VINCENT D'INDY (1851-1931): Orchestral Works, Vol. 4 - Symphonie italienne in A Minor, Poème des rivages, Op. 77.

Description: D'Indy's first symphony dates from 1872 and was almost immediately suppressed as a youthful indiscretion but anyone who likes such indescretions as Saint-Säens' Urbs Roma symphony or Bizet's Roma symphony - i.e. the emotional impact Italy had on impressionable young French composers - will love this four-movement work. Its movements are "Rome" (a 15-minute tone-poem in which Christianity defeats pagan religion), "Florence" (a bright and lovely scherzo which the conductor Pasedeloup played twice and quite liked), "Venice" (a barcarolle-like andante) and "Naples" (an 11-minute tarantella-based finale). A late work from 1921, the Poème revels in the sun of the Mediterranean climes - a four-movement suite depicting Agay on the Côte d'Azur (a musical sunrise), Mallorca (a depiction of brilliant, life-giving sunshine), Falconara in the Adriatic (a train-ride which anticipates the more notorious one to come shortly from one of D'Indy's students - Arthur Honegger) and the Gulf of Gascony (storm music clearing up into a transcendental, joyous calm). Now that the Timpani label is no longer available in the U.S., these are the only available recordings of either work. Iceland Symphony Orchestra; Rumon Gamba.