Roussel: Symphony 1

 

This recording features some of the earliest works from French composer Albert Roussel. Those who know the composer will not find much of his mature style on hand here, yet these compositions are assured nonetheless.

Impressionism weighs hard on early Roussel, where much of the music is airy and atmospheric, with the composer preferring the use of flute, horn, and harp amongst a solid raft of strings. There is a conflict of Romanticism from time to time, with generous sweeps of surging musical ideas, but those usually come in short waves opposite the muted tones in the majority of the music here.

Symphony no. 1 is really more of an orchestral suite, leaning into the 'Poems of the Forest' subtitle. Here, Roussel assigns each movement a season of the year, starting in winter and ending in autumn with a brief cyclical return of winter at the conclusion. Each movement interestingly builds upon the previous one, timing-wise, thus the 'Winter Forest' first movement almost seems too slight for a symphonic conception, while the 15-minute fourth movement oddly unbalances the whole work in an appealing, ever-shifting Bacchanalian dance.

The 'prélude symphonique' Resurrection sounds almost as a continuation of the First Symphony so similarly does it begin in relative quietude and gentle peacefulness. Roussel allows for more brass interpolations later on, making for some burlier musical moments across its runtime.

The Incidental pieces from The Sandman Passes By is, if possible, even more Impressionistic, providing the listener shifting extended harmonies and occasional exoticisms. If I hear a slightest twinge of a tango, or some such Hispanic dance in the Scène 2 cue, I appreciate the little bit of variety aside all of the rather gentle musical musings. For those interested, French conductor Stéphane Denève opts for the string orchestra version of the work, as opposed to the string quartet original.

I have heard the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in better form, but perhaps this is due to the rare repertoire being performed. In the symphony, the strings take over the winds in tutti areas, sometimes at the expense of action in the wind sections. While most of the solos are boosted to hear over the orchestra, I was surprised at how flung back some of the solo wind instruments sounded. Even a solo string echo was barely audible in the First Symphony, catching me aback. The balances fare better in The Sandman, providing more of the chamber-style qualities of the score. Overall, I could imagine a more luxurious string sound as well, especially in Roussel's rather gauzy music.

Otherwise, this is an amiable introduction to the orchestral music of Albert Roussel. Nothing earth shattering exists on this recording, but music need not be so at every moment. Still, I would imagine most would point to Roussel's later music for those new to the composer.

 

 

Work Series
Vol. 1 from Roussel Symphonies on Naxos



Works
Symphony 1 in D minor 'Poème de la Forêt', op. 7 (35.30)
Résurrection, prélude symphonique, op. 4 (10.48)
Le Marchand de sable qui passe, op. 13 (18.08)

Performers
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Stéphane Denève, conductor

Label: Naxos
Year: 2009
Total Timing: 64.26

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