Franck: Symphony in D minor Royal Edition No. 31

Sony’s Royal Edition (#31) of Leonard Bernstein leading the New York Philharmonic in Cesar Franck’s Symphony in d minor never got much love. It was never remastered for the Bernstein Century series like many of his other Royal Edition series received, something this recording could definitely use. The pairings of Ernest Chausson’s Poème, Maurice Ravel’s Tzigane, and Gabriel Fauré’s Ballade are 10-15-minute concertante works that are pretty rare nowadays, and I like this unusual program of French music quite a bit. And as always, you can enjoy the scenic Watercolor efforts of HRH Prince Charles on these Royal Editions, but boy what a strange feature it is. If you are unfamiliar with Franck’s Symphony in d minor, it is a tunefully structured composition much in the realm of Germanic symphonic traditions. It is unabashedly Romantic, the highpoints are rightfully swollen and dramatic with the tender moments filled with yearning and colour. Modern trends cleave to classicism, so this work is a bit poo-poohed today, often underplayed in recent recordings, but it is an exhilarating, tuneful work that I love revisiting over and over. Recorded in the St. George’s Hotel ballroom in ‘59, the same location as the famous Rite of Spring from a year or two earlier, this early partnership shows a little of the scrappy beginnings of Bernstein with NY. Bernstein’s reading of Franck’s Symphony in d minor, exhibits more self-indulgence than Pierre Monteux’s clear-eyed reading with Chicago on RCA. The slower moments are slower under Bernstein and minutely crafted and tailored, but both conductors give the same up-tempo energy with their respective orchestras. I am not sure I enjoy the micro-managed phrasings here, the accentuated viola and cello lines are great though, the constant push and pull and tempo tinkerings aggravate to some degree, but Bernstein certainly gives a fully-realized Romantic viewpoint. It’s too bad the sound here isn’t great because there is some fine music-making going on with Bernstein really laying into the extremes. Bernstein’s later recording with the National Orchestra of France on DG is even more indulgent than this one; it’s just not to my tastes, I guess. However, the short solo works with orchestra, recorded in the 60’s at the Manhattan Center, are very good. The meatiest work is Chausson’s 16-minute Poème, a sort-of short form of Franck’s Symphony with solo violin and orchestra. Lush strings, raging, full-bodied climaxes, and meandering, post-Romantic textures give this music an epic scope despite its miniaturized timespan. Ravel’s Tzigane is a virtuoso showstopper, also for solo violin and orchestra, and French violinist Zino Francescatti made something of a calling-card of this work. The close miking of Francescatti in both works give him a large, full sound that loses a little delicacy in favour of drama and passion, but all for the better in my opinion. Both works show his remarkable range, and where I prefer the musicality and scale of Chausson’s Poème over the daring-do of Ravel’s Tzigane, they are both fun works. Fauré’s 12-minute Ballade for piano and orchestra has lots of far-flung, Romanticized harmonic wanderings, but French pianist Robert Casadesus is more sophisticated in his pianism, not allowing Bernstein much orchestral tugging. The sound is much better in these three concertante works, and the balance of Casadesus’ piano is probably the best of all. As to comparative recordings, my preference lies with Monteux on RCA for Franck’s Symphony, in much finer Living Stereo sound than what is here on Sony, but lacks nothing in power compared to Bernstein. Beyond that I also enjoy the ignitable Charles Munch, [[ASIN:also on RCA, Ernest Ansermet on Decca Eloquence, and Eugene Ormandy with his unmatchable Philadelphia sound, also on Sony. The three French concertante pairings elevate this recording for me, but you can find them paired with their respective composers on other recordings, but it is nice to have them all together. I’ll give this recording a mild recommendation for a Franck Symphony that is a bit much for me in interpretation with middling sound. I’ll hand it to the accompanying violin and piano works with orchestra, miniatures not found much in the concert halls these days, for captivating me in better sound and excellent solo performances. Recommended.