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Franck's only symphony (1890) came from nowhere in his output but led to a whole generation of French symphonies. Although his only such work, its logic and control, the main themes developing intently over its 35-minute duration, suggest an experienced symphonist in full flight: a pity time ran out soon afterwards. There have been many recordings, but few really successful ones. As a conductor equally at home with the ballet as with the symphony, Pierre Monteux was ideally placed to do it justice, and his 1961 recording does just that. The Fritz Reiner-trained Chicago SO respond with obvious enjoyment: whether in the brooding opening pages, the slow movement's gentle charm, or the finale's heart-on-sleeve emotion, there's a life-enhancing quality that no other performance has bettered. Monteux brings a lifetime's experience conducting
Petrushka to his 1959 account with the Boston SO. This isn't a high-powered virtuoso reading, but it conveys the music's passion and pain like few others. An unexpected coupling, but a mandatory purchase. --
Richard Whitehouse