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Harmonia mundi4
Beethoven: Symphonie no 5 Gossec: Symphonie
Les Siècles/François-Xavier Roth
Harmonia mundi HMM902423
Total time: 54:00
Harmonia mundi continues to pay tribute to Beethoven in his 250th anniversary year. After the Symphony No. 1, the complete Bagatelles for piano, the Symphony No. 9 and the Choral Fantasy, the label has released another essential score, Symphony No. 5 as performed by Les Siècles under François-Xavier Roth. This album is original in two ways: in its almost “classical” interpretation of the work – in keeping with its musical period – and in offering, as a complement, a work seldom performed or recorded.
Far from the heaviness that characterizes a great many interpretations of Symphony No. 5, meant to evoke fate actually knocking at the door, the French conductor opts instead for a brisk performance with detached phrases that stand out distinctly when played by this or that instrument section. This is true of the first movement as well as the fourth, whose pace is clearly martial. We even hear, on occasion, the individual voice of the trumpet or solo bassoon. As for the famous four-note motif, it hits the ear with a surplus of cellos and double basses, in a more staccato style than is usual.
Many of these characteristics are made possible by the studio environment. The second movement gives us further proof of this, this time with a more intimate sound. However, not all is perfect. Between the third and fourth movements (tracks 3 and 4) the recording inserts an artificial silence where these movements are normally linked without interruption.
The decision to offer the Symphonie en 17 parties is the other original aspect of this disc. François-Joseph Gossec, known for his involvement in the French Revolution, here celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille. Written in 1809, a year after the premiere of Beethoven’s Fifth, this work remains more attached to the classical style of Haydn or Mozart. It is also strongly influenced by Italian opera. Very lyrical, the first movement sounds like accompanied recitative and recalls certain musical features of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. The second movement, more intimate, resembles a scene taken straight from The Marriage of Figaro. The third movement, more dramatic, is in the form of a fugue and turns out to be the most interesting of the four. Finally, the fourth movement returns to a style close to Italian opera with its very elongated cadences.
In many ways, then, the works of Beethoven and Gossec could not be more different. A surprising union, of course, but at least one that offers the listener welcome variety. JB
Translation by Margaret Britt
This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en:
Francais (French)
