Franco Alfano - Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 (Israel Yinon)

Information

Composer: Franco Alfano

• Symphony No. 1 in E Major, "Classica"
• Symphony No. 2 in C Major

Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester Frankfurt

Israel Yinon, conductor

Date: 2004

Label: CPO

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Review

These two symphonies sound very much alike, being big, somewhat formless hunks of glittering orchestration featuring plenty of harp, triangle, glockenspiel, and celesta in an idiom midway between Puccini and Schrecker. Crescendos are almost invariably capped with suspended cymbals, final chords would be nothing without a flourish of tam-tam: in short, it’s all very theatrical, very pretty, and great fun. If the tunes were more memorable we would really have something, but the rich, impressionistic harmony and sheer atmosphere offer ample compensation, while the slow movement of the Second Symphony really is quite beautiful. Heaven knows where the First got its “Classica” nickname: you might as well name your pet goldfish similarly, for all that the term applies to any musical form or function. Israel Yinon does his usual fine job in bringing this rarely-heard music to life, and his Frankfurt forces, aside from a touch of occasionally tepid brass, play with enthusiasm. The sound is just right: warm and full. Now how about the symphonies of Casella?

— David Hurwitz

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Franco Alfano (8 March 1875 – 27 October 1954) was an Italian composer. He studied piano, harmony and composition in Naples and Leipzig, later directing major Italian conservatories in Bologna, Turin and Pesaro. Alfano gained early operatic success with Risurrezione (1904) and drew on his own work La leggenda di Sakùntala in completing Puccini's Turandot. His other compositions include operas such as Cyrano de Bergerac, as well as chamber and vocal music, some inspired by Tagore. Though long overshadowed by his work on Turandot, his original music is now being reassessed and appreciated.

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Israel Yinon (11 January 1956 – 29 January 2015) was an Israeli conductor. He studied conducting and composition in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem under Mendi Rodan and Noam Sheriff. Yinon was known for reviving and performing forgotten or suppressed music, particularly by composers such as Viktor Ullmann, Hans Krasa and Erwin Schulhoff. His acclaimed recording of Ullmann's symphonic works earned the German Record Critics' Award. Yinon recorded for major labels like Decca and Deutsche Grammophon. He died tragically in 2015 after collapsing on stage during a performance in Lucerne.

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