Franck: Symphony in D minor

Franck, for whatever reason, seems to be skipped over in most classical-music diets. At least that’s my impression over the course of my career (which, I understand, is a pretty narrow and niche).

I’m listening to the D Minor Symphony, a splendid masterwork and deserving of more praise and criticism. The recording is a London/Decca Blue Black of Ansermet and L’Orchestra de la Suisse Romande released in 1961. It’s a piece of music that can occasionally wander, but delivers triumphantly during the set pieces (I’ve been watching a lot of World Cup matches recently).

The recording itself is fine. I suppose I bought it more out of curiosity than for pure audiophile vibes; it’s certainly far from the best sounding London/Decca I’ve heard. At times, the orchestra sounds pretty rough. I was stunned how out of tune the trumpet playing was and wish the strings were 5% more cohesive. But that’s the thing with these old recordings (yes 1961 is old), they come from such a different place musically and stylistically. It can be hard for modern ears to acclimate. However, one thing that is timeless is when orchestras sings. Ansermet and Suisse Romande achieve this throughout all with that signature shimmer and a sort of Wagnerian romanticism.

This will be the collection’s third entry the Frank D Minor. Sadly, it doesn’t hold a candle to the other two. They are a London/Decca of Cleveland with Maazel and a Deutsche Grammophone of Barenboim with Orchestra de Paris.