Charles Dutoit leads a taut and focused Franck D minor Symphony wherein he lets the music speak plainly with a minimum of emotional rhetoric. Not that emotion is a bad thing in this symphony, as Bernstein’s use of it makes his Orchestre National de France recording an enthralling experience. Nevertheless Dutoit’s straightforward approach also manages to generate excitement with its emphasis on dynamic extremes and brilliant and characterful playing (amply supplied by the Montreal Symphony).
In some ways Dutoit is closer to Karajan, whose Orchestre de Paris recording also is notable for its intensity. However, Dutoit’s tempos are more flowing, and Decca’s recorded sound is far more natural and lifelike. The finale comes off best in this performance, where Dutoit successfully projects the movement’s nervous excitement and the Montreal brass blaze triumphantly at the conclusion.
Of course, collectors must have the classic and still unbeaten Monteux/Chicago recording on RCA (and they should at least hear Cantelli with the NBC Symphony on Testament), but Dutoit’s is a fine modern choice–especially as it includes Jean-Yves Thibaudet’s sparkling rendition of D’Indy’s Symphony on a French Mountain Air as a bonus. Available once again “on-demand” from Arkivmusic.com. [2/8/2008]
