Dubois: Symphonies, chamber and sacred music

[Mark Thomas]

Here's news of an exciting 3 CD release due out next February containing two symphonies, two substantial chamber works, a mass and motets by Theodore Dubois. Each Editiones Singulares release so far has boasted very high production values, so this promises to be an absolute treat.

[Alan Howe]

Straight on the New Year shopping list! Marvellous!

[eschiss1]

Ah neat. The Fleisher Collection has a Symphonie française by Dubois (published by Heugel in 1908), a symphonic poem Adonis, and 2nd and 3rd symphonies besides (also published by Heugel, in 1913 and 1923) - among other works, which I incline to think probably haven't been performed in ages.  I've known of these works but nothing about them (I can interloan from the Free Library main Music Library Catalog (and maybe their Chamber Music collection- they have his Nonetto, ©1926, in both, and some other items in one and/or the item... hrm... but not the symphonies...) but anyhow, not the Fleisher Collection- and didn't know, anyhow, that I could borrow from the former until recently anyway)... anyways -- interested -thanks!

[Alan Howe]

There's a YouTube introduction (in French) to the Symphonie Française here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kspQw-rvvKo
Très wagnérienne!

[Mark Thomas]

Oui, absolument!

[Aramiarz]

Excellent news. The 3rd symphony was dedicated in memoriam of Camille Saint-Saens, I tryed of get them (symphonies), some years ago, but had problems of rights and bad quality material in the 3rd case. Maybe the situation is other now. Adonis is one wonderful symphonic in three parts. There is one recordings, maybe released 15 years ago by one Canadian label. Too the cd contain music by   Campagne Claude (or Champagne?). I will revise the cd for details of label, etc

[Alan Howe]

This is a must-buy for admirers of late romantic music in general and Dubois in particular. The 31-minute 2nd Symphony in B minor (1912) begins for all the world like Night on Bare Mountain, but soon establishes itself in the meaty tradition of Franck, Dukas and Chausson - with Wagner always featuring in the background somewhere. Often Elgar doesn't seem very far off either. It's all rather grand, sonorous and affecting. OK, it could have been written twenty years before - but who cares? It's all about the music. In any case, the majority of composers pre-WW1 weren't radicals, modernists or iconoclasts - they were like Dubois, i.e. plying the trade that they knew, And remember: Dubois (1837-1924) was of the generation of Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Dvorak, so what would one expect?

More anon...

[eschiss1]

Some of his music is already available on CD, I think, and a reasonable amount in score has made its way digitized online (not the symphonies, whose published Heugel scores seem to be rare things?) - what I've seen looks worth hearing, for what that's worth...

(Théodore not to be confused with Pierre Max Dubois, of course.)

[Mark Thomas]

Thank for the headline on the 2nd Symphony, Alan, but I'm disappointed that this set isn't available yet for download from qobuz.com. I shall have to exercise all that patience I haven't got!

[Alan Howe]

..a bit like spending all that money I haven't got...

[Aramiarz]

Adonis was released in canadien label Analekta, is wonderful piece, exquisite And refinated!

[BerlinExpat]

The set must be selling like crazy. Mine's just arrived and it's no. 2328 of the numbered edition of 2500!

[Alan Howe]

...unless they started at 2500 and are working backwards. Mine is 2404 and it arrived two days ago.

[BerlinExpat]

I guess not, Alan. My copy was held back by CPO while they waited for the delivery of Recife's Cecilia!
I've noticed that the number of limited editions vary. With Gouvy it was 3000!

[Gareth Vaughan]

I should think it highly unlikely that this set is selling out fast. It takes a long time to sell 2,500 copies of music by a relative unknown, even worldwide. Much more likely the sets are being sent out at random.