale: Allegro Non Troppo

Customer Reviews:

Great compositions, very good performances.......2003-03-09

On this cd one finds Cesar Franck's only symphony (in D) as well as two symphonic poems, "Les Eolides" (The winds) and "Le Chasseur maudit" (cursed hunter). Although I enjoy this interpretation of Symphony in D, I found the EMI 47849 recording conducted by Riccardo Muti much more colorful, expansive and confident. So if symphony in D is the primary reason for considering this recording, one might want to consider the EMI version as well.

On the other hand, I've yet to hear a better rendition of "Les Eolides" which is my favorite of the three. I very much enjoy the dynamics of the tempo, which truely is characterisic of the wind. It's one of the great examples of musical poetry.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic Franck.......2006-04-01

The corporate merger of Sony and BMG has yielded a new midline series called "Classic Library." Drawing from the vast vaults of Columbia, RCA, etc., the "Classic Library" series will hopefully replace some of the void left by the shameful deletion of Sony's budget-line "Essential Classics" series. Well they are certainly off to a good start by making Charles Munch's legendary recording of Franck's Symphony in D Minor available (I believe this is its first time on CD). Though I had never actually heard this 1957 stereo performance prior to purchasing this disc, I knew the critical acclaim surrounding it. Indeed Munch delivers a fantastic Franck, full of spontaneity and insight, light and nimble, and never plodding or dull -- an unfortunate trait of far too many renditions. But this is what one comes to expect from Munch in the French repertoire, whether with Debussy, Saint-Saens, Ravel, Berlioz or Franck. Keeping the music in Boston, but this time with famous Pops conductor Arthur Fiedler and pianist Leonard Pennario, next we encounter a glowing 1963 account of "Symphonic Variations" (I believe also making its CD debut). These two men were generally associated with lighter, more mainstream fare (though I have always admired Pennario's Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky concerto recordings), but they turn in a memorable performance here. This title concludes with a CD reissue of the 1962 recording of "Le Chasseur Maudit," again by Munch and the Boston Symphony. In all, if Sony/BMG continues to unearth the neglected gems in their collective discographies, then this will truly be a "Classic Library" worth checking out.

Average customer rating:

Franck: Psyché; Le Chasseur maudit

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000000AW7
Release Date: 1995-03-21

Tracks:

Andantino quasi allegretto - Molto lento - Allegro molto
Psyche: Part One: Le Sommeil de Psyche. Lento
Psyche: Part One: Psyche enlevee par les zephirs. Allegro vivo
Psyche: Part Two: Les jardins d'Eros Poco animato
Psyche: Part Two: Lento
Psyche: Part Two: Psyche et Eros. Allegretto modere
Psyche: Part Three: Quasi lento
Psyche: Part Three: Souffrances et plaintes de Psyche. Lento

Franck: Redemption; Nocturne; Le Chasseur Maudit; Psyche; Les Eolides [Australia]

Average customer rating:

Franck the Wagnerian Sensualist

Franck: Redemption; Nocturne; Le Chasseur Maudit; Psyche; Les Eolides [Australia]
Ludwig , Barenboim , Ansermet , and Orchestre De Paris
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music

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Similar Items:

Franck: Les Béatitudes
Franck: Symphonic Variations; Les Djinns; Piano Concerto No. 2
Franck: Complete Organ Works
Ludwig Thuille: Symphony; Piano Concerto
Chabrier: España, rhapsody; Bourrée fantasque

ASIN: B0007MR2DY
Release Date: 2005-05-30

Tracks:

Redemption - Morceau Symphonique
Nocturne - Pour Contalto Et Orchestre
Le Chasseur Maudit - Poeme Symphonique
Psyche - Poeme Symphonique
Les Eolides - Poeme Symphonique

Customer Reviews:

Franck the Wagnerian Sensualist.......2006-07-19

For Franckophiles, this disc represents an inexpensive way to savor a part of Franck's output that, if it isn't altogether neglected as the liner notes suggest, is underrepresented on disc and in concert halls. Like all instrumental composers living in France who followed in the footsteps of Berlioz and had a penchant for the Wagnerian, Franck tried his hand at symphonic poems--and with surprisingly varied results. At one end of the spectrum is Le Chasseur Maudit, with its grotesque program conveyed through a huge Wagnerian orchestral palette. To this end of things you can add the rather bloated symphonic poem-oratorio combinations Redemption and Psyche, as well as the bizarre but interesting tone poem/concert piece with obbligato piano Les Djinns. Far, far to the other end of the spectrum is Franck's delicate little gem Les Eolides based on a neoclassical poem by Leconte de Lisle concerning the daughters of Aeolus, god of the winds.

The performances by Barenboim and the Orchestre de Paris tend to emphasize the brashness and pomposity inherent in Le Chasseur Maudit and the orchestral interlude from Redemption, which is all we usually hear from that work. Such an emphasis works well here; Franck is too often thought of as an overly pious academic, but he had a deeply passionate side that shows up most remarkably in the famous Piano Quintet. Likewise, the moment when the Accursed Huntsman sets out on his hunt despite his neighbors warnings, and with the church bells tolling magnificently in the background, is a sensuous feast of orchestral sound. Ditto the jubilant, bell-like brass writing in Le Jardin de Eros and the radiant yet rarefied love music of Psyche et Eros: This is an interesting and compelling side of Franck that is as worth knowing as the Franck of the Violin Sonata and Symphony in D Minor.

The Orchestre de Paris plays the music of their adopted countryman with gusto, with none of the unctuous mellifluousness of, say, the Orchestre de Montreal. And Barenboim lets his players get a little, well, vulgar, which isn't a bad thing in this frankly (Franckly?) sensuous music. Pscyhe is especially successful. I doubt I've ever enjoyed this delightful music as much as I do in Barenboim's performance. In Le Chasseur Maudit, Barenboim tends to luxuriate a bit too much over the slower passages, and some of the tempi early on are questionable, though the piece works up to a fine and furious climax. And the digital remastering of DG's analog recording is truly striking: I hear details of Franck's lush orchestration that I've never heard before on disc. You have to hear every chime of those tubular bells in Le Chasseur Maudit, or what's the point?

Franck's song "Nocturne," orchestrated by Guy Ropartz, is a lovely, jewel-like pendant, radiantly sung by Christa Ludwig, she of the big voice and equally big heart.

It's a tribute to those responsible for remastering this disc that Ansermet's 1967 recording of Les Eolides sounds just about as fine as the excellent recording Barenboim got in Paris nine years later. Working with his less-polished orchestra, Ansermet nonetheless produces satisfying results, capturing all of the subtle shades of emotion in this very attractive piece.

So here it is: 71 minutes of sensual orchestral pleasures from the man they called Pater Seraphicus.

Track Listings:

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

Mona Lisa Overdrive [Import]

Rachmaninov: Vespers, etc. [Import]

Shakin a Tailfeather (Blister)

Music: B-Sides & Otherwise

Secret Treaties [Original recording remastered] [Import]

One More Chance [CD-single] [Import]

Sing

Romantic Approach [Box set]

Stronger

Reggaeton

Sabrina Judge [Explicit Lyrics]

Piano Vibrations [Import]

Rudeboy [Import]

Classical Music classical-music-10

Jo Jo Gunne