The eclipse of César Franck's Symphony

[Elgar4Ever]

I agree with Alan about his assessment. Barenboim's performance drains all of the life out of this great Symphony. The recording is sadly not recommended.

[Tapiola]

After hearing (and now sticking with the Monteux/Chicago S.O.), I don't have the need to look for other recordings, frankly. That is still the performance to beat after more than 60 years now in my humble opinion.

[Alan Howe]

That is still the performance to beat

Probably correct. But there are other ways of conducting the work (just not Barenboim's!)

[hyperdanny]

Disclaimer: I like my Franck's symphony "Germanic and monumental", probably because I don't love it deeply, so the authentic French way doen't work for me, I find it mawkish.
That said, there's ways to do it and ways not to.
Very interesting (for me) to compare Baremboim's finale with one of my favorites, incidentally with the same orchestra and label, Giulini's.
That also is criticized for being slow and un-French, and actually timings are almost the same.
But in the Giulini I perceive a deep conviction , a rythmic undercurrent that keeps together the whole movement and carries it inexorably to a triumphant finale that's really "final"
I hear nothing of that in Baremboim's, it's very disorganic, and the final bars are underwhelming. 

[Alan Howe]

When the Symphony is done badly, it's usually because it's too drawn-out and unrhythmical. That's where the latest Barenboim release goes wrong. Franck is NOT Bruckner!

[Maury]

I don't love it deeply, so the authentic French way doen't work for me, I find it mawkish.

Are you referring to some perceived French performance style or the actual historical difference in the sonic characteristics of certain French instruments vs Germanic-Austro instruments? The former accentuated timbral differences while the latter favored blend. I have had trouble locating pre WW2 French orchestra performances of the Franck symphony. The earliest I found was Desormiere with the Paris Conservatoire in 1951. The French historical sound was fading quite a bit at this point although there was still a bit of difference that can be heard in the admittedly rough recording. Now of course the Germano Austro manner is widespread.

[eschiss1]

Philippe Gaubert/Orchestre de la Société des Concerts' recording dates from 1928. (There's another Pre- or early-WW2 one that's in neither category, with Koussevitsky conducting the Boston Symphony in this symphony in the early 1940s? on a National Broadcasting Co. LP. From OCLC 47909371 - which if two of the works were from the same concert, would be perhaps from December 1-2 1944, the premiere concert of Bartók's concerto; the Rimsky Coq d'Or selections on the LP might be from another. Koussevitzky performeed all three works- the Franck, Mozart's Idomeneo overture and the Rimsky- very often individually...)