Farrenc: Symphonies 1 & 3

Louise Farrenc (1804-1875). She seems to have spent most of her life in Paris, receiving tuition from Antonin Reicha, Hummel and Moscheles. She wrote a considerable amount of piano and chamber music and was appointed professor of piano at the Paris Conservatoire in 1842. Whilst other female composers of the period, such as Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann, focused on songs and instrumental works, Farrenc progressed to writing three symphonies and two overtures. This is the first of a pair of discs from cpo which explore Farrenc's orchestral output. The First and Third Symphonies last about half an hour each and are entirely what one would expect from a French composer writing in the 1840s. The indebtedness to Mendelssohn, Schumann and Berlioz is clear. The First Symphony begins with a dirge-like introduction (which recalls the opening of Mozart's Requiem) but quickly develops into a Mendelssohnian allegro. The second movement Adagio cantabile has an attractive central theme, with echoes of Berlioz particularly in the woodwind writing. It is followed by a brisk Minuet and the fourth movement Allegro provides a rousing finale. This is sunny, competently-scored music, which makes no particular demands on the listener (or performers). That impression is reinforced by the Third Symphony, written six years after the First. The orchestral writing is a touch more fluid and confident and, despite the use of a smaller orchestra, the thematic development is more advanced. The six-minute Finale in particular is a well-contructed and pleasing movement. There are no revelations in this music, but it was much praised in its day and deserves to be heard. Berlioz described the Third Symphony as "a strong and spirited work in which the brilliance of the melodies contends with the variety of the harmony" ("srong and spirited" is also a good description of the performances on this recording). This disc should appeal to anyone with an interest in romantic music of the mid-19th century and certainly those who enjoy Mendelssohn's symphonies and fancy something different.