Louis Frémaux: The Complete CBSO Recordings (24/96 FLAC)

Orchestra: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Louis Frémaux
Number of Discs: 12
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Warner
Catalogue: 9029588673
Release: 2017
Size: 15 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

CD 01
Berlioz: Grande Messe des morts, Op. 5, H. 75
01. I. Requiem et Kyrie (Introitus)
02. II. Dies Irae – Tuba mirum
03. III. Quid sum miser
04. IV. Rex tremendae majestatis
05. V. Quaerens me
06. VI. Lacrymosa
07. VII. Offertorium
08. VIII. Hostias
09. IX. Sanctus

CD 02
Berlioz: Grande Messe des morts, Op. 5, H. 75
01. X. Agnus Dei

Berlioz: Le Carnaval romain, Op. 9, H. 95
02. Overture

Berlioz: Tristia Op. 18, H. 119
03. III. Marche funèbre pour la dernière scène d’Hamlet, H. 103

Berlioz: La Damnation de Faust, Op. 24, H. 111
04. I. Marche hongroise
05. II. Danse des sylphes
06. III. Menuet des follets

Berlioz: Benvenuto Cellini, H. 76b
07. Grande Ouverture

Berlioz: Les Troyens, Op. 29, H. 133
08. Act 4: No. 29 Chasse royale et orage
09. Act 1: No. 11, Marche troyenne

CD 03
Massenet: Le Cid
01. I. Castillane
02. II. Andalouse
03. III. Aragonaise
04. IV. Aubade
05. V. Catalane
06. VI. Madrilène
07. VII. Navarraise

Massenet: Suite No. 4, “Scènes pittoresques”
08. I. Marche
09. II. Air de ballet
10. III. Angélus
11. IV. Fête bohême

Massenet: La Vierge
12. Le Dernier Sommeil de la Vierge

Bizet: Roma, WD 37
13. I. Une chasse dans la Forêt d’Ostie – Andante tranquillo – Andante
14. II. Scherzo – Allegretto vivace
15. III. Une procession – Andante molto
16. IV. Carnaval à Rome – Allegro vivacissimo

CD 04
Lalo: Symphonie espagnole in D Minor, Op. 21
01. I. Allegro non troppo
02. II. Scherzando (Allegro molto)
03. III. Intermezzo (Allegretto non troppo)
04. IV. Andante
05. V. Rondo (Allegro)

Lalo: Cello Concerto in D Minor
06. I. Prélude – Lento – Allegro maestoso
07. II. Intermezzo – Andantino con moto
08. III. Introduction – Andante – Allegro vivace

Saint-Saëns: Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 33
09. I. Allegro non troppo
10. II. Allegretto con moto
11. III. Allegro non troppo

CD 05
Bizet: Symphony in C Major, WD 33
01. I. Allegro vivo
02. II. Adagio
03. III. Scherzo – Allegro
04. IV. Finale – Allegro vivace

Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 78, “Organ”
05. I. Adagio – Allegro moderato
06. II. Poco adagio
07. III. Allegro moderato – Presto
08. IV. Maestoso – Allegro

Litolff: Concerto Symphonique No. 4 in D Minor, Op. 102
09. II. Scherzo

CD 06
Fauré: Requiem, Op. 48
01. Requiem, Op. 48: I. Introit et Kyrie
02. Requiem, Op. 48: II. Offertoire
03. Requiem, Op. 48: III. Sanctus
04. Requiem, Op. 48: IV. Pie Jesu
05. Requiem, Op. 48: V. Agnus Dei
06. Requiem, Op. 48: VI. Libera Me
07. Requiem, Op. 48: VII. In Paradisum

08. Fauré: Cantique de Jean Racine, Op. 11
09. Fauré: Ballade, Op. 19

Saint-Saëns:Le Carnaval des animaux, R. 125
10. I. Introduction et Marche royale du lion
11. II. Poules et coqs
12. III. Hémiones (ou Animaux véloces)
13. IV. Tortues
14. V. L’Éléphant
15. VI. Kangourous
16. VII. Aquarium
17. VIII. Personnages à longues oreilles
18. IX. Le Coucou au fond des bois
19. X. Volière
20. XI. Pianistes
21. XII. Fossiles
22. XIII. Le Cygne
23. XIV. Final

