Vincent d'Indy

[adriano]

I fully agree with you, Ilja :-)
Dervaux does it with the necessary esprit françaix; and so do Baudo and Plasson.
I also like "La forêt enchantée" very much, it's actually the first D'Indy piece I would hear in my 20s.

[dhibbard]

Yes the Enchanted Forest is wonderful.

[alberto]

Literally historical in the d'Indy discography is a recording of "La mort de Wallenstein" (last panel of the early symphonic tryptich "Wallenstein") conducted by the composer himself . I have it on a vinyl of the rather esoteric  Canadian label "Rococo" (no credits for the orchestra or time of recording).

[adriano]

Alberto, this was a 2x10" 78rpm on the Pathé Label of 1931.
Catalog Number X-8806.
The orchestra is not even mentioned on the original shellacks.
Rococo was a bootleg label. They issued a lot of historical discs and also contemporary live concerts.

Here a nice page on D'Indy with work list and pictures:

https://www.musicologie.org/Biographies/i/indy_vincent.htm

[adriano]

... and his disc features d'Indy's most unsung orchestral pieces:

https://www.amazon.com/dIndy-Symphony-Italienne-Concerto-Strings/dp/B00103E368

[Ilja]

Literally historical in the d'Indy discography is a recording of "La mort de Wallenstein" (last panel of the early symphonic tryptich "Wallenstein") conducted by the composer himself . I have it on a vinyl of the rather esoteric  Canadian label "Rococo" (no credits for the orchestra or time of recording).

Fortunately, this recording (Les Autographes Vocaux) is on Spotify, and contains the voice and the music (conducted by the composer) of d'Indy, Hüe, Büsser, Inghelbrecht, Widor, Ropartz, Roussel and Schmitt.


Edit: I see that this recording contains the first movement of Wallenstein (Wallenstein's Camp) rather than the last.

[alberto]

The concerto for piano, flute, cello and string orchestra quoted by Adriano in post 19 was released in 1982 by Erato with Rampal, Duchable, Lodeon, J.F.Paillard and his orchestra.
It has just now been released as Cd in a box dedicated to J.F.Paillard.......of 134 Cds! I remain satisfied with the Lp.

[eschiss1]

I have an LP somewhere of the suite Op.24, the Concert and I think also the Prélude to Karadec...

[alberto]

The Lp above contains the Triple Concerto, the Suite en RE  dans le style ancien, and the incidental music for Karadec  op.34 (Prèlude-Chansone-Noce Bretonne). Some recordings of the last exist.

[dhibbard]

alberto said   "  La mort de Wallenstein" I have it on a vinyl of the rather esoteric  Canadian label "Rococo"

I don't see this piece on any of the 5CD set of Chandos.. perhaps there will be a volume 6??

[Gareth Vaughan]

There already is a volume 6 (CHAN10585, released 1st March 2010) and "Wallenstein" is on that.

[alberto]

Of the "Wallenstein" trilogy  there are also recordings of Dervaux, already mentioned, and Thierry Fischer (Hyperion). Of the last panel "La mort de Wallenstein" existed (also on Cd) an old Supraphon by Zoltan Fekete, coupled to "Istar" and two Berlioz overtures.

[dhibbard]

There already is a volume 6 (CHAN10585, released 1st March 2010) and "Wallenstein" is on that.

I guess I didn't see that when I ordered the 5 CD set....   just ordered Vol 6   Thanks !!

[semloh]

Many thanks to Adriano for the link to the commentary on La Légende de Saint Christophe. I had no idea of D'Indy's antisemitism.
La Foret Enchantée, is my favourite work by D'Indy, thanks to Radio 3 broadcasts many decades ago.

Would someone like to comment on his chamber music? It's time I revisited his Sextet.

[Apologies for late responses - I'm running a few days behind everyone else, despite Aus. being ahead on time difference!]

[adriano]

My pleasure, semloh :-)

If Meyerbeer hadn't been of German origin, would D'Indy's anti-semitism have been less fanatical? It's the eternal French-German hatred, which had also caused wars!
Additionally to that, Meyerbeer had been extremely successful. And he was an offspring of a very rich family of bankers and sugar manufacturers. The D'Indy's were noble, but perhaps less rich. Anti-semitism is often grounded on purely personal envy and national hatred. And those, who theoretisize their anti-semitic feelings in pamphlets and books (see Wagner etc.) prove that they really have a personal problem!

Here a contemporary, very valuable study:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/737849?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents

An interesting quotation: "D'Indy's most conspicuous fault is without doubt that of overbalance in the intellectual aspect of his art. His preoccupation in behalf of the architectural and stylistic elements often leads to a neglect of the emotional, and a consequent reproach that is music is 'cérebrale' "
This is perhaps quite apt as far as many of D'Indy's works are concerned, but the author of the study then makes a silly comparison with Brahms...

Again, I recommend a listening of D'Indy's (non-antisemitic) opera "L'Etranger": The theme (the libretto is by the composer) is that of a rich, but generous and helpful "foreigner", causing a lot of trouble in a fisherman's village. A sort of "Flying Dutchman" situation, but set into a more naturalistic milieu. This is, in my opirion, D'Indy's best opera, a very powerful work.