YVES RAMETTE (1921-2012): Symphonies No. 1, No. 2, No. 4 and No. 6 "Manfred".

Description: A curious case, and a very welcome discovery; a composer of first-rate Romantic symphonies, who seems to have abandoned the genre for the last four decades of his life, though he continued composing. The symphonies are tonal, and throughout, Ramette mines a rich vein of romanticism, not neo-anything, but almost naively the original article; comparisons with Roussel, Magnard, Lalo, Franck and even Tchaikovsky are not unwarranted, though this suggests not so much reactionary conservatism as an unusual level of comfort with unselfconsciously fitting into an existing tradition. The music may also bring to mind some of the lesser, but still very enjoyable Nordic symphonists - Rangström, say, or Atterberg. An odd progression of style is evident; if anything, the rejection of modernism becomes more pronounced in the later works. Those who admire Panufnik's output will respond to the motoric drive, persistent throbbing ostinati and static chorales suggesting lofty, echoing spaces, of the First, but this is about as 'contemporary' as the music gets. The Second revolves around a striking theme that bears a curious resemblance to Busoni's Clavis Astartis magica, in an aggressive first section and a solemn cumulative chorale-like second part. The contrapuntal Fourth reminds us that among his other accomplishments, Ramette was an organist; organ-like testures abound, as well as a fondness for bell sounds, especially as a poignant closing gesture. Writing a Manfred Symphony in 1968 sounds like a risky proposition, especially when its movements share the same episodes from Byron's epic with Tchaikovsky, and the work is arguably the most resolutely un-modern of these symphonies. What saves the piece from being a quaint curiosity is its sheer quality; it is quite simply a super piece of Romantic program music, effectively dramatic and atmospheric, that just happens to have been written a century too late. Only the most cynical modernist could fail to respond to this red-blooded, emotionally overflowing stuff, its heart proudly displayed on its sleeve. 2 CDs. St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra; Vladimir Lande.