6 favorite French symphonies besides "Fantastique" and "Organ"

[kyjo]

Thought this might be an interesting poll, since some of the major French composers - Debussy, Fauré, Ravel - never seriously attempted a symphony. Debussy wrote a rather insubstantial one at age 18 that he never orchestrated, and Fauré destroyed his and (apparently) reused the material from it in other works. So, I'm looking for 6 of your favorite French symphonies besides the ever-popular Berlioz Fantastique and Saint-Saëns Organ, and preferably not more than one or two per composer. I know some will disagree with me about this, but for the intents and purposes of this poll, let's consider Franck to be Belgian and Honegger to be Swiss. Anyway, here's my current list:


Chausson B flat major
Dutilleux 1
Ferroud A major
Magnard 4 (no. 3 is great as well)
Paray 1
Roussel 3 (no. 1 is great as well)


I'm ashamed to say I still haven't listened to Dukas' Symphony (!) or most of the non-Organ symphonies of Saint-Saëns. I'm also completely unfamiliar with the symphonies of Ropartz, Sauguet, and Tournemire, which I know some here think highly of. I hope to rectify all of that soon! Anyway, looking forward to your lists! 

[amw]

Actually an interesting question since after the period of Méhul, Gossec, Onslow et al (none of whom I know well enough to nominate) the French basically stopped writing symphonies altogether except for a handful of composers.... I guess it was seen as irreparably Germanised, and therefore bad??

Berlioz Roméo et Juliette
Bizet C major
Bizet Roma
Poulenc Sinfonietta
Milhaud No.1
Dutilleux Le double

[kyjo]

Actually an interesting question since after the period of Méhul, Gossec, Onslow et al (none of whom I know well enough to nominate) the French basically stopped writing symphonies altogether except for a handful of composers.... I guess it was seen as irreparably Germanised, and therefore bad??

Berlioz Roméo et Juliette
Bizet C major
Bizet Roma
Poulenc Sinfonietta
Milhaud No.1
Dutilleux Le double

I've heard good things about the symphonies of Méhul and Onslow, so I'll have to check them out. Yeah, there certainly weren't too many French composers writing symphonies in the mid-19th century. Berlioz, Saint-Saëns, Gounod, Farrenc, and Gouvy are some of the only names who spring to mind. The French symphony experienced something of a revival at the beginning of the 20th century with Magnard and Roussel producing their great cycles of four symphonies each (there's also Tournemire, whose 8 symphonies I'm unfamiliar with). Later on in the 20th century, composers like Henri Sauguet (4 symphonies), Jean Rivier (8 symphonies), and Georges Migot (13 symphonies!) contributed to the genre, but are very little-known today, and recordings of their symphonies (particularly the latter two) are very difficult to find. Of course, we shouldn't forget about Messiaen's epic and untraditionally-symphonic Turangalîla-Symphonie, his only work in the genre.

Great list, BTW. I know the Bizet C major (I especially like the haunting slow movement) and Milhaud no. 1 but not the others (Berlioz's R&J is one of the those works that I've inexplicably never gotten around to listening to).

[vandermolen]

Damase
Sauguet 'Expiatoire'
Magnard 'Funebre' (correction I meant Symphony 4)
Tournemire No.3 'Moscow'
Chausson
Roussel No.4

[kyjo]

Damase
Sauguet 'Expiatoire'
Magnard 'Funebre'
Tournemire No.3 'Moscow'
Chausson
Roussel No.4

Great list, Jeffrey! You've reminded me that I need to listen to the Damase - I've enjoyed everything I've heard by him so far. By Magnard's "Funebre" do you mean his "Chant Funebre"? Which, of course, isn't a symphony 

[SymphonicAddict]

Ropartz 2
Vierne
Messiaen Turangalîla
d'Indy Symphonie sur un chant montagnard française
Dukas
Lazzari Schmitt 2

[kyjo]

Ropartz 2
Vierne
Messiaen Turangalîla
d'Indy Symphonie sur un chant montagnard française
Dukas
Lazzari

Great choices! I had forgotten about the d'Indy - I guess because of the piano soloist. In any case, it's a marvelous work - love that tune in the finale!

[vandermolen]

Great list, Jeffrey! You've reminded me that I need to listen to the Damase - I've enjoyed everything I've heard by him so far. By Magnard's "Funebre" do you mean his "Chant Funebre"? Which, of course, isn't a symphony 

Sorry Kyle, I meant Magnard Symphony 4. I'll amend my earlier post. The Damase is a very good Symphony, very approachable and upbeat but with considerable depth and a great redemptive ending which I find inspiriting. I'm sure that you'd enjoy it.

[Cato]

More votes for:

Chausson

Mehul (any of the four: a shame that only one recording of #3 and #4 is available (in the NIMBUS set), at least according to Amazon)

Vierne

I believe no one has yet mentioned the two symphonies of:

Guilmant   e.g.

[asin]B00003XB23[/asin]

And check out the Widor symphony on that CD!

Not to be forgotten...

Theodore Dubois

https://www.youtube.com/v/VxnxGXmFShY

[SymphonicAddict]

I'm gonna change one of my choices. The Lazzari is out. The F. Schmitt No. 2 replaces it.

[Christo]

Thanks for all great suggestions! Let's give it a try:

Debussy 'Sea' 
Tournemire Six
Roussel Four
Sauguet Three, 'I.N.R.'
Daniel-Lesur One, 'De Danses'
Dutilleux Two, 'Double'

[Draško]

I'd just like to put in a good word for Ropartz 2nd. To me it always sounds kind of proto British pastoral somehow. Maybe the Breton connection.

[Maestro267]

Messiaen Turangalila
Dupré Symphony for Organ and Orchestra
Dutilleux 1
d'Indy 2
Roussel 3
Berlioz Grand symphonie funèbre et triomphale

[SymphonicAddict]

I'd just like to put in a good word for Ropartz 2nd. To me it always sounds kind of proto British pastoral somehow. Maybe the Breton connection.

I tend to think the same thing.

[Brian]

Roussel 3
Berlioz Romeo
Farrenc 1
Bizet in C
...now it gets harder...
Roussel 1
...Haydn 82??

I guess it was seen as irreparably Germanised, and therefore bad??

Yes, precisely! Can't imagine there was a rush of new French symphonies in the 1870s...

[Daverz]

Also omitting the Franck:

Roussel 3
Magnard 3
Chausson
Dutilleux 1 & 2
Dukas

Runners up:

Lalo G minor (this comes in for brickbats for being repetitive and a bit cheesy, but I love it).
Bizet C Major

Runner up symphonists
Milhaud
Maurice Emmanuel
Farrenc
Onslow
Mehul

Still exploring their output:

Sauget
Landowski
d'Indy
Gossec


 

[Daverz]

Mehul (any of the four: a shame that only one recording of #3 and #4 is available (in the NIMBUS set), at least according to Amazon)

Amazon's search engine has been getting worse and worse.  I found this with a google search:

https://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/m%C3%A9hul-symphonies-nos-3-5

Not that I'm biting at that price.

[Cato]

Concerning Mehul symphonies:

Amazon's search engine has been getting worse and worse.  I found this with a google search:

https://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/m%C3%A9hul-symphonies-nos-3-5

Not that I'm biting at that price.

Many thanks for the information!

[Sergeant Rock]

Lalo G minor (this comes in for brickbats for being repetitive and a bit cheesy, but I love it).

+1

Sarge

[Mirror Image]

There really aren't that many French symphonists that I enjoy, so I wish I could contribute, but I can't. I do rather like Roussel's 3rd and Saint-Saëns' 3rd. Dutilleux's two symphonies are also great fun. I guess I enjoy more French symphonies than I initially realized.