Information
Composer: Théodore Gouvy
- Symphony No. 3 in C major, Op. 20
- Symphony No. 5 in B flat major, Op. 30
Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern
Jacques Mercier, conductor
Date: 2009
Label: cpo
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ARTISTIC QUALITY: 9 / SOUND QUALITY: 9
Alsatian composer Théodore Gouvy (1819-1898) composed seven symphonies, making him one of the few French composers of his day to focus on abstract instrumental music. The fact that he was independently wealthy helped, but even so, and like his compatriot Berlioz, he enjoyed greater success in Germany (Leipzig especially) than he did in France. That said, the music on offer here sounds distinctly French in its supple rhythms, light textures, and piquant scoring for winds and harp (in the slow movement of the Third Symphony). The handling of form is also very assured given the music’s mid-19th-century provenance.
Most importantly, Gouvy’s themes often sound strikingly beautiful, particularly in his slow movements. You will surely wonder if Tchaikovsky knew the Third Symphony’s slow movement, with its lovely horn solo, or if he was thinking of the first movement’s leaping second subject for woodwinds when he conceived the strikingly similar idea in his own Fifth symphony. In short, Gouvy had a sufficiently strong musical personality to rise well above the period average for symphonic composition.
Why, then, did he vanish into near total obscurity? The fact that he was French surely had something to do with it, as German nationalism and the rise of Wagner and Brahms reduced tolerance for “foreign” influences in traditional “German” musical forms. And it has to be said that the music does lack a certain symphonic muscle–an impression that perhaps is exacerbated by these very proficient and enjoyable but perhaps just a touch subdued (in the brass and timpani department) performances. Even with this tiny reservation, however, I can recommend this very well-engineered disc with no hesitation whatsoever to collectors of unfamiliar but worthy 19th-century symphonies. [5/12/2009]
-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday
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Théodore Gouvy (3 July 1819 – 21 April 1898) was a French/German composer. He studied music mostly in private courses in Paris and Berlin. Drawn toward instrumental music rather than opera, Gouvy chose to live the last third of his life almost entirely in Germany where he felt more appreciated. He wrote twenty-four compositions for full orchestra, including nine symphonies, as well as overtures and variations. Chamber music also comprises a large portion of Gouvy's work, as well as many melodies, lieder and five dramatic cantatas. During his lifetime, his compositions were held in high regard.
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Jacques Mercier (born 11 November 1945) is a French conductor. He studied at the Paris Conservatory and won the First Prize for Orchestral Conducting in 1972. From 1982 to 2002, he was artistic directo of the Orchestre national d'Île-de-France. From 1990 to 1995, he was principal conductor of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, with which he conducted the French premieres of Sibelius' Kullervo and the Lemminkäinen Suite. Mercier took over the direction of the Orchestre national de Lorraine in 2002. He has collaborated with internationally renowned soloists such as Roberto Alagna, Nicholas Angelich and Natalie Dessay.
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