Dubois: Symphonies, chamber and sacred music

[Alan Howe]

I'm with Gareth on this.

[Alan Howe]

OK, back to the music. And I'm going to stick my neck out and contend that by far - in fact by a country mile - the best music in the set is the 39-minute Symphonie française in F minor of 1908. In fact, I'd say it's major work of the order of say, the Dukas or Chausson symphonies. Like the latter in particular, it is certainly indebted to Wagner and Franck is a looming presence, yet ultimately this is some of the most personal music I have heard by Dubois. It sounds as though he put his whole heart and soul into the piece. The contrast between light and shade is one of the work's particular fascinations - compare, for example the gloom-laden opening of the first movement with the calm, ethereal writing at the end of the slow movement. Wonderful. Then we have a third movement which begins as light as a feather before turning more stormy and mysterious with hints of Franck here and there. An unbuttoned finale then bursts upon us, the music soon becoming less certain before blossoming into an extended lyrical episode. The work ends in triumph. 

Oh, and by the way: it's superbly done by Les Siècles under François-Xavier Roth.

[eschiss1]

That is tempting...

[chill319]

...the majority of composers pre-WW1 weren't radicals, modernists or iconoclasts - they were like Dubois, i.e. plying the trade that they knew...

Indeed, but to my taste the sea-tide of stylistic change that transpired, in particular, during the decade before the Great War brought out the best in Dubois, and for that reason the appearance of later works such as his second symphony is especially exciting to me.

[Mark Thomas]

This set is still not available for download from qobuz.com. It's most frustrating.

[Alan Howe]

Just wondering whether anyone has any thoughts on this set - the symphonies in particular?

[adriano]

My only momentary thought on this: Why does Palazzetto use such unusual/impossible formats for their products? Their (excellent) texts could also be issued in normal CD booklet dimensions. It's like those "complete" Karajan and Bernstein 30-inches boxed editions containing no LPs but CDs...
And, what is more important: the Palazzetto CDs are just slipped in their book's inside covers in a quite risky way. Both CDs of my copy of Saint-Saens' "Les Barabares" were totally scratched...
Some CD companies have strange ideas about packaging. I am sure many of you also hate those cardboard CD covers in bookform (don't remember how they are called) which get so easily damaged during shipping. Melodiya are now fixed on this format. The plastic CD holders get broken very often and cannot be replaced, since they are glued on the cover - and not awailable in shops A damaged jewel box of a "normal" CD can easily be replaced.

[Alan Howe]

I quite agree. Getting the (3) CDs out of the Dubois book is a major logistical exercise involving detailed planning!

Any opinions of the symphonies?

[adriano]

After my unpleasant experience with the Saint-Saens, I am still hesitating to buy this item, Alan... 

[Mark Thomas]

I've only just obtained these works and am looking forward to hearing the symphonies over the holiday weekend. Then I'll post my thoughts, Alan.

[Alan Howe]

I do thoroughly recommend the symphonies. They are vigorous, wonderfully orchestrated and memorable. Old-fashioned for their date? Yes. But it's 2015, so who cares? And Dubois was born in 1837, so to come to the symphony at 70+ was quite a feat!

[jerfilm]

I'd love to hear them, but if someone doesn't issue the set as a download, I probably never will......

J

[Gareth Vaughan]

Can't see it on Qobuz yet. Am I missing something?

[jerfilm]

Even if it were, Qobuz is "not available" here in the colonies......   (and the one place I could use my ancient French.....)

J

[Mark Thomas]

No Gareth, it doesn't seem to be available as a download anywhere yet. Previous sets from Palazzetto Bru Zane have always been downloadable almost as soon as the CD sets were advertised, but not this time. An unwelcome development...