CD 07
Saint-Saëns:Le Carnaval des animaux, R. 125
01. XIII. Le Cygne

Saint-Saëns:6 Études, Op. 52
02. No. 6 Caprice, d’après l’Étude en forme de valse (Arr. E. Ysaÿe for Violin and Orc

Saint-Saëns:Le Déluge, Op. 45
03. Prélude

04. Saint-Saëns:Wedding Cake in A-Flat Major, Op. 76
05. Saint-Saëns:Allegro appassionato in B Minor, Op. 43
06. Saint-Saëns:Danse macabre, Op. 40
07. Chabrier: España
08. Debussy: Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, L. 86
09. Dukas: L’Apprenti sorcier
10. Ravel: Boléro, M. 81

CD 08
Ibert: Divertissement
01. I. Introduction – Allegro vivo
02. II. Cortège – Moderato molto – Animato subito
03. III. Nocturne – Lento
04. IV. Valse – Animato assai
05. V. Parade – Tempo di marcia
06. VI. Finale – Quasi cadenza – Vivo (Tempo di galop)

07. Ibert: Symphonie marine
08. Ibert: Bacchanale
09. Ibert: Louisville-concert
10. Ibert: Bostoniana
11. Honegger: Pacific 231, H. 53

CD 09
Poulenc: Gloria, FP 177
01. I. Gloria in excelsis deo
02. II. Laudamus te
03. III. Domine Deus
04. IV. Domine fili unigenite
05. V. Domine Deus, Agnus Dei
06. VI. Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris

Poulenc: Piano Concerto, FP 146
07. I. Allegro assai
08. II. Andante con moto
09. III. Rondeau à la française – Presto giocoso

Poulenc: Les Biches, FP 36b
10. I. Rondeau – Très lent – Subito allegro molto
11. II. Adagietto
12. III. Rag-Mazurka – Presto
13. IV. Andantino
14. V. Final – Presto

Satie: Trois Gymnopédies (Orch. Debussy)
15. No. 1 Lent et grave
16. No. 3 Lent et douloureux

CD 10
Façade
Walton: Suite No. 2
01. No. 1 Fanfare
02. No. 2 Scotch Rhapsody

Walton: Suite No. 1
03. No. 2 Valse
04. No. 4 Tango-Pasodoble
05. No. 3 Swiss Jodelling Song

Walton: Suite No. 2
06. No. 3 Country Dance

Walton: Suite No. 1
07. No. 1 Polka

Walton: Suite No. 2
08. No. 4 Noche espagnole
09. No. 5 Popular Song
10. No. 6 Old Sir Faulk

Walton: Suite No. 1
11. No. 5 Tarantella – Sevillana

12. Walton: Gloria
13. Walton: Orb and Sceptre
14. Walton: Coronation Te Deum
15. Walton: Crown Imperial

CD 11
Bach: The Wise Virgins
01. I. What God Hath Done Is Rightly Done – Vivace assai (from Was Gott tut, das ist w
02. II. Lord, Hear My Longing
03. III. See What Love Can Do
04. IV. Ah! How Ephemeral
05. V. Sheep May Safely Graze
06. VI. Praise Be To God

McCabe: Notturni ed Alba
07. I. Hymnus Ante Somnum – Andante
08. II. Phantoms – Vivo
09. III. Te Vigilans Oculis – Lento
10. IV. Somnia – Agitato
11. V. Alba – Lento

McCabe: Symphony No. 2
12. I. Vivo
13. II. Andante
14. III. Allegrissimo
15. IV. Lento
16. V. Vivo

CD 12
01. Leoncavallo: Pagliacci, Act 1: “To act!… On with the motley” (Recitar!… Vesti la giubba) [Canio]
02. Puccini: Che gelida manina (from La Bohème)
03. Bizet: Carmen, WD 31, Act 2: “See how the flower” (La fleur que tu m’avais jetée) [Don José]
04. Bizet: La Jolie Fille de Perth, WD 15, Act 2: “Hear the voice” (À la voix d’un amant fidèle) [Smith]
05. Puccini: E lucevan le stelle (from Tosca)
06. Puccini: Nessun dorma (from Turandot)
07. Sullivan: The Gondoliers, Act 2: “Take a pair of sparkling eyes” (Marco)
08. Lehár: Paganini, Act 2: “Girls were made to love and kiss” (Gern hab’ ich die Frau’n geküsst) [Paganini]
09. Lehár: Frasquita, Act 2: “When the moon is shining white” (Hab’ ein blaues Himmelbett) [Frasquita]
10. Lehár: Frederica, Act 2: “O maiden, my maiden” (O Mädchen, mein Mädchen) [Friederike]
11. Strauss: Eine Nacht in Venedig, Act 1: “Love, I am here” (Komm’ in die Gondel) [Duke]
12. Lehár: The Land of Smiles, Act 2: “You are my heart’s delight” (Dein ist mein ganzes Herz!) [Sou-Chong]
13. Offenbach: Orphée aux Enfers Overture
14. Offenbach: La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein – Overture
15. Offenbach: La Belle Helene Overture
16. Offenbach: Barbe-bleue – Overture
17. Offenbach: La Vie Parisienne: Overture

This 12-CD set assembles, for the first time, all the recordings that the French conductor Louis Frémaux made (for EMI) with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra during his tenure as its Principal Conductor (1969-1978). These recordings helped to build the CBSO’s international reputation before the arrival of Simon Rattle as its Principal Conductor in 1980.

This 12-CD set joins Warner Classics’ Icon series, which pays homage to some of the greatest recording artists of the recent past. The box is devoted to the French conductor Louis Frémaux, who, from 1969 to 1978, preceded Simon Rattle as Principal Conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. For the first time, it assembles all the recordings that Frémaux and the CBSO made for EMI. Over the course of the 1970s their discography played a substantial role in building the orchestra’s international reputation before the arrival of Rattle as its Principal Conductor in 1980. Indeed, such was the orchestra’s prowess in the French music favoured by Frémaux that, in 1978, Rattle described the CBSO as “the best French orchestra in the world”.

Louis Frémaux, who died aged 95 in March 2017, was born in northern France. He attended the conservatory of Valenciennes, but his studies were interrupted by World War II. Too young to join the army, he became involved in the Resistance, and at the end of the War he joined the French Foreign Legion, serving in Vietnam. In 1947 he entered the Paris Conservatoire, where he studied conducting with Louis Fourestier, going on to win the institution’s first prize for conducting in 1952. He launched his recording career with the Erato label, and a notable success was the Requiem by the Baroque composer Jean Gilles, which won the Grand Prix du Disque in 1956, the year Frémaux began his nine-year tenure as Chief Conductor of the Monte Carlo Opera Orchestra. He first conducted the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in 1968 and became its Principal Conductor the following year. The CBSO’s history had been somewhat chequered, despite attracting such principal conductors as Adrian Boult and Andrzej Panufnik, but Frémaux groomed the orchestra, taking it to a new level. While the team gained special renown for its performances of French repertoire, it also sustained a strong reputation in the works of modern British composers.

The vast majority of this Icon set is devoted to French music: Berlioz (notably the Grande Messe des Morts, the first recording project of the CBSO Chorus, which Frémaux established in 1973); Massenet; Bizet (including his rarely-heard symphonic suite Roma); Lalo; Saint-Saëns (including the Symphony No 3, a work closely associated with Frémaux); Fauré (the Requiem); Chabrier; Debussy; Dukas; Ravel; Ibert (whose music occupies almost an entire CD); Honegger; Poulenc (the Gloria, Piano Concerto and Les Biches) and Satie. The British-born composers featured are: Litolff; Walton (who occupies an entire CD, dominated by the two Façade suites), and John McCabe (1939-2015), whose Notturni was premiered by Frémaux and the CBSO in 1970.

Appearing for the first time on CD is a selection of arias by Leoncavallo, Puccini, Bizet, Sullivan, Lehár and Johann Strauss II, sung in English by the tenor by the Birmingham-born tenor David Hughes (1929-1972), who, before turning to opera, had enjoyed success as a popular singer; the arias are complemented by overtures by Offenbach. Other soloists appearing on the set include tenor Robert Tear, cellist Paul Tortelier and pianists John Ogdon and Cristina Ortiz.

All items in the set have been remastered from the original analogue tapes and digitized in full HD 24BIT/96kHz.