THEODORE GOUVY: Symphony No. 3 in C, Op. 20; Symphony No. 5 in B-flat, Op. 30 – German Radio Philharmonic of Saarbrucken and Kaiserslautern/ Jacques Mercier – CPO 777 379, 55:23 **** [Distr. by Naxos]:
Theodore Gouvy (1819-98) made his reputation writing symphonies at a time (mid-nineteenth century) when it was not especially popular to do so. This French-German composer who hailed from the area between the Saar and Moselle rivers captured the admiration of many of his peers and achieved critical acclaim because of it (his first symphony was written in 1848). He maintained an uncompromising attitude in this his whole life, enabled partly because of the independence of wealth based on his family’s industrial background.
He sought out the best education money could buy—though he often thought even some of the more famous pianists overpriced—and set about to develop his prodigious gifts. His success was something of a phenomenon, particularly at the Leipzig Gewandhaus where he achieved sterling reviews and broad popular acclaim. His long life was a model story for any composer, and even though his time of intense fame was not to last that long, he established himself enough to be able to earn a decent living writing symphonies, conducting, and his activities as a prolific publisher.
But listening to these works—and they are very enjoyable—one can see that there are things lacking in them when compared to people like Mendelssohn—with whom he is most often cited—whose genius infused memorable moments into so many bars of music while Gouvy, despite some really well-crafted pieces—and I don’t want to sell them short—makes more of an impression “in the moment” than later on when one is reflecting on what one has just heard. Mendelssohn I go away humming, Gouvy I remember as having provided much pleasure, but not the sort of pleasure that lasts.
Yet it would be foolhardy to not recommend these pieces as greater familiarity might possibly bring them more firmly into the realm of truly worthy remembrances, and listening to them is intensely enjoyable. While these are not the last word in orchestral excellence in terms of the playing, they are probably the best we will get for some time, and are generally well-executed in fresh and vibrant sonics. If you need a Romantic era fix, look no further.
— Steven Ritter
