For almost 50 years, the EMI/Warner Classic recording of Saint-Saëns symphony cycle by the Orchestre National de France under Jean Martinon has served as a prime recommendation. Now, to celebration the 100th anniversary of the composer’s death, Warner has invited the same orchestra, led by its new (as of September 2020) music director Cristian Mǎcelaru, to record a new cycle in the splendid Auditorium de Radio France, Maison de la Radio, Paris. When Martinon’s cycle was released in the 1970s, recordings of the symphonies (excepting the third “Organ” symphony) were few and far between, but in last decade three new cycles have appeared: the Utah Symphony under Thierry Fischer (Hyperion), the Malmö Symphony under Marc Soustrot (Naxos), and most recently the Liège Royal Philharmonic, under Jean Jacques Kantorow on BIS, which we’ve covered in these pages (vol. 1, vol. 2).
Saint-Saëns’ early Symphony in A, written when he was only 15, is clearly modeled on the symphonies of Mozart and Mendelssohn. Yet the sweet melodiousness found throughout the work is a hallmark of the composer’s mature style. Comparing Martinon’s classic account with this newcomer has been fascinating. Today’s Orchestre National de France has a more sophisticated color palette and plays with greater corporate virtuosity. Winds have a richer, more homogenous color compared to their earlier counterparts. The sound of Martinon’s orchestra, especially at climaxes, thickens, and lacks clarity, whereas the newer recording allows for excellent transparency without ever compromising the richness and warmth of the sound.
Mǎcelaru elicits a wider variety of articulation and playing of greater delicacy, as in the symphony’s scherzo. He often adopts tempi that are slightly slower than Martinon, and in the first symphony’s final movement, it is Martinon who propels the music forward more winningly. Neither performance seeks to match agile and lithe approach embraced by Kantorow in his recent BIS recording, a reading that more strongly connects this work to its classical antecedents. Martinon’s slow movement is Romantically conceived and has greater intensive ardor than the other two – I find his interpretation of this early work the most convincing of the three.
The melodic writing in the Symphony No. 1 calls to mind the symphonies by Schubert and Schumann; the fluency and loveliness of Saint-Saens writing is often breath-taking. Mǎcelaru’s timings for the first, second and final movements are close to Martinon’s, but his Adagio is over a minute longer. The extra time brings playing of extreme delicacy that nevertheless builds into two lush, fulsome climaxes. Mǎcelaru also unearths a deeper melancholy from this music that, in turn, lends the finale’s triumphalism greater emotional weight. This is a particularly convincing interpretation.
The “Symphony in F major,” subtitled “Urbs Roma” (City of Rome). was written in a little over a month in the summer of 1856. It is again notable for its astonishing melodic fluency. The first two movements, characterized by a light-hearted playfulness, are wonderfully realized here. In Kantorow’s recording the same music is played almost four minutes faster; there is less delicacy, but greater drive and energy, allowing the Liège orchestra an opportunity to show its impressive technical agility. Both readings are convincing, though they create substantially different moods.
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As in the first symphony, the slow movement seems to be the heart of the work, some scholars believing it to be a funeral march for a dead empire. Here Mǎcelaru (over a minute slower than both Kantorow and Martinon) locates a deeper level of pathos, aided by the darker, weightier sound of his orchestra. Listen to how skillfully the winds acquit themselves beginning at 3’38”, and how masterfully these musicians build to the movement’s climax, beginning at 5’19”. The finale opens with a lovely lyrical theme, which is then subjected to variations of increasing complexity, a display of the young composer’s mastery of form and brilliant orchestration. Mǎcelaru and Kantorow both inspire energetic and accomplished playing, though the French orchestra reveals greater tonal splendor than their Liège counterparts.
Generally considered the weakest of the five, I found Kantorow’s recent performance of the second symphony exceptional, in part because of his driven tempos and BIS’s stupendous SACD recording. Yet this new performance is perhaps finer still. Although Mǎcelaru is slower in every movement, he still creates plenty of forward momentum, instilling faster passages with a buoyancy that feel Gallic versus Germanic. Mǎcelaru’s Scherzo retains the spirit of dance, whereas in Liège the faster tempo brings a sterner and unsmiling mood. And how wonderfully Mǎcelaru relaxes into the trio, generating a wholly different atmosphere. While Kantorow’s final movement is perhaps meant to highlight the corporate virtuosity of his orchestra, Mǎcelaru’s players prove just as impressive at a slower speed, also finding a greater variety of character in the writing.
Of course, with over 60 readily available recordings, readers have far more choice for the third symphony. This is the weakest recording in Martinon’s cycle, the opening of the first movement lacking in mystery and perfunctory phrasing in the slow movement. Soustrot’s reading is also lackluster, the organ’s contribution underwhelming. Munch’s classic recording with the Boston Symphony has dominated the catalogue since its initial release; it is a performance of tremendous energy and enthusiasm, in a recording that still warrants comparison with today’s best efforts.
Mǎcelaru reading is highly distinguished, in large part because he does not seek to make original (and unconvincing) interpretational points, but instead inspires playing of passion, energy and captivating refinement. One might argue that the Poco Adagio is significantly slower than the score’s sixty beats per minute marking, but the variety of color and weight in the string tone is stunning, each phrase exquisitely shaped, leading to climaxes of compelling emotional force. Articulation and energy in following “Allegro moderato” equals what is heard in Boston, and the 87-rank Grenzing organ’s initial entry to being the final movement has thrilling immediacy. This music’s many tempo changes have tripped up many a conductor, but Mǎcelaru’s handles these shifts with disarming ease. The final minutes are a thrilling sonic spectacular, capping off a notable reading of this oft-performed work.
Listeners are indeed fortunate in having so many fine cycles from which to choose. Despite the sound showing its age, and occasional moments of untidy ensemble, there is a special sense of discovery about the Martinon cycle that is immensely appealing. Soustrot’s Malmö recordings once seemed opulently expansive, but now strike me as too reverential, luxuriating in gorgeous sound at the expense of forward momentum. Fischer’s Utah cycle has garnered almost unanimous acclaim, but while the interpretations have a Gallic fluency and tremendous energy, the sound is a tad clinical, and the use of an electronic organ in the third symphony (especially when a fabulous Aeolian-Skinner instrument resides so close by at the Mormon Tabernacle) is disappointing.
Reviewing Kantorow’s cycle I noted that the Liège Philharmonic “offers playing of exceptional finesse and technical elan, wedded to interpretations that are bracingly alive, and it is hard to imagine how BIS’s sound could be bettered.” While this still holds true, this latest recording strikes me as even more fine, because it has many of the finest qualities of those previous cycles. The sense of discovery heard in Martinon’s recordings is present here too; one sense that these musicians thoroughly enjoy playing this repertoire. Mǎcelaru’s tempos find a sweet spot between Soustrot’s languor and Kantorow’s speed. The Orchestre National de France plays with a charismatic sophistication and panache, captured in engineered sound of impressive warmth and great clarity. If forced to choose just one cycle, this would be my primary recommendation. Based on the success of this cycle, one hopes this team will go on to record a great deal more French repertoire – warmly recommended.
Saint-Saëns: Complete Symphonies
Orchestre National de France
Olivier Latry – Organ
Cristian Mǎcelaru – Conductor
Warner Classics, CD 9029653343
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