Gossec, Francois-Joseph (1734-1829) - Francois-Joseph Gossec: Symphonies Op.6 - Import 2 CD

Credits:

Gossec, Francois-Joseph (1734-1829)

Description:

The first complete recording of the symphonies, Op. 6, by François-Joseph Gossec, the composer best known for his “Gavotte”! François-Joseph Gossec, known today primarily as the composer of the charming little violin piece “Gavotte,” is a significant figure in music history. He wrote more than 30 symphonies during his lifetime and is considered France’s first great symphonic composer. Gossec also composed numerous operas and is remembered as the composer of revolutionary songs such as the “Te Deum,” written to commemorate the first anniversary of the French Revolution, and “The Triumph of the Republic,” which featured an ensemble of 1,200 singers and 300 wind instrumentalists. He was invited to serve as a professor when the Paris Conservatory was founded and made a significant contribution to the development of French music from the late 18th century through the 19th century. Opus 6 was published in 1762 and is dedicated to Baron Baguet (1722–1791), who hosted musical salons while also performing as an amateur violinist. Nos. 4 through 6 are scored for strings only, while Nos. 1 through 3 include the oboe and horn (optional). The six pieces can be divided into two groups of three; each group consists of two pieces in a major key and one in a minor key, and both groups conclude with a movement in fugue form. However, only No. 6 features a relatively short minuet movement following the fugue. Compared to his earlier symphonies, the structure of the movements has become more diverse and experimental; Symphonies Nos. 1–3 and No. 5 adopt an older three-movement form, a return to the style seen in Opus 3 (published in 1756). In Symphony No. 2, he even returns to the form of placing a minuet as the final movement—a practice that had already fallen out of favor by that time—but at the same time, he incorporates elements tailored to the tastes of the era throughout the work, such as the sonata form of the first movement and the exquisite balance between homophony and polyphony—all of which demonstrate the characteristics of Gossec’s symphonies that made a significant contribution to the subsequent development of the symphonic form. Born in 1974, Simon Gaudenz is a conductor with a wide-ranging repertoire spanning from the Classical period to the present. Recently, he has garnered attention for his “Mahler–Scalattini Cycle” (Odradek Records) with the Jena Philharmonic, a program that combines the complete Mahler symphonies—a project launched in 2022—with works by the contemporary composer Andrea Lorenzo the works of contemporary composer Andrea Lorenzo Scartazzini, which began in 2022 (Odradek Records). He has also made numerous recordings for the cpo label, including the complete Schumann symphonies, and his recording of Gossec’s Symphony No. 4 won the German OPUS Award. Here, too, he delivers a vibrant performance that brings out the charm of Gossec’s symphony. The CD cover features “Portrait of the Duchess of Glorie” (1788) by Elisabeth-Louise Vigée-Lebrun (1755–1842), a female painter active in France during the same period as Gossec. Naxos Japan