...forthcoming from cpo:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/benjamin-godard-symphonie-gotique/hnum/8456432 (https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/benjamin-godard-symphonie-gotique/hnum/8456432)
Very excited by this release. I wonder if they will do Godard's other symphonies (including perhaps Op. 39, Le Tasse, Symphonie dramatique for Soli, Chorus and Orchestra - one can but hope). Symphonie orientale, Op. 84, has been recorded on Dutton, but there are also: Symphonie-Ballet, op. 60 and Symphonie legendaire, Op. 99, of the purely orchestral symphonies unrecorded.
I have always wondered about the Op. 60 - Is it an orchestral Symphony or is it a Piano composition; Also I remember reading somewhere that there was a Symphony No. 1 [without a title!] Am I wrong?
In any case I have always had a soft spot for Godard and really is a very exciting release. :)
The Symphonie-Ballet is an orchestral work. There is a full score in Harvard University Library. Godard made arrangements of the music for piano solo and piano 4 hands. Also, I must add a correction to my earlier post: the Symphonie Legendaire is NOT a purely orchestral work; it is for orchestra with soprano, contralto and baritone soloists + women's chorus. I suspect, therefore, that this and "Le Tasse" will remain unrecorded :-\
QuoteI suspect, therefore, that this and "Le Tasse" will remain unrecorded
I don't see why not, in case the plan is to record Complete symphonies of Godard! In any case it would be lovely to listen to the famous "Le Tasse" some day :)
Why? Because pieces with soloists & chorus always cost a lot more to perform and record, than purely orchestral works. But, of course, I hope very much that we will get to hear "Le Tasse" someday.
I have been hoping we would get more Godard from Martin Yates on Dutton, Widor seems to have taken his focus though, of course not a bad thing. I hear he is doing a big Vaughan Williams piece this summer with singers and chorus, so maybe Dutton is up for doing works that are not purely orchestral. Perhaps someone should give them a Godard nudge....gently of course!
Since I consider I know very well these two symphonies (I originated the project), I can tell you the music is very very interesting. Don't miss this disc!
Thanks, M. Couton - that's good to know. My copy's on order.
Mine too. Do you know if there is any chance of the other symphonies being recorded?
What can you tell us about these symphonies, M. Couton? There must be something special about them for you to be so enthusiastic about them...
CPO seems to be publishing booklets for new releases on the website - This is new. From the liner notes I understand there were a total of 11 symphonies - only 6 published, rest are unfinished or lost. Interestingly enough, the booklet has the heading Benjamin Godard: the complete symphonic works. Could CPO have plans to record all available Orchestral works ..... ?!?
Have you a link to this booklet, please? I can't seem to find it.
I just followed the url Alan posted on top. If you cant see it, try refreshing the page. It appears below the cover art.
Thanks. Got it.
So Chandos, Hyperion, Naxos and cpo are or may now doing this (publishing their booklets online as well as with their CDs), if I'm not mistaken? (Maybe some other labels...) A good trend, I know I approve :).
Very interesting these discoveries! Anyone to know where are the Scores of the Symphony Legendaire And Tasso?
The booklet notes reveal that the Gotique is really a suite. It's the Symphony Op.57 from 1879 that really interests me.
The Gotique symphony was dedicated to Saint-Saëns
Yes, the "Symphonie Gothique" is more a suite than a symphony, but the 3rd movement is especially beautiful and moving.
QuoteAnyone to know where are the Scores of the Symphony Legendaire and Tasso?
Try the Bibliotheque Nationale de France first of all.
Yep. A quick search on WorldCat shows a Full Score of Symphonie Legendaire in the BNF.
World Cat also gives the location of the MS Full Score of Le Tasse as Harvard University.
Dear Gareth, thank you!
QuoteYes, the "Symphonie Gothique" is more a suite than a symphony, but the 3rd movement is especially beautiful and moving.
Thanks, M. Couton. I'll look forward to hearing that work as well.
Can anyone tell me if this recording is available for download somewhere? I've been looking, but no online store I know seems to carry it.
Cpo's policy in this regard is inconsistent: much of their catalogue can be purchased as MP3/FLAC, but other things can't be (such as the Gouvy symphonies). Weird, but perhaps a consequence of their arrangements with orchestras/broadcasting companies.
Ilya,
I have found either eclassical.com or prestoclassical.co.uk to be the best source of downloads for CPO releases, but the downside is that you often have to wait at least a month (if not 2 or 3) after release of the CD in Germany before the newest releases find their way onto their websites.
Yes, I've noticed that. Another thing is that pricing is inconsistent, too. For example, if I want to purchase the Damrosch Symphony on Toccata, buying it at Presto will set me back 9,25 euros; the iTunes Music Store wants 7,99, eMusic 2,94 (plus subscription charges), and finally Toccata's own site has it for 7 euros. But it's not as though these price differences are consistent.
As for Godard, there's nothing for it but to buy the CD, transfer it to my computer and give the disc to someone, I guess.
Well, along with the Radecke CD this morning came this magnificent set of recordings. Of greatest interest to me is the Symphony in B flat which is a most impressive piece - and very much of its time (1879), incorporating as it does distinctly Lisztian/Wagnerian elements within the classical four-movement format. It's incredible that this fascinating and thoroughly convincing symphony has lain forgotten for so long. Why anyone would bother with the earlier Saint-Saëns symphonies when this magnificent piece is available is anyone's guess...
...although the best music music on the CD is probably the archaic-sounding Grave middle movement of the Symphonie Gothique - restrained, dignified and moving.
After repeated hearings of the three works on this CD I'm afraid that I'm left with a feeling of indifference. Oh, there are a couple of movements which stand out: the previously mentioned Grave middle movement of the Symphonie Gothique and the vigorous opening Allegretto of the Symphony Op.57, but they're very much the exception. Not that there is anything unpleasing or inept in Godard's material or his handling of it, there's just nothing really noteworthy or exceptional either. His melodic material is blandly appealing, his orchestration is suavely smooth, his harmonic language is safely mainstream for the 1870s and 80s. The booklet records a French critic describing Godard as "the genial composer of so much pleasant music for piano and orchestra" and that pleasant is spot on. Of the three works, the Symphony starts very well, but the middle movements lack depth and it closes with a tail-chasing finale. The Symphonie Gothique is no symphony at all of course, but a "Suite in the Olden Style". The third movement is good no doubt, but otherwise this sort of thing has been done better by others. The Trois Pièces doesn't pretend to be other than a trio of unrelated genre pieces. Again, they are attractive without being memorable, bringing to mind similar movements from Massenet's Suites, which far outclass them in atmosphere, vitality and memorability. Sorry to be so negative, but I was expecting more.
I was really only expecting something from the 2nd Symphony. My reactions to it are a good deal more positive, although I agree that its best movement is the first which is really rather magnificent, in my view. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the work, so Mark and I are (for once) at odds over this one! All part of life's rich tapestry...
Just to make it clear, I don't think that the Symphony is worthless by any means, but the rest of it just doesn't live up to the promise of that splendid opening movement which, together with the slow movement of the Gothique, demonstrates that he was capable of better when he put his mind to it.
I've now listened to the work a further three times and find that I am appreciating it more and more. The slow movement is thoroughly memorable, with a remarkable range of orchestration, the scherzo is the sort of thing Godard does well, and the finale alternates blazing writing with some lovely quieter passages. Very satisfying.
A case of great minds thinking unalike...
:) As you say, Alan.
;)
So much Godard yet no Jocelyn! Pourquoi?
Parce que c'est un opéra - et ça coûte beaucoup d'argent!
Yes, O.K. operas are expensive....but why put on " Dante" which few of us have heard of when we all know of " Jocelyn". How many times has the Berceuse been recorded?
Who knows? Perhaps the rest of Jocelyn isn't as good as Dante...