D'Indy - Symphonie sur un Chant montagnard français; Saugefleurie; Medée
Louis Lortie; Iceland Symphony Orchestra; Rumon Gamba
Chandos CHAN 10760
At the time of writing, spring has finally arrived, so a disc which includes Vincent d’Indy’s Symphony on a French Mountain Air seems particularly appropriate in celebration of the season. The disc in question is the fifth volume in a series on the Chandos label presenting music by the Parisian-born composer performed by the Iceland Symphony under the direction of Rumon Gamba.
Born in 1851, d’Indy was a controversial figure during his lifetime, his strong right-wing political views frequently going against the mainstream. Nevertheless, he was regarded as a composer of considerable stature, and his eclectic and romantic style exerted considerable influence on later composers, such as Eric Satie and Albert Roussel.
In addition to the Symphonie with renowned pianist Louis Lortie as the soloist, the disc also features Saugefleurie, Medée, and the Prelude to Act One of his opera Fervaal. The Symphonie is surely one of d’Indy’s most famous compositions, and is treated here with the joyous spirit it deserves. Based on a folk song from Tourtous, the work is a large and lush canvas with Lortie forming a perfect musical partnership with the orchestra. Saugefleurie had its origins in a poem by Robert de Bonnières and here the prominent use of horns and chromatic harmonies shows the clear influence of Wagner. (Unlike many of his French contemporaries, d’Indy was a staunch Wagnerite). Also with a literary connotation is the orchestral suite Medée, written for a tragedy by Catulle Mendès. The Iceland Symphony performs with a sensitive assurance, ably capturing the orchestral colours and contrasting moods in this story of doomed love, thus rounding out a most satisfying recording.
This is a fine addition in the series devoted to the “Samson of Music,” one which is helping bring to light certain works that up to now have unjustly languished in obscurity. D’Indy would be gratified!
