Franck and fashion

[seabright]

This article lists a number of recordings not yet mentioned here, including what I assume to be the very first of all: Sir Henry Wood's acoustic 78s from 1924. It is amusing to note his timing of 33 minutes, as against Celibidache's 1982 performance which lasts 46 minutes! ...

http://www.classicalnotes.net/classics3/franck.html

[richardfinegold]

My first recording was a Vox LP that featured Dorati conducting the Royal Philharmonic and it was coupled with the Symphoniv Variations played with Dorati's wife Ilse Von Appelheim. I played it quie a bit and also did the same with my lp of the Violin Sonata (Heifetz -Rubinstein ).
For some reason I never explored Franck any further. I had the Perlman- Azhkenazy recording of the Sonata but I had purchased that disc for the coupling, the Brahms Horn Trio. I recently bought the Paray recording of the Symphony because I developed an interest in the Mercury Recordings of that Conductor and Orchestra and it is very exciting and re kindled a love for the piece after many years.
I can't explain why I tired of the Symphony and it fell off of my radar. I remember sitting through a Concert performance with my ex wife who fell asleep and snored. I used the excuse to acquaint her with my elbow and that led to several unpleasant weeks of recriminations.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

My first recording was a Vox LP that featured Dorati conducting the Royal Philharmonic and it was coupled with the Symphoniv Variations played with Dorati's wife Ilse Von Appelheim.

Oh, yes - I had that LP, too. It was the chosen recording in a Record Review "BaL" in the late '70s. I didn't think much of either work, and it was some years before I bought another and realized that the Symphony had more to offer. (I'm still underwhelmed by the Symphonic Variations, though.)

[amateur51]

I was inspired by ams 's suggestion that it should not be brucknerised to dig out the Furtwangler which was once coupled with his account of the Spring Symphony .

In the right hands well his brucknerised Franck is rather good !

Be fair, Furtwaengler did have a special way with Bruckner

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I've just checked my score, which confirms what I thought (having not heard the piece for a long time) - there is no exposition repeat!

Well spotted. I hadn't realised. It just "sounds" like a repeat.

[Dave2002]

Note that we "did" this as a Summer BAL some while ago - number 24 - http://www.for3.org/forums/showthrea...ony-in-D-Minor

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Note that we "did" this as a Summer BAL some while ago - number 24 - http://www.for3.org/forums/showthrea...ony-in-D-Minor

Perhaps a merger might be in order?

[But I see I was bashing DG's recording then too. ]

[Dave2002]

I expected some of the versions mentioned here - perhaps Monteux, Munch, Paray to be in one or other of the big boxes released in recent years - Mercury Living Presence or the Living Stereo boxes, but unless my eyesight has given up (possible), I can't see them in the listings.

Indeed - my eyesight wasn't good enough - Monteux's version is in the Living Stereo box 1 coupled with Petrushka. Computer search does a better job than eyes yet again.

As individual CDs some are here:

Mercury/Paray: http://www.amazon.com/Franck-Symphon...=cm_lmf_tit_24

RCA/Monteux: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Franck-Symph...mphony+monteux

There is also an SACD of Monteux with the Chicago SO - would that sound better?:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Symphony-D-Minor-Petrushka-Monteux/dp/B0009U55RO/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1405236825&sr=1-2-fkmr1&keywords=franck+symphony+dorati

RCA/Munch: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Franck-Symph...symphony+munch

I guess this symphony just isn't considered interesting enough to be put into many of the large box collections, unless of course the companies think it'll sell well enough by itself.

There is, however, some Franck organ music in the second Mercury collection.

[Dave2002]

Perhaps a merger might be in order?

[But I see I was bashing DG's recording then too. ]

Depends if we only want to concentrate on the symphony. If we stay with the thread title we can look at organ music and the violin sonata and other pieces as well.

[richardfinegold]

I expected some of the versions mentioned here - perhaps Monteux, Munch, Paray to be in one or other of the big boxes released in recent years - Mercury Living Presence or the Living Stereo boxes, but unless my eyesight has given up (possible), I can't see them in the listings.

Indeed - my eyesight wasn't good enough - Monteux's version is in the Living Stereo box 1 coupled with Petrushka. Computer search does a better job than eyes yet again.

As individual CDs some are here:

Mercury/Paray: http://www.amazon.com/Franck-Symphon...=cm_lmf_tit_24

RCA/Monteux: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Franck-Symph...mphony+monteux

There is also an SACD of Monteux with the Chicago SO - would that sound better?:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Symphony-D-Minor-Petrushka-Monteux/dp/B0009U55RO/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1405236825&sr=1-2-fkmr1&keywords=franck+symphony+dorati

RCA/Munch: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Franck-Symph...symphony+munch

I guess this symphony just isn't considered interesting enough to be put into many of the large box collections, unless of course the companies think it'll sell well enough by itself.

There is, however, some Franck organ music in the second Mercury collection.

The Paray wasn't included in either of the Mercury boxes.

[Dave2002]

This version from Raymond Leppard and the RPO was originally on the Tring label - and has been remastered apparently - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Symphony-D-M...leppard+franck

It's a very decent reading of the work.

[Barbirollians]

This version from Raymond Leppard and the RPO was originally on the Tring label - and has been remastered apparently - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Symphony-D-M...leppard+franck

It's a very decent reading of the work.

Leppard and the RPO did any extremely good Beethoven 9 as well .

[Dave2002]

Leppard and the RPO did any extremely good Beethoven 9 as well .

I have been surprised to find that both the Franck and the Beethoven 9 are now available as SACDs, possibly including a multi-channel layer. The sound quality on these is reportedly very good.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Franck-Symphony-Chasseur-maudit-Eolides/dp/B000AAVCWA/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1405398154&sr=8-4&keywords=Leppard+SACD

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beethoven-Symphony-Royal-Philharmonic-Orchestra/dp/B000AAVCT8/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1405398154&sr=8-6&keywords=Leppard+SACD

[seabright]

Surprised to see that the Paray Franck Symphony hasn't been reissued in a Mercury box. His 1959 stereo version came out on a single CD coupled with the Rachmaninoff 2nd Symphony (434 368-2) while his earlier 1953 mono version has been issued by Pristine Audio (PASC 346) coupled with Ibert's "Escales," Ravel's "Rapsodie Espagnole" and Chabrier's "Espana." These were 1955 mono recordings of works that he also re-recorded in stereo later.

[mercia]

just wondering if people here agree with wikipedia

"........the Symphony in D minor remains the most outstanding example of cyclic symphonic writing in the Romantic tradition. However, Franck also used a typically "Germanic" sound, eschewing both the novelties of orchestration (with one notable exception) or nationalist thematic inspiration that Saint-Saëns and d'Indy had used to differentiate their own symphonic works. As a result, Franck's Symphony in D minor can be seen as the union of two largely distinct national forms: the French cyclic form with the German romantic symphonic form, with clear Wagnerian and Lisztian influences.

Due in part to this unexpected fusion, the piece was poorly received upon its first performance. More importantly, however, the reception of Franck's symphony was greatly affected by the politicised world of French music following the split in the Société Nationale de Musique, which had been founded by Saint-Saëns in 1871 in reaction to anti-German sentiment aroused by the Franco-Prussian War."



and a supplementary - would you say it is evident/obvious/significant/relevant from Franck and Bruckner's orchestral writing that they were organists ?