César Franck - Symphonic Variations; Les Djinns; Piano Concerto No. 2 (François-Joël Thiollier; Martyn van den Hoek)

Information

Composer: César Franck

• Symphonic Variations, for piano & orchestra, M. 46
• Les Djinns, symphonic poem for piano & orchestra, M. 45
• Piano Concerto No. 2 in B minor, Op. 11

François-Joël Thiollier, piano (M. 45 & M. 46)

Martyn van den Hoek, piano (Op. 11)

Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra

Roberto Benzi, conductor

Date: 1995; 1997

Label: Naxos

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Review

One is never too old to learn! I thought I was pretty familiar with the compositions of César Franck but I have to confess I was not aware until now that he composed any piano concertos (and the first two reference books to which I turned make no mention of them). I was even more surprised to learn that he wrote this second concerto at the age of 13 (his first concerto is presumably lost) and that it is listed as his opus 11.

The piece certainly has curiosity value. The writing for both piano and orchestra is fluent and assured. The virtuosic piano part is clear evidence that, as a pianist at any rate, Franck was an infant prodigy. It is in a somewhat nondescript style which contains echoes of, amongst others, Chopin, Clementi and Schubert. There are three conventional movements – an allegro maestoso, an adagio and a rondo finale. Despite its limited thematic content and harmonic development and some clumsy orchestration – particularly notable in the overlong, repetitive first movement – the work has undeniable charm. It bears no resemblance to Franck’s mature work except, perhaps, in one respect. One of the books I read as a teenager and which made a lasting impression is Cecil Gray’s The History of Music (1928). Gray was somewhat dismissive of Franck, but I think he had a point when he claimed that all the composer’s themes tended to hover around one note – a tendency already apparent in this concerto.

However, filled out with thoroughly attractive accounts of the Symphonic Variations and Les Djinns, this disc is certainly worth a fiver or so

.— Adrian Smith

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César Franck (10 December 1822 – 8 November 1890) was a composer, pianist, organist, and music teacher who worked in Paris during his adult life. As an organist he was particularly noted for his skill in improvisation. Franck is considered by many the greatest composer of organ music after Bach. Franck exerted a significant influence on music. He helped to renew and reinvigorate chamber music and developed the use of cyclic form. He became professor at the Paris Conservatoire in 1872, his pupils included Vincent d'Indy, Ernest Chausson, Louis Vierne, Charles Tournemire, Guillaume Lekeu and Henri Duparc.

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François-Joël Thiollier (born 1943 in Paris) is a French-American classical pianist. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire with Robert Casadesus, and at the Juilliard School in New York under Sascha Gorodnitzki. He has won major prizes at international music competitions, including the 1964 Busoni Competition, the 1966 Tchaikovsky Competition and the 1968 Queen Elisabeth Competition. Thiollier has concertised very widely in over 40 countries, and has made a large number of well-received recordings, including the complete piano works of Rachmaninoff (two traversals), Debussy, Ravel and Gershwin.

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Martyn van den Hoek (7 September 1954 – 25 August 2022) was a Dutch pianist. Trained at the Rotterdam Conservatory, he gained international recognition after winning the inaugural International Franz Liszt Piano Competition and receiving the prestigious Dutch Music Prize. Van den Hoek performed worldwide with leading orchestras and conductors, building a renowned career as both a soloist and chamber musician. He taught in Vienna and later at Utrecht University of the Arts. Beyond performance, he promoted interdisciplinary artistic education and explored connections between music, philosophy and communication.

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