Composer: Henri Dutilleux
Performer: Jean-Guihen Queyras
Orchestra: Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg
Conductor: Gustavo Gimeno
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Harmonia Mundi
Catalogue: HMM902715
Release: 2024
Size: 2.5 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Métaboles
01. I. Incantatoire
02. II. Linéaire
03. III. Obsessionnel
04. IV. Torpide
05. V. Flamboyant
Tout un monde lointain…
06. I. Énigme
07. II. Regard
08. III. Houles
09. IV. Miroirs
10. V. Hymne
Symphony No. 1
11. I. Passacaille
12. II. Scherzo molto vivace
13. III. Intermezzo
14. IV. Finale con variazioni
The symphonic universe of Henri Dutilleux is a fascinating one. Mysterious and poetic, always remarkably expressive, his music explores the thousand and one colours of the orchestra with unique mastery.
Gustavo Gimeno and the Luxembourg Philharmonic give us a flamboyant reading of three masterpieces from the composer’s first creative period, showcasing the superb cello playing of Jean-Guihen Queyras in Tout un monde lointain.
A possible key to performing the music of Henri Dutilleux is to keep in mind that he had his roots in Impressionism, no matter how far he went into the modernist realm. The link isn’t always here in this recording of three major works from the first part of Dutilleux’s career, but it has many pleasures nonetheless. Among them is the solo work of cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras in Toute un Monde Lointain, a cello concerto in all but name. Queyras captures the atmospheric qualities and the contrasts among the work’s five movements in a consistently absorbing performance that is ably backed by the Luxembourg Philharmonic and conductor Gustavo Gimeno. Métaboles (1965) is precise and exacting, perhaps as it was when George Szell, the work’s commissioner, and the Cleveland Orchestra premiered the work. The Symphony No. 1 of 1951 is placed last, and it continues the rather affectless quality present in the other two works. Listeners’ preferences may vary here, but to these ears, there is an immediacy missing from the work in the likes of the Scherzo, which Dutilleux said should go as fast as possible. The Luxembourg Philharmonic continues to assume a place as one of Europe’s top regional orchestras in this difficult music, and generally speaking, admirers of Dutilleux will welcome this release.