Franck: Symphony in D minor, Op.48 / Messiaen: L'Ascension / Ravel / Chopin / Duparc [Import]

Cesar Franck (Composer), Olivier Messiaen (Composer), Maurice Ravel (Composer), Frederic Chopin (Composer), Henri Duparc (Composer), Leopold Stokowski (Conductor), London Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Hilversum Radio Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), David Gray (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: David Gray
• Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra, Hilversum Radio Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Leopold Stokowski
• Composer: Cesar Franck, Olivier Messiaen, Maurice Ravel, Frederic Chopin, Henri Duparc
• Audio CD (November 20, 2006)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Cala
• ASIN: B000026C6Q
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #461,378 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars in Ascending order..., June 13, 2005

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Starry Vere (Silver Lake OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Franck: Symphony in D minor, Op.48 / Messiaen: L'Ascension / Ravel / Chopin / Duparc (Audio CD)

To my ears the real (re)discovery here is the uniquely vital reading of Messiaen's L'Ascension. Messiaen's way with the original organ work was also singular, ending with a rapt, almost static rendering of the final prayer. Stokowski's performance of the orchestral work (which has a new third movement) is teeming with life, ending with a totally Stokie-fied, souped-up prayer, suggesting there's more than one way to get to heaven!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Luxuriant Franck and Messiaen courtesy of Decca's Phase 4, April 9, 2011

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Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Franck: Symphony in D minor, Op.48 / Messiaen: L'Ascension / Ravel / Chopin / Duparc (Audio CD)

We have Cala to thank for resurrecting dozens of out-of-print Stokowski performances, working with the Leopold Stokowski Society in Britain. Only recently has the series ended, apparently with some regret; I believe the society became defunct. the heart of this CD is a recycled Phrase 4 recordings of the Franck D minor Sym. and messiaen's early symphonic suite, l'ascension (Stokowski favored its conservative idiom but didn't follow Messiaen any furhter, a shame since one can only dream of his way with Turanagalila). The sessions took place in 1970 in Holland -- Hilversum is the blanket title for an amalgam of Dutch radio orchestras, according to Wikipedia - when the conductor was 88.

Phase 4 was Decca's souped-up hi-fi line, and it didn't blush about offering garishly recorded releases, but here the engineering, though vivid, sounds normal. I don't feel the need to own more than one Franck D minor, but in any case this performance is more about Stokowski than the composer: he does more pulling and stretching than anyone I've ever heard since Mengelberg, who in fact offers the best comparison. Here is a very old-fashioned orchestral favorite, once ubiquitous, now pushed to the fringes of the repertoire, done in Golden Age fashion. It's as if by a sonic miracle a subscription concert from Philadelphia in the Thirties crossed through time. there is much lingering and caressing, so unless you enjoy being dipped in a candy vat, you should probably stay away. both the Franck and Messiaen are available in Decca's bargain tribute to the conductor, vol. 1.