Reber Symphony No.4

[Alan Howe]

Although I don't much care for the HIP performance involved, I am intrigued by this release containing the Symphony No.4 (1850) by Napoléon Henri Reber (1807-1880):
http://www.naive.fr/#/work/le-paris-des-romantiques

[Mark Thomas]

I downloaded the tracks of the Reber Symphony (but not the other works) a couple of months ago. Although no master work, the piece is a delight, highly tuneful and orchestrated with great clarity. It isn't a shy and retiring work but has strongly contrasted episodes. There are the expected influences: quite a bit of Beethoven and Weber in the three faster movements and some Mozart in the slow one but also I was constantly reminded on George Onslow, maybe because the winds are particularly prominent in Reber's orchestral palette. Overall, it's not a great symphony but it is a confidently written and rewardingly upbeat listen.

[Alan Howe]

Decided to give this another listen. Mark is right as to the idiom - how interesting to hear what French composers were doing in the field of the symphony in mid-century. The finale of Symphony No.4 is a riot...

[Gareth Vaughan]

I'm afraid the link you have provided, Alan, no longer connects to the CD of the symphony, but to the Naive website, which is (in a typically Gallic way) impenetrable! This really delicious work can be heard on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5RWFTyPZbM  but I have no idea whether it is the same performance. The CD is filled up with the Reverie & Caprice for violin & orchestra by Berlioz and Liszt's 1st PC. Many people will already have these works in alternative performances, but that should not put anyone off from buying this CD - IMHO.

[semloh]

Thanks for this thread; I had never heard of Reber. I  think Mark summed up this symphony with his usual precision. It is most enjoyable, and has a 'change in the air but not sure where it's leading' mid-century feel! The finale is fun, as Alan said, and sounds to me as if it owes a debt to Mendelssohn, among others. The Beethovenian ending must surely raise a smile!

[jdperdrix]

His piano trios have been published by Timpani. Quite enjoyable works, too!

[sdtom]

I have not heard of him either but will give a listen to it .

[eschiss1]

Not surprised by the way to learn that Saint-Saëns arranged Reber's symphonies for duet performance; as I recall Reber is among a half-dozen or so other 19th-century French composers he had very good things to say about in the (abridged English translation of his) sort-of memoirs/articles about his life and the music of his times (Saint-Saëns', I mean) that I read a year or so back (the English version under the title Musical Memories - "Translation, with some chapters omitted, of the author's École buissonnière.")

[hyperdanny]

the symphony itself is really a very fine piece, genuinely French, but not too frothy or insubstantial,
I am fond of it more in theory than listening practice , though, because I find the HIP performance really too clipped and aggressive.
And the "shouty", rather harsh recording doesn't help.
Plus , I really find very hard to believe that at such a late, (pretty much fully Romantic) time  it was performed this way, or with such a reduced orchestra, so I think that in this case HIP is more a matter of convenience (small orchestra=less expensive recording) than of scholarly approach.
Don't get me wrong, I am grateful for the release, but I admit I find it a little infuriating.

[eschiss1]

Hopefully more, and varied, with major and standard orchestras too, will release his orchestral works (mut mut his chamber music etc) in future. And Gouvy's too