Louis Théodore Gouvy: Symphony No. 4, Fantaisie symphonique & Symphonie brève—German Radio Philharmonic/Jacques Mercier (CPO 777382)
WCLV Music Director John Simna's favorite disc of 2013: "It’s always a joy to find new music – either newly-composed or—as is the case here—rediscovered."
Nineteenth-century French composers who wanted to write for orchestra were trapped in a musical establishment which prized opera above all else. Louis Gouvy was one such figure and even though Johannes Brahms, Carl Reinecke, and Joseph Joachim held his music in high regard, he never achieved real acclaim in France. He would up living the last third of his life almost entirely in Germany where he was much appreciated. So here are orchestral works written under the influence of Mendelssohn and Schumann, but utterly new to classical listeners, especially on this side of the Atlantic.
Originally featured Fri 5/3, Tues 5/14, Thurs 5/23