Vincent d'Indy - Poème des rivages; Istar; Diptyque méditerranéen (Emmanuel Krivine)

Information

Composer: Vincent d'Indy

• Poèmes des rivages (Poem of the shores), Op. 77
• Istar, symphonic variations, Op. 42
• Diptyque méditerranéen, Op. 87

Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg

Emmanuel Krivine, conductor

Date: 2006

Label: Timpani

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Review

Vincent d’Indy’s orchestral works exist on the outermost fringes of the orchestral repertoire. Even the delightful Symphony on a French Mountain Air seems to have fallen by the wayside. That once popular piece is in fact somewhat atypical of the composer’s turgid, chromatic, “son-of-Franck” style, but as usual with the French school there’s a great deal of sheer craftsmanship at work here, and if you give the music a chance you may find it growing on you. Certainly the Istar Variations have their charms and don’t outstay their welcome, while the two late “water” pieces really do repay serious investigation. Georges Prêtre set them down for EMI with the Monte Carlo orchestra early in the digital era, performances neither as well played nor as well recorded as these under Krivine.

Both the Poem of the Shores and the Mediterranean Diptych date from the 1920s, and they reveal a welcome concern with brighter sonorities and less dense textures. The second movement of the former, in particular, is really gorgeous, and d’Indy comes across in these works sounding curiously like a sort of French Delius, or even Bax, albeit with firmer rhythm than the former, and better tunes than the latter. The two works were inspired partly by the sunny regions of Provence, partly by the composer’s happy marriage to a much younger wife (nothing else quite gets those old creative juices flowing). In short, this is really good music, and both the playing of the Luxembourg orchestra and Timpani’s sonics are excellent. D’Indy may have been an uneven composer, and he was by most accounts a revolting human being, but his best music certainly does not deserve its current neglect. Listen, and judge for yourself.

— David Hurwitz

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Vincent d'Indy (27 March 1851 – 2 December 1931) was a French composer and teacher, who sought to reform French music through the influence of César Franck and the Bach-Beethoven-Wagner tradition Germanic. Known for meticulous composition and lyrical expression, he produced important operatic and symphonic works, including Symphonie sur un chant montagnard français and Istar. In 1894, he co-founded the Schola Cantorum in Paris, promoting Gregorian chant and early music studies. D'Indy also collected and arranged folk songs and influenced many composers through his teaching and writings.

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Emmanuel Krivine (born 7 May 1947 in Grenoble) is a French conductor and former violinist. A prodigy, he won the Premier Prix at the Paris Conservatoire at age 16 and later studied in Brussels. After a 1981 car accident ended his violin career, he focused entirely on conducting. Krivine has held major leadership roles with several European orchestras, including the Orchestre National de Lyon and the Luxembourg Philharmonic. He founded La Chambre Philharmonique in 2004 and later served as music director of the Orchestre National de France. He has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, Warner Classics, Timpani and Naive.

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