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Edouard Lalo is described as
"one of the reformers of French instrumental music" in
the booklet of this release, and it's true to say that
along with Franck and Saint-Saens he helped the
musical public to appreciate another facet of France,
rather than just the operatic one. Success for Lalo
was not easily come by however, and only at the age of
50 did he win the respect of the concert going
audiences with the Symphonie Espagnole. This work
predates Bizet's Carmen by a month, and can claim to
have started the tradition of Spanish-inspired French
works, continued by the likes of Chabrier, Debussy and
Ravel.
The dramatic opening to the
Intermezzo of this piece leads to a habanera not
dissimilar to that used by Bizet. Realised by
Pierre Amoyal on this thirty year old Erato
recording, the sound is not always top notch - a bit
dry in places - but the performance is fully
committed, often darkly passionate. The rich colours
of the Andante's dark beginning are powerfully
portrayed by the Monte Carlo Orchestra under the
direction of celebrated conductor Paul Paray,
and the atmospheric opening to the finale gives way to
a light, bouncy theme from Amoyal - one of those tunes
that sparks an immediate deja-vu!
Also included on this disc is
the Rapsodie Norvegienne, performed by the same
forces. This much less substantial concertante work
comes closer to Grieg in musical language but is still
enjoyable, despite the dry sound once again. Making up
the trio of Lalo works is a 1981 recording of the
Cello Concerto, a work well-loved by cellists for its
warm romanticism but which still struggles to get the
exposure it deserves. Frederic Lodeon starts
from the depths after an expansive unison from the
orchestra, and from there he never looks back. An
Intermezzo, a favourite central movement form of
Lalo's, leads to a rumbustuous finale, with Lodeon's
virtuosity amply supported by the Philharmonia under
Charles Dutoit.
All of which completes a
triptych of works that serve as a useful introduction
to the work of this underperformed Frenchman. As a
complement to this I would recommend another disc of
Lalo orchestral works on the Chandos label under
Yan Pascal Tortelier.
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