Composer: Théodore Gouvy
Performer: Clémentine Margaine, Emmanuelle Swiercz, Tedi Papavrami, Trio Arcadis, Quatuor Cambini-Paris, Quatuor Parisii
Orchestra: Orchestre Royal Philharmonique de Liège, Orchestre National de Lorraine
Conductor: Christian Arming, Jacques Mercier
Number of Discs: 3
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Bru Zane
Catalogue: ES1014RSK
Release: 2014
Size: 1.58 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
CD 01
Sinfonietta en Ré Majeur, Op. 80
01. I. Adagio – Allegro
02. II. Scherzo. Allegro
03. III. Tema con variazioni. Andante
04. IV. Finale. Allegro
05. Fantaisie pastorale pour violon et orchestre en Fa Majeur
06. La Religieuse
07. Sérénade No. 2 pour piano seul en La Bémol Majeur, Op. 4: Allegro con brio
08. Sérénade No. 14 pour piano seul en Re Bémol Majeur, Op. 39: Allegro con brio
09. Sérénade No. 5 pour piano seul en Si Bémol Majeur, Op. 7: Allegretto moderato
10. Sérénade No. 15 pour piano seul en Sol Majeur, Op. 39: Allegretto moderato
11. Sérénade No. 11 pour piano seul en La Bémol Majeur, Op. 38: Larghetto
12. Sérénade No. 17 pour piano seul en La Mineur, Op. 53: Prestissimo
CD 02
01. Le Giaour
02. Jeanne d’Arc, première ouverture de concert en Re Majeur, Op. 13
03. Le festival, deuxième ouverture de concert en Mi Majeur, Op. 14
Quatuor à cordes No. 2 en La Mineur, Op. 56
04. I. Allegro con brio
05. II. Larghetto
06. III. Minuetto. Moderato
07. IV. Finale. Allegro vivo
CD 03
Trio pour violon, violoncelle et piano No. 4 en Fa Majeur, Op. 22
01. I. Allegro con brio
02. II. Larghetto
03. III. Minuetto. Moderato
04. IV. Finale. Allegro vivo
Quatuor à cordes No. 5 en Ut Mineur, Op. 68
05. I. Allegro con brio
06. II. Allegretto moderato
07. III. Andante con moto
08. IV. Allegretto agitato
Each volume in the “Portraits” series is devoted to a French composer who has now largely been forgotten; it presents a panorama of his works, performed by many artists from various backgrounds.
Torn between France and Germany during his lifetime as a result of the turbulent political situation in his native Lorraine, Theodore Gouvy was recognised by neither nation after his death. The music of this composer, inspired by the passionate style of Mendelssohn, magnified by the nobility of French academicism, is nevertheless of great importance. This CD-book presents a significant selection of his works – for the most part never heard before – along with biographical information, excerpts from letters, and articles discussing the composer’s style and personality.
The time has finally come for the Lorraine composer Théodore Gouvy, even if he still remains largely unknown to the public at large. Nicknamed “The French Mendelssohn” by musicologist Alexandre Dratwicki, the artistic director of the Bru Zane Foundation behind this release, Gouvy is the typical romantic musician at the crossroads of France and Germany, rocked by the vagaries of European history.
Released in 2013, this album is an excellent introduction to the music of Théodore Gouvy with symphonic, vocal and chamber music pieces. Influenced by Ambroise Thomas and Camille Saint-Saëns, the composer from Moselle unfolds a wealth of beauty through these pages which owe much to Mendelssohn’s melodic sense as well as to Schumann’s dramatism.
A European at heart, Gouvy lived in Berlin, Paris and Italy, where he befriended Rossini, whom he later met in Paris. Deeply wounded in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, he turned increasingly to religious music, which opened new horizons for him. His dual culture is noticeable throughout all the recordings offered here. His scientific approach to timbre and melodic sensitivity allow him to create a particularly successful synthesis of the different styles of his time. It is an exciting route that we follow here, from his very detached and dapper Sinfonietta to his Fifth Quartet in C minor. High-class performances.