VINCENT D’INDY: Istar, 0p. 42, Choral varie, 0p. 55, Symphony No. 3, Op. 70, Diptyche mediterraneen, Op. 87– Iceland Symphony Orchestra /Sigurour Flosason, saxophone/Rumon Gamba – Chandos CHAN 10585, 71:09 [Distr. by Naxos] ****:
Vincent d’Indy (1851-1931) is hard to categorize as a composer and, unfortunately, not nearly as well known as some of his early twentieth century colleagues. He was the successor to Cesar Franck at the Paris Conservatoire as the head of their music department and successfully developed a renowned school for composers as well as performers. Among d’Indy’s own “star pupils” are Erik Satie and Albert Roussel. I have personally played only two of his many pieces, the “Symphony on French Mountain Airs” and the “Trio in Bb for clarinet, cello and piano” and found them to be beautiful works that occupy a sound world somewhere stylistically in between Wagner and Ravel. Therein lies the most compelling reason to dash out and hear this disc as well as the first two volumes in this fascinating collection.
Each piece on this disc reveals d’Indy to be someone who had a penchant for the exotic. He was a well-traveled man who – as the very thorough package booklet explains – went throughout rural Europe and beyond collecting both cultural history and folk melodies. His “Istar” that opens this set is a complex atmospheric tone poem based on an Assyrian epic of their goddess, Istar. The piece opens with a soft anticipatory theme in the winds and what d’Indy calls a “Summons” motive for solo horn. The piece works its way through a series of complicated meters and tonally ambiguous variations. (C major, E major, Ab, whole tone series derived from these same major thirds) and culminates in an almost hedonistic march depicting the goddesses arrival and dance, in the nude. This piece is picturesque and captivating even in the absence of the story.
D’Indy’s “Choral varie” is essentially a small tone poem for alto saxophone and orchestra. Many composers including Ravel, Milhaud and Debussy seem to have “discovered” the very unique and somewhat exotic sound of the saxophone – invented by a Frenchman not long before these works. In d’Indy’s case, this piece is more atmospheric, almost mystical in its approach, than a straight up “show piece”. The opening is dark, mysterious and leads to a very rhapsodic saxophone melody followed by some arpegiations and characteristic floating harmonies through several keys and modes. The work concludes with a slow reflective restatement of the saxophone melody and the work ends plaintively, niente. Soloist Sigurour Flosason performs very well and captures the mood of this strangely beautiful work.
The Symphony No. 3 (a “Brief symphony to the French”) is a very nice, but somewhat odd work. Dedicated to d’Indy’s cousin who fought in World War I and written to depict the emotions felt by his countrymen; victorious but scarred. The work opens with a military drum cadence and transforms into alternately restful and violent sounds depicting war. The wind touches in this work are brilliant – uses of piccolo trumpets, cornets and metals and woods in the percussion all lend themselves to the sounds of war, of requiem and of victory. There is a transformation of the Gregorian chant “Hymn to St. Michael” in the finale that is simultaneously terrifying and peaceful. This work shows d’Indy to be a superb orchestrator and keenly aware of the effects of particular timbres in establishing a mood.
This collection concludes with the “Diptyque mediterraneen”. Inspired by some of the composer’s trips to the Mediterranean, this is essentially a small tone poem depicting the sounds and moods of summer days and nights. The “diptyque” (unto itself, a curious way to designate two parts) are “Soleil matinal” – literally a morning sun or sunrise – in which the sounds are an almost Strauss-like broadening of tone and vastness and the subsequent “Soleil vesperal” to illustrate waning sunlight and the changes in color and sound which one experiences. In this work, too, d’Indy the orchestrator shines through.
In addition to the revelation that this disc is in terms of lesser known wonderful orchestral repertoire, this is a first class introduction to the talent of the Iceland Symphony and its gifted director, maestro Gamba. I had never heard this ensemble before and they play very well indeed! It is often a good strategy for a lesser known orchestra to showcase music that is not previously recorded and given great audio treatment, as Chandos does! The overall sound of this group is on a par with any of the top orchestras in the world and I would look forward to hearing what they can with some of the “big beasts” in the repertory. I was amply impressed and recommend that you do as I intend to – go get the first two discs in this rewarding trilogy.
— Daniel Coombs